What if we valued empathy over power? What if kindness led our decisions? Aotearoa’s former Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. Dame Jacinda Ardern joins Emily Perkins to tell her story, in her words, offering leadership and inspiration in a world where it can be hard to find courage to lead from a place of compassion.
Jacinda Ardern grew up the daughter of a police officer, and a Mormon girl plagued by self-doubt. But as New Zealand’s youngest prime minister in over 150 years, she took a people first approach to policy change, commanded worldwide respect for her empathetic leadership, and changed our assumptions about what a global leader can be – all while being a first time mum.
In her remarkable memoir, A Different Kind of Power she shares stories from her past that shaped her future decision-making that would guide New Zealand through some of the most unprecedented challenges that our country has faced.
A Different Kind of Power and Arden’s children’s book, Mum’s Busy Work will be available for sale, thanks to Unity Books Wellington.
Jacinda Ardern is a role-model for many. This is a great opportunity for you to bring your teenagers along to hear from Aotearoa’s most influential Prime Ministers, to inspire a generation of new leaders.
Verb Wellington are delighted to be presenting this event in partnership with Penguin New Zealand.
Jacinda Ardern was elected prime minister of New Zealand in 2017 at the age of thirty-seven and became the country’s youngest prime minister in more than 150 years. In 2018, she gave birth to her daughter, Neve, and became the first leader of a country in thirty years to give birth while in office. In 2023, she was awarded the accolade Dame Grand Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit. She now spends her time writing, speaking, learning, and being a mum.
Emily Perkins is the author of a prize-winning collection of short stories, Not Her Real Name, and four novels, including Novel About My Wife (winner of the NZ Book Award and the Believer Magazine Book of the Year, The Forrests (longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction) and Lioness (winner of the Ockham NZ Prize for Fiction). Her work for stage and screen includes co-writing the film adaptation of Eleanor Catton’s novel The Rehearsal (dir. Alison Maclean), an adaptation of Ibsen’s A Doll’s House, and the original play The Made.