New Zealand’s former Prime Minister Jacinda Arden made her final speech to her country’s parliament on Wednesday. She is set to turn her efforts elsewhere, and was recently appointed a trustee of Prince William’s Earthshot Prize.
Ardern quickly switched gears after she said that she did not have “enough in the tank” to continue leading the small country, per The Washington Post.
Her successor, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins, has struggled in his own right, recently being unable to define the term “woman,” with him saying that he did not have a “pre-formulated” answer to the question.
However, it appears that Ardern is looking forward to her new role, as she said she was “humbled and excited to be working with the Earthshot team.”
Prince William said that Ardern’s “life-long commitment to supporting sustainable and environmental solutions” is what makes her a good addition to the team, adding that she would “bring a rich fusion of new thinking to our mission.”
“Four years ago, before the Earthshot Prize even had a name, Jacinda was one of the first people I spoke to, and her encouragement and advice was crucial to the prize's early success.”
“I am hugely grateful to her for joining us as she takes the next steps in her career.”
Earthshot Prize is a charity that apparently aims to “repair the Earth,” with Prince William saying on the site: “The Earth is at a tipping point and we face a stark choice: either we continue as we are and irreparably damage our planet, or we remember our unique power as human beings and our continual ability to lead, innovate and problem-solve.”
Prince William goes on to note that the next decade presents the human species with “one of our greatest tests – a decade of action to repair the Earth.”
The BBC reported that Ardern would also serve as “an unpaid special envoy” for the Christchurch Call, which happened to be co-founded in 2019. The goal of Christchurch Call is apparently to bring tech companies together in an effort to fight extremism.
