Jacinda Ardern awarded damehood for leading New Zealand through Covid

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Jacinda Ardern awarded damehood for leading New Zealand through Covid

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https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/ ... -pandemic/

Jacinda Ardern awarded damehood for leading New Zealand through Covid
Former prime minister was initially lauded for her response to the pandemic but was later criticised for its effects

By Andrea Hamblin
5 June 2023
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Jacinda Ardern, the former prime minister of New Zealand, has been awarded a damehood for leading the country through the Covid pandemic.

The New Zealand government announced it would bestow the country’s second-highest honour on Ms Ardern, who has been made a Dame Grand Companion, to mark the King’s official birthday.

New Zealand quickly closed its borders at the onset of the pandemic, cutting the islands off from the rest of the world, and imposed a series of strict lockdowns.

Ms Ardern was at first lauded for her tough response to the outbreak of the virus, but later faced criticism that her policies were harming tourism, education and other sectors of the economy that relied on visitors and workers from abroad.

She also came under fire over the government’s strict quarantine system, which made it difficult for New Zealanders to return home from overseas.

Chris Hipkins, the prime minister, who succeeded Ms Ardern earlier this year, said she was being recognised for her leadership during the pandemic and the Christchurch terror attacks, calling them “some of the greatest challenges our country has faced in modern times”.

“I saw firsthand that her commitment to New Zealand remained absolute,” Mr Hipkins said.

Ms Ardern, who claimed she did not have “enough in the tank” to stand for re-election when she resigned in January, was in April appointed a trustee of Prince William’s Earthshot Prize.

‘In two minds’
The former prime minister said she was “in two minds” about whether to accept the award.

“So many of the things we went through as a nation over the last five years were about all of us rather than one individual,” she said.

The new title is the second time this year that Ms Ardern has been recognised by the Royal family, with the King personally approving damehoods.

Alongside the former prime minister’s damehood, the Queen was named an Additional Member of the Order of New Zealand – an honour previously given to Prince Philip and to Queen Elizabeth.

The Queen has supported her husband’s relationship with Auckland and has worked with local charities “supporting migrant women, new mothers, and literacy programmes”, the New Zealand government said on Monday.

In the three times she has visited the islands with her husband, the last visit being in 2019 when the royals met with families impacted by the Christchurch massacre, the Queen has supported – among other charities – the work of the Arohata Women’s Prison, the Wellington SPCA and the Battered Women’s Trust.

“She has promoted the wellbeing of older citizens… engaging with several such programmes in Christchurch, including Senior Chef, where she launched a cookbook for elderly people living alone,” a government statement read.
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