Jacinda Ardern to Teach at University of Sydney

Former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is set to take on a new role as a teacher and adviser at the University of Sydney in Australia. She will work on compassionate leadership, social cohesion and strategies to build public trust, The Guardian reported.

According to the report, Ardern will also work with the university's public health department on global health challenges, equity, inclusion and human wellbeing. Her responsibilities will include delivering guest lectures, conducting special classes and mentoring students. The position will not be full-time.

Speaking about her new role, Ardern said she wanted to explore how leadership could be better encouraged and supported to address the various challenges facing the world.

University of Sydney Vice-Chancellor Mark Scott said Ardern had demonstrated during her leadership through several crises in New Zealand that compassion and strength were not contradictory, but could reinforce each other.

In an interview with Australian broadcaster ABC in July, Ardern said that while many world leaders were adopting authoritarian styles of leadership, people wanted compassionate leadership. She also said dissatisfaction with conventional politics was leading many voters to turn towards parties outside the mainstream.

Ardern served as New Zealand's prime minister and leader of the Labour Party for more than five years before stepping down from politics in January 2023. During her tenure, the country faced several major crises, including the Christchurch terrorist attacks, the Whakaari volcano eruption and the Covid-19 pandemic.

At 37, Ardern became the world's youngest female head of government in 2017. She was also the second head of government in the world to give birth while in office.

After leaving politics, she completed fellowships at Harvard University in the United States focused on public leadership and technology governance. Her memoir, A Different Kind of Power, was published in 2025.

According to the report, Ardern moved to Sydney earlier this year with her husband, Clarke Gayford, and their daughter, Neve. The family also bought a house in the city's northern coastal area for A$5.3 million.