Ardern bids emotional farewell on last day as PM

STORY: Days after stunning the world by announcing she had "no more in the tank" to lead the country and would step down, the 42-year-old arrived at an annual gathering of politicians and Maori elders in the small town of Ratana, north of the capital Wellington, and spoke of the kindness and empathy New Zealanders have shown her.

"And I want you to know that I leave with a greater love and affection for Aotearoa New Zealand and its people than when I started. And I didn't think that was possible. So my final words are this 'Nga mihi nui kia koutou katoa'. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for the greatest privilege of my life."

Ardern will resign on Wednesday (January 25) and be replaced by the new Labour party leader, Chris Hipkins.