A Different Kind of Power: A Memoir

A Different Kind of Power is a 2025 memoir by the 40th prime minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern. The autobiographical narrative describes Ardern’s humble origins as the daughter of a small-town police officer, and her journey to becoming New Zealand’s youngest leader in 150 years and the international face of empathetic leadership.

As only the second person in history to give birth while in office as an elected head of government, Ardern discusses the difficulties of balancing motherhood and professional obligations while in the public eye, as well as her struggles with faith and self-doubt. The memoir describes the unprecedented challenges that Ardern faced during her two terms of office, including the Christchurch terrorist attack and the COVID-19 pandemic. It also details some of the groundbreaking reforms introduced by her government to tackle key issues such as climate change, child poverty, and gun violence. It deals with themes including Vulnerability and Compassion as Leadership Qualities, Duty and Moral Responsibility in Private Life and Public Office, and Social Issues That Threaten Collective Well-Being.

This guide uses the 2025 Macmillan hardback edition.

Content Warning: The source material and guide feature depictions of gender discrimination, antigay bias, racism, religious discrimination, death by suicide, illness, death, and graphic violence.

Summary

A Different Kind of Power is written from Ardern’s first-person perspective and includes scenes from both her private life and her time in political office. The memoir consists of a Prologue, an Epilogue, and 30 chapters. Aside from the Prologue, which presents a climactic moment in late 2017 when Ardern was waiting for the results of both a pregnancy test and the election, the chapters organize events chronologically. The first seven chapters cover Ardern’s childhood years, while Chapters 8 through 15 detail her university years and early political career. Chapters 16 through 21 focus on Ardern’s promotion to Leader of the Labour Party, her election as prime minister, and her first months in office. In addition, these chapters include her pregnancy and the birth of her daughter, Neve. The next five chapters cover events in 2018 and 2019, including the Christchurch terrorist attack. Chapters 27 through 30 and the Epilogue recount the COVID-19 pandemic, Ardern’s final term in office, and the aftermath of her resignation.

Throughout the narrative, Ardern discusses her motivations and ideals, reflecting on the lessons she has learned over the course of her life. As a skilled speechwriter, Ardern writes rich, clear prose, concisely presenting decades’ worth of anecdotes with both humor and pathos.

The first part of the memoir recounts Ardern’s childhood and school years. She begins by describing her life as the daughter of a police sergeant in the small town of Murupara, detailing the poverty that inspired her political inclinations and the hardships that resulted from the local (predominantly Māori) population’s mistrust of government authority. She introduces significant members of her family (including her elder sister, Louise; her parents; her grandparents; and her Aunt Marie, who was politically active), illustrating how their influence shaped her early values and experiences. She describes the move to her hometown of Morrinsville, her growing interest in politics, and elements of her family history. Additionally, she discusses her childhood faith in the Mormon Church, her involvement in high school public speaking and debate competitions, and the traumatic death by suicide of her friend’s brother.

The second section focuses on Ardern’s time studying Communications at the University of Waikato and her early political career. After joining the Labour Party and working in volunteer recruitment for the 1999 election, she interned at Parliament’s Beehive building and then got a job there upon graduating. She rose through the ranks but quit upon realizing that she had a sensitive temperament, which she believed made her unsuited for politics, and that she had no life outside of work. She left the Mormon church, finding her personal beliefs and church doctrine incompatible, and lived abroad for two years before being called back to New Zealand to stand as a Member of Parliament (MP). Despite the Labour government’s loss in the 2008 and 2011 elections, Ardern served both terms as a list MP for the opposition. During this time, she engaged with the media to promote the Labour Party and faced relentless sexist criticism in the press. In addition, she began a relationship with Clarke Gayford and backed her colleague Grant Robertson in two unsuccessful bids for party leadership.

During her third MP term, Ardern took on a more prominent role and was promoted to the position of Labour Leader shortly before the 2017 election. Forming a coalition with the Green Party and New Zealand First, she won the election to become the 40th prime minister of New Zealand. Around the same time, she discovered that she was pregnant. This section of the memoir focuses heavily on her first months in office and her concurrent pregnancy. She met leaders from around the world and began to enact policies she had been developing throughout her political career. Although Ardern faced significant scrutiny from opponents and the media once she announced her pregnancy, a general outpouring of love and support from across New Zealand buoyed her. She gave birth to a daughter, whom she and Clarke named Neve, and learned to balance her duties in office with the demands of motherhood.

Next, Ardern describes how she implemented social reform policies to reduce child poverty and hosted influential dignitaries and diplomats, including Prince William of the British Royal family. She also dealt with major crises, including the Christchurch terrorist attack and a volcanic eruption in Whakaari/White Island. Ardern describes her deep and lasting grief over anti-Muslim hate crimes, as well as the international outpouring of love and support extended to the New Zealand Muslim community in its wake. Gun reforms were swiftly passed in the wake of the tragedy, and Ardern spearheaded an initiative to curb online radicalization and terrorist content. Although Ardern’s support systems ensured that she could serve the country and maintain an active role in Neve’s life simultaneously, she felt persistent guilt and stress for dividing her time and attention between different responsibilities.

The last section covers the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on government policies and daily life, the duration of Ardern’s second term in office, and her resignation from the role of prime minister. Once the pandemic reached New Zealand, Ardern worked with scientific advisors to implement measures that contained the disease until vaccines were developed and rolled out across the nation, saving tens of thousands of lives. She closed the nation’s borders, established a system of leveled restrictions, and worked tirelessly to track and trace any outbreaks. Though elected to a second term with a historical majority, Ardern nonetheless faced criticism and backlash in the wake of the pandemic for her restrictive policies. Online misinformation and conspiracy theories propagated mistrust in government institutions, culminating in violent protests and unreasonable hostility in a small but vocal subset of the population.

Feeling drained of the energy necessary to serve another term in office, Ardern resigned before the 2023 election and moved to the US with her family. Looking back, she’s happy to leave after giving her all, glad at the prospect of spending more time focused on her daughter, and firm in her belief that the world needs more kind and compassionate leaders.