Former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern awarded the title of dame

(CNN) — Former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who stepped down earlier this year, has been awarded a dame, one of the country’s highest decorations.

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins announced the appointment on Monday to mark the King’s birthday holiday, in which Ardern is among 182 laureates to receive various honors for their contributions to the country.

“Having served as Prime Minister from 2017 to 2023, Dame Jacinda Ardern is recognized for her service to New Zealand during some of the greatest challenges our country has faced in modern times,” Hipkins said in a statement.

“Leading New Zealand’s response to the 2019 terrorist attacks and the COVID-19 pandemic represented periods of intense challenges for our 40th Prime Minister, during which I saw first-hand that her commitment to New Zealand remained unwavering.”

Hipkins comes from the same party as Ardern, Labor, and succeeded her as leader.

The move grants Ardern the title of Dame Grand Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit. The Order of Merit, created in 1996, is awarded to people from any field who have provided “meritorious services to the Crown and the nation” or who are known for their “eminence, talent, contributions or other merits,” according to the website of the New Zealand government.

Speaking to CNN affiliate Radio New Zealand (RNZ), Ardern said she was “incredibly honoured” by the award.

“I was undecided whether to accept this recognition,” she said. “A lot of the things we’ve been through as a nation in the last five years had to do with all of us more than with one individual.”

“But I’ve heard a lot of Kiwis say that. [como se les conoce popularmente a los nezelandeses] whom I have encouraged to accept an honor over the years. So for me it’s a way of saying thank you to my family, my colleagues and the people who have supported me in taking on the most challenging and rewarding role of my life.”

When Ardern became the country’s prime minister in 2017, at age 37, she was New Zealand’s third female leader and one of the world’s youngest leaders. Within a year, she had become the second world leader to give birth in office.

His tenure in power was marked by multiple crises, such as the Christchurch terrorist attack, a deadly volcanic explosion, and the pandemic.

She quickly became a global progressive icon, remembered for her empathy in leading New Zealand through these crises and for taking her daughter to the United Nations General Assembly.

Back home, however, his popularity waned amid rising costs of living, housing shortages and economic anxiety. In addition, he faced violent protests against the closure of the capital, Wellington, and received threats.

Ardern announced his resignation in January, saying he no longer had the strength to stand in the election, prompting a flurry of praise and warm farewells from other world leaders and his many international admirers.

In April, he revealed that he will be coming to Harvard University this fall to complete two fellowships at the Harvard Kennedy School, the university’s school of public policy and government. She will be away for a semester, so she will miss the New Zealand general election, but will return at the end of the scholarships, she said.