Harvard taps Ardern for new post-politics roles

Jacinda Ardern is leaving New Zealand for the upcoming election, joining Harvard University in three fellowships which grow her portfolio of post-politics roles.

The former New Zealand prime minister announced a shock exit from politics in January, citing a lack of energy to continue.

She left parliament earlier this month after an emotional valedictory speech, when she also announced two ongoing roles.

Ms Ardern was named special envoy to the Christchurch Call, a foreign policy initiative she started with French President Emmanuel Macron to fight online extremism, while also joining the board of Prince William's conservation-minded Earthshot Prize.

Now, she has been appointed to fellowships at the US university in leadership and fighting online extremism.

"I am incredibly humbled to be joining Harvard University as a fellow - not only will it give me the opportunity to share my experience with others, it will give me a chance to learn," Ms Ardern said in a statement.

"As leaders, there's often very little time for reflection, but reflection is critical if we are to properly support the next generation of leaders."

Ms Ardern has already been twice honoured by the Ivy League institution.

In 2020, she was named the Gleitsman International Activist Award by the Harvard Kennedy School, which will house two of her fellowships later this year.

Last year, she delivered the annual commencement speech to graduates, an opportunity previously given to world leaders such as Winston Churchill, Angela Merkel and Oprah Winfrey.

Two of the fellowships are based at Harvard Kennedy School, as 2023 Angelopoulos Global Public Leaders Fellow, and as a Hauser Leader in the school's Center for Public Leadership.

She will also be a Knight Tech Governance Leadership Fellow at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society, based at Harvard Law School.

According to a Harvard statement, "she will study ways to improve content standards and platform accountability for extremist content online, and examine artificial intelligence governance and algorithmic harms".

The fellowships will begin in spring, which Ms Ardern noted would align with Kiwis going to the polls.

"While I'll be gone for a semester (helpfully the one that falls during the NZ general election!) I'll be coming back at the end of the fellowships," she wrote on Instagram.

"After all, New Zealand is home!"

It will be Ms Ardern's second spell living in the US, after a previous stint in New York almost two decades ago.