Jacinda Ardern has resigned as prime minister of New Zealand.
The 42-year-old Labour leader will stand down no later than 7 February, saying in a shock announcement that she “no longer had enough in the tank” to do the demanding job.
“This has been the most fulfilling five and a half years of my life. But it’s also had its challenges… amongst an agenda focused on housing, child poverty and climate change, we encountered a … domestic terror event, a major natural disaster, a global pandemic, and an economic crisis,” she said.
Ardern said she has no plans for the future and intends to spend more time with her family.
She became prime minister at the age of 37.