Jacinda Ardern said she will not miss the “weight” of being the prime minister of New Zealand as she takes up the unpaid role of leading the country’s efforts against violent online extremism.
She has also accepted another post-politics role on Prince William’s pet conservation project, Earthshot Prize, where has been appointed as a new trustee for his multi-million-pound environmental award.
Ms Ardern stepped down as New Zealand’s leader earlier this year, in a surprise decision that brought ally Chris Hipkins to power as head of the centre-left Labour Party.
She will serve as a special envoy for the Christchurch Call, a global initiative she founded in 2019 along with French president Emmanuel Macron to bring together countries and technology companies to combat online extremism.
Attacks on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand’s second-largest city, in March 2019 left 51 people dead and 40 injured. The white supremacist gunman who carried out the assault live-streamed part of it on Facebook.
“We owe it to those who lost their lives on 15 March 2019 to continue our work to ensure there is no place for terrorist and violent extremist content online,” said Mr Hipkins, announcing her appointment.
“Jacinda Ardern’s leadership on the Christchurch Call has already made New Zealand, and the world, a safer place,” he said.
“The Christchurch Call is a foreign policy priority for the government and Jacinda Ardern is uniquely placed to keep pushing forward with the goal of eliminating violent extremist content online,2 Mr Hipkins said in a statement.
“Terrorist and violent extremist content online is a global issue, but for many in New Zealand it is also very personal.”
“I … still feel a duty at a personal level to the community who are affected by this tragedy,” Ms Ardern said in an interview on Tuesday evening. “I knew that I would have the time to do it. And I certainly have the passion for it,” she said.
She will also join Earthshot’s board of trustees as it gears up to select finalists for the 2023 award. Last year, five winners were each awarded £ 1m at a ceremony in Boston, United States.
Prince William said he was grateful that Ms Ardern was joining the team.
“Her life-long commitment to supporting sustainable and environmental solutions, along with her experience as prime minister of New Zealand, will bring a rich infusion of new thinking to our mission,” he said in a statement on Tuesday.
Ms Ardern became the youngest female leader in the world when she won power in 2017 at the age of 37, in a wave of popularity dubbed “Jacindamania”. On Wednesday, she will deliver her valedictory speech, as she ends her 15-year career in domestic politics.
But her popularity waned during her final year in power as inflation rose to nearly three-decade highs, along with rising crime and a contentious overhaul of water infrastructure.
“Five years probably felt more like nine, just because of what we all went through as a nation,” Ms Ardern said in an interview with state broadcaster TVNZ on Tuesday.
“I will miss the people ... but I won’t miss the weight, because it is heavy.”
Additional reporting from other agencies
