Labour Leader Jacinda Ardern is featured on one of the world’s most read news websites CNN.

The article recounts her childhood, from humble beginnings in Morrinsville, to her political highs and lows.

CNN writes “like all other world leaders, Ardern has faced the coronavirus outbreak, the world’s worst pandemic since the Spanish flu more than 100 years ago.”

And while other leaders faltered, Ardern won international recognition for shutting borders early and imposing a strict nationwide lockdown, even when the country had very few cases.

That’s meant that New Zealand has reported 25 coronavirus deaths, even as other parts of the world battle fresh waves of infections.

The CNN article also interviews detractors from her hometown.

“She’s a very good Prime Minister, but I think the spending is just too much, it’s going to send the country broke,” said Morrinsville tennis coach Clem Apted.

The other key criticism of Ardern is that, beyond her successful handling of crises, she hasn’t achieved her promise of leading a government of “transformation.”

You can read the full article here