Jacinda Ardern: The survival of democracy is at stake

May 7, 2026 — 11:45am

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Jacinda Ardern is a former NZ prime minister who has just moved with her family to Sydney’s Northern Beaches.

Fitz: Jacinda Ardern! Thank you for your time, and for giving moi your first extensive interview on Australian soil. To what do we owe the pleasure of you and your family moving to our sunny shores?

JA: [Brightly] Just part of the adventure that we’ve been having since I left office, really. We had a period of time in the United States, and then the UK and then we thought, why not spend a little bit of time in Australia?

Fitz: What do you think “a little bit of time” might boil down to? Will we see you here for years or months?

JA: To be honest, we don’t know. I mean, one of the main attractions for us was the proximity to home. We’d been far away for a while, and we wanted to be closer to friends and family, but also wanted to get back to a life that was, you know, a bit like what we might have in New Zealand. But we don’t have a set time frame. We’ve never been much for five-year plans. We’re just taking life as it comes and really enjoying ourselves.

Fitz: And why Sydney, specifically, apart from us being the most beautiful city on Earth?

JA: [Laughing] You’re undoubtedly a beautiful city, and I say that all with the asterisks *** which is that New Zealand will always be the best place on Earth in my eyes. But, yes, every time I am coming in for a landing at Sydney Airport, I do say, “That’s a beautiful city.” But, why specifically, Sydney? Living beside the ocean is one thing, as that’s where my husband Clark’s happiest. Our daughter also gets great joy from being near the ocean and being a little closer to some wildlife. We particularly love your birds. We have lots of birds in New Zealand, but our birds are just much quieter than yours!

Fitz: Have you heard the expression that “Auckland is just ‘Sydney for learners’?”

JA: [Laughing uproariously.] No, I haven’t! And I’m not sure I would agree with that. Though I do note that in New Zealand, we think that “Auckland is Sydney, and Wellington is Melbourne”.

Fitz: When you’re flying into Sydney, and you have to mark on the arrival card what your occupation is, what do you say?

JA: It’s funny you ask this because every time I pause and I think, “What am I?” You know, “former PM”, is not really an occupation, and yet, so much of what I do is guided by having had that role. But sometimes I write “speaker”, sometimes I write “writer”. If there was more space I would put, “Washed-up politician”!

Fitz: As to your memoir, A Different Kind of Power, why did you call it specifically that?

JA: Yeah, I actually went through a few iterations. I wanted something short and punchy, and for a long time I was........

© The Sydney Morning Herald