Former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to attend US Democratic convention

By Lucy Craymer

WELLINGTON (Reuters) -Former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will attend the Democratic National Convention that begins on Monday in Chicago, Ardern's spokesperson said on Monday, confirming earlier media reports.

Along with attending the event, Ardern would be participating in a side event at the national convention, the spokesperson said in an emailed statement.

The four-day event will celebrate the nomination of Kamala Harris as the party's presidential candidate and is expected to draw thousands of people to the city in a show of enthusiasm for Harris' surprise ascent to the nomination after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race.

Ardern, who gained global attention for bringing her baby to a United Nations meeting, wearing a hijab after a massacre targeting Muslims and her government’s initial success in handling the COVID-19 pandemic, stood down as New Zealand prime minister early in 2023 saying she had "no more in the tank".

Since then, she has remained largely out of the spotlight in New Zealand, however she has undertaken two fellowships at Harvard, is on the board of trustees of the Earthshot Prize and is the patron of the newly established Christchurch Call Foundation.

(Reporting by Lucy Craymer; Editing by Lincoln Feast)