Jacinda Ardern living and working in Australia after move from US | Jacinda Ardern
Former New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern lives in Australia with her family, a spokesman confirmed.
“The family has been traveling for several years,” his office told the Guardian.
“They’re currently based themselves out of Australia; they have jobs there, which gives them the benefit of more time back home in New Zealand.”
Speculation that Ardern was considering a move to Australia emerged on Thursday after Australian media reported that she, her husband Clarke Gayford and their seven-year-old daughter Neve attended open house viewings on Sydney’s northern beaches.
The high-profile family’s move to Australia could unnerve New Zealand, which is grappling with a record number of citizens leaving the country due to a weak economy, high costs of living and high unemployment.
More than 60% of them moved to AustraliaWhere average weekly income like that higher and New Zealand citizens have the right to work and reside.
The spokesman did not elaborate on when the family arrived in Australia or what type of work they did, but said it was not unusual for former leaders to spend time abroad after leaving office.
Ardern became the world’s youngest female leader in 2017, at the age of 37, and made history as the second woman to give birth while in elected office.
His leadership over the next six years was defined by a series of national and international crises, including the Christchurch attack and the Covid pandemic. At a time when major Western powers are shifting to the right, Ardern’s style of politics has made her a global icon of the left.
Towards the end of her time in office, Ardern’s legacy in the country became more complicated, and she faced criticism for her government’s failure to deliver on promises to solve the housing crisis and meaningfully cut emissions. As the pandemic progressed, a small but vocal anti-vaccine and anti-mandate group emerged, leading to violent protests on the lawn of parliament and threatening rhetoric towards Ardern.
In January 2023, he announced that he was leaving the premiership because he no longer had “enough in the tank”.
Since leaving office, Ardern has taken on dual fellowship roles at Harvard University, continued her work on Christchurch Call, a project she founded to combat online extremism in the wake of the Christchurch mosque attacks, and joined the board of trustees of Prince William’s Earthshot award.
He published a memoir in 2025, shortly after a documentary chronicling his leadership and personal life premiered at Sundance.
