The former Mormon and Helen Clark staffer is the youngest woman in history to lead New Zealand

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

Full name: Jacinda Kate Laurell Ardern.

Position: Prime minister of New Zealand.

Age: 37.

Party: Labour

Family life: Lives with her partner TV presenter Clarke Gayford. Has a cat.

Religion: Agnostic.

'I've got what it takes': will Jacinda Ardern be New Zealand's next prime minister? Read more

Political credentials: Ardern joined the Labour party at 17. She worked in Tony Blair’s cabinet office and was a staffer for former New Zealand prime minister Helen Clark. Elected to parliament in 2008.

Campaigned on: Making tertiary education free, decriminalising abortion, cutting immigration and lifting children out of poverty.

What voters liked about her: Youthful, confident and credited with having the X-factor that was desperately needed to turn the Labour party into a real contender for power after nine years of a National government.

What they didn’t: Inexperienced and untested.

Potential problems: Australia’s foreign minister, Julie Bishop, has said it would be “very difficult to build trust” with a Labour government in New Zealand, accusing the party of collaborating in a plot to destabilise the Australian government after it emerged that the Australian deputy prime minister held dual Australian/New Zealand citizenship.

Made international headlines when ... Ardern called out sexist questions – about any plans to have a baby – that emerged just hours after she became Labour leader. She said such treatment of women was “unacceptable”.

In her spare time: Likes to DJ.

Interestingly ... Was brought up as a Mormon but left the church over its anti-homosexual stance. Doesn’t drink coffee.

• This article was amended on 20 October 2017 to correct the spelling of Helen Clark’s surname from Clarke, as it appeared in an earlier version.

