Ex-New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to join Harvard

Former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will serve as the 2023 Angelopoulos Global Public Leaders Fellow and a Hauser Leader in the Harvard’s Center for Public Leadership

Former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will be temporarily joining Harvard University later this year, Kennedy School Dean Douglas Elmendorf said Tuesday.

Ms. Ardern, a global icon of the left, has been appointed to dual fellowships at the Harvard Kennedy School. She will serve as the 2023 Angelopoulos Global Public Leaders Fellow and a Hauser Leader in the school’s Center for Public Leadership beginning this fall.

“Jacinda Ardern showed the world strong and empathetic political leadership,” Mr. Elmendorf said in statement, adding that Ms. Ardern will "bring important insights for our students and will generate vital conversations about the public policy choices facing leaders at all levels.”

Ms. Ardern, who was just 37 when she became prime minister in 2017, shocked New Zealanders when she announced in January she was stepping down from the role after more than 5 years because she no longer had “enough in the tank” to do it justice. She was facing mounting political pressures at home, including for her handling of the coronavirus pandemic, which was initially widely lauded but later criticized by those opposed to mandates and rules.

She said she sees the Harvard opportunity as a chance not only to share her experience with others, but also to learn.

"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,” she said.

Ms. Ardern's time at the Cambridge, Massachusetts, university will also include a stint as the first tech governance leadership fellow at the school's Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society.