The real story of Jacinda Ardern revealed in a new biography

AUCKLAND NZ, 7 November 2025 — What promises to be the first fully even-handed political portrait of former prime minister Jacinda Ardern is out in bookstores today.

Based on more than 100 interviews and background conversations, the new unauthorised biography by the journalist and author David Cohen offers a fuller account of the political life and times of New Zealand’s 40th prime minister. 

Produced with journalist Rebecca Keillor, JACINDA, The Untold Stories draws on two years of research. It goes beyond the familiar public image to reveal how Ardern rose to power, governed and left one of the most polarising legacies in modern New Zealand politics.

“The public has heard exhaustively, and in some cases exhaustingly, from Jacinda — and that’s fine, she obviously has many attractive qualities — but now it’s time to hand the podium over to others,” Cohen says.

Centrist.nz managing editor Tameem Barakat, whose team supported the project, agrees:

“The media turned Jacinda into a brand and stopped doing their job. This book gets back to journalism — a balanced, clear-eyed account of this period in New Zealand’s history.”

The new book explores Ardern’s leadership style, her handling of crisis politics, and the personal and political impact of her time in office. It also looks at speculation about whether she is pursuing a role at the United Nations.

Cohen, a one-time voter for Ardern who subsequently developed what he describes as “buyer’s remorse”, says speculation about her next move has become “a favourite parlour game in the capital”. The coming months will be crucial in showing whether she re-enters global politics or steps away entirely, he believes.

JACINDA, The Untold Stories is available in bookstores nationwide from today, 7 November 2025.

For more information, visit JacindaBook.com.

About the authors: 

David Cohen is a Wellington-based journalist who has written frequently about Jacinda Ardern’s premiership for media outlets in New Zealand and abroad, including The Australian, the Daily Telegraph, RNZ, and the Spectator. He is the author of eight books.

Rebecca Keillor is a New Zealand journalist who writes on culture and arts. A weekly columnist for Canada’s Postmedia Network, her articles have appeared in the New York Observer, the Globe and Mail, the National Post, and others.