Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern speaks during the post-Cabinet press conference at the Beehive in Wellington, New Zealand on Nov. 1, 2021. Mark Mitchell-Pool/Getty Images
Former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, whose “go early, go hard” response to the pandemic drew international acclaim, is set to testify before the country’s Royal Commission into COVID-19, likely reigniting debate over her government’s handling of the crisis.
Her global message of “be kind” was held up as an example early in the pandemic, earning support in both New Zealand and abroad.
