Jacinda Ardern has said she only learned she would appear in a new Netflix documentary from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex when the trailer was released.
The prime minister of New Zealand is set to be a key part of Live to Lead, a project which will follow on from Harry & Meghan – the controversial insight into the pair’s lives which landed on the subscription service this month.
Netflix has billed Live to Lead as an inspirational feature about “leaders committed to making a difference in the world [sharing] their inspiring life stories”.
Ms Ardern is a prominent part of the trailer but said on Wednesday that she had not spoken to the Sussexes about her image being used. The footage, she said, is from a November 2019 interview with the Nelson Mandela Foundation.
She told reporters: “They were producing resources for future leaders with the focus on young leaders.
“I’ve not been involved in the decision-making around what happens next and I have not had direct contact with the Sussexes.”
Their voices give us hope.
— Netflix (@netflix) December 19, 2022
Their actions shape our world.
Their leadership inspires our future.
Live To Lead — a documentary series presented by The Duke and Duchess of Sussex — premieres December 31 pic.twitter.com/zhhxChEi3Y
Ms Ardern said she stood by the 2019 footage but that there was no follow-up communication from the former royals. She only became aware of the depth of her involvement on Tuesday with the release of the trailer.
Live to Lead will be available to watch on Netflix from December 31.
Prince Harry says in the trailer: “This was inspired by Nelson Mandela who once said that what counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived…” Meghan, Duchess of Sussex continues: “It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead.”
Netflix said Live to Lead highlights “the fundamental values, daily disciplines and guiding principles that leaders employ to motivate others and create meaningful change”.
The documentary will also feature archive interviews with environmental activist Greta Thunberg, South Africa’s rugby captain Siya Kolisi, feminist icon Gloria Steinem and anti-apartheid activist Albie Sachs.
The statement added: “Live to Lead is a Nelson Mandela Foundation project created and directed by Geoff Blackwell, and executive produced by Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex.”
As part of her involvement with the foundation, Ms Ardern's interview was published as a book called I Know This to Be True in March 2020.
A statement from her office added: “In May this year the prime minister’s office was notified that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex would introduce the series; noting this was nearly two and a half years after the interview had been recorded and permission for its use by the Mandela Foundation had already been provided.”
