Jacinda Ardern has had a steady rise through the ranks of the Labour Party since entering Parliament in 2008.
Ardern was born in Hamilton in 1980, attending primary and secondary school in Morrinsville and also spending a few years living in Murupara, where her father was a policeman.
She joined Labour aged 17. She grew up in a Mormon household but left the faith in her 20s, mostly because of its anti-homosexual stance.
After completing a Bachelor of Communication Studies at Waikato University, Ardern worked for Phil Goff and Helen Clark.
She spent three years in London as a policy advisor in the UK Cabinet Office, and in 2007 was elected president of the International Union of Socialist Youth.