Dame Jacinda Ardern lands new role after Sydney move

Former prime minister Dame Jacinda Ardern said she is "delighted" to take on a mentoring and guest lecture role at the University of Sydney.

Dame Jacinda moved to Sydney's northern beaches earlier this year with her family after selling their Auckland home.

The University of Sydney announced Ardern would join as a Professor of Practice this month, based in its School of Public Health.

The role this month and her work would focus on empathetic leadership, social cohesion and civic trust.

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The university said it was not a full-time teaching role, saying Dame Jacinda would host guest lectures and masterclasses and will engage in mentoring.

She would also explore ways to address global health challenges and focusing on equity, inclusion and wellbeing.

In a statement to The Guardian, Ardern said: "I'm delighted to be joining the University of Sydney".

"I've found myself especially focused on the question of leadership since leaving office – and how we can better support and encourage the kind of leadership needed to tackle our many global challenges."

"I'm looking forward to working alongside the brilliant students, faculty, and wider University of Sydney community."

The University of Sydney vice-chancellor, Mark Scott, welcomed the appointment, saying he had long admired the courage and humanity Ardern brought to public life.

"Dame Jacinda led New Zealand through events of profound consequence and her leadership demonstrated that empathy and resolve do not compete with one another; each can strengthen the other," he said.

"For our students, the opportunity to learn from Dame Jacinda is exceptional. They will meet not only a former prime minister, but a thoughtful teacher with a great deal to share about public leadership and service."

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Ardern retired from politics in January 2023, after more than five years as prime minister and the leader of the Labour party.

Ardern has since held fellowships at Harvard University focused on public leadership and technology governance, and published her memoir, A Different Kind of Power, in 2025.