Prime Ministers of New Zealand

Cellphones will be banned in schools across New Zealand, conservative Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said Friday, as his fledgling government looks to turn around the country's plummeting literacy rates.

The leaders of the seven countries that are considered to have had the most success in tackling the Covid-19 pandemic held a teleconference on Friday to share their experiences.

New Zealand's youngest leader for the past century - Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern - will become a mother. The newly-elected Prime Minister plans to take maternity leave in June this year. 37-year-old Ardern became prime minister in October 2017. A few days earlier, she had already known her pregnancy, but she nevertheless accepted the post.

New Zealand's popular Prime Minister John Key stunned the nation on Dec. 5 when he announced, in a breaking voice, he was resigning after eight years as leader.