Daily Archives: April 30, 2023

26 April 2023

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The former prime minister of New Zealand was praised by Harvard for her "strong and empathetic" political leadership

Former New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern has announced she will join Harvard University as a fellow later this year.

The prestigious Ivy League university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, said in a news release that Ms Ardern had been appointed to dual fellowships.

Ms Ardern served as prime minister of New Zealand for more than five years.

She announced she was resigning from public office in January, saying she did not have "enough in the tank".

On Tuesday, Harvard announced that Ms Ardern would be joining their campus in the autumn under dual fellowships at the Harvard Kennedy School.

Ms Ardern will be the 2023 Angelopoulos Global Public Leaders Fellow and a Hauser Leader in the School's Center for Public Leadership.

In its announcement, the university praised the former prime minister for her "strong and empathetic" political leadership.

"She earned respect far beyond the shores of her country, and she will bring important insights for our students and will generate vital conversations about the public policy choices facing leaders at all levels," said Douglas Elmendorf, dean of Harvard Kennedy School.

The Angelopoulos fellowship will give Ms Ardern the chance to spend time in residence at Harvard as she transitions from her public service role, where she is expected to help students and faculty in building leadership skills.

Her second fellowship under Harvard Law School will be focused on studying ways to improve standards and accountability to combat extremist content posted online, the university said.

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Jacinda Ardern's key leadership moments

Ms Ardern said she is "incredibly humbled" to join Harvard.

"Not only will it give me the opportunity to share my experience with others, it will give me a chance to learn," Ms Ardern said.

"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."

Ms Ardern, 42, earned international recognition for her style of leadership, particularly in the aftermath of a deadly mass shooting at two mosques in Christchurch in 2019, which killed 51 people.

She was also praised by many for her handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, though her public health policies were criticised by those opposed to lockdowns.

Ms Ardern delivered the commencement address for Harvard in 2022, where she spoke out against the online "scourge of disinformation" and earned a standing ovation for her government's gun control policies.

She became prime minister in 2017 at age 37, making her the youngest female head of government at the time.

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Jacinda Ardern to join Harvard University as dual fellow - BBC

Jacinda Ardern

Former prime minister will likely be overseas during the period of New Zealands election in October

Former New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern has taken up three new roles at Harvard University, where she will study and speak on leadership, governance and online extremism.

Ardern announced in an Instagram post on Wednesday morning that she was incredibly humbled to be joining the university on joint fellowships at the Kennedy Schools Center for Public Leadership and the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society, based at Harvard Law School. She will focus on the study of online extremism at the law school, and on building leadership and governance skills at the Kennedy School.

The fellowships will begin in the autumn, and will take Ardern overseas for the period of the New Zealand election in October. Ardern said that While Ill be gone for a semester (helpfully the one that falls during the NZ general election!) Ill be coming back at the end of the fellowships. After all, New Zealand is home!

Ardern has visited Harvard before: last year, she given an honorary doctorate of law and earned a standing ovation when speaking at Harvards commencement on gun control and democracy.

The former prime minister will continue her work on the Christchurch Call an inter-governmental and tech company pledge she developed after the Christchurch terror attacks to prevent extremist and terrorist content being spread online.

Her time at Harvard will include time spent studying ways to improve content standards and platform accountability for extremist content online, and examine artificial intelligence governance and algorithmic harms, the University said in a statement. She will also continue her work on the board of Prince Williams Earthshot Prize, which awards five 1m prizes each year for work providing solutions to major environmental problems.

Prof Jonathan Zittrain, co-founder of the Berkman Klein Centre, said it was rare and precious for a head of state to be able to immerse deeply in a complex and fast-moving digital policy issue both during and after their service, and that Arderns hard-won expertise including her ability to bring diverse people and institutions together will be invaluable as we all search for workable solutions to some of the deepest online problems.

Kennedy School Dean Douglas Elmendorf said in a statement that Ardern showed the world strong and empathetic political leadership. She earned respect far beyond the shores of her country, and she will bring important insights for our students and will generate vital conversations about the public policy choices facing leaders at all levels.

Arderns formal titles will be 2023 Angelopoulos Global Public Leaders Fellow, Hauser Leader in the Kennedy Schools Center for Public Leadership, and Knight Tech Governance Leadership Fellow, at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society, based at Harvard Law School.

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Jacinda Ardern takes up leadership and online extremism roles at Harvard - The Guardian

Jacinda Ardern, pictured last summer, resigned as New Zealand's prime minister and left Parliament earlier this year. "I am incredibly humbled to be joining Harvard University as a fellow," she says. Rick Rycroft/AP hide caption

Jacinda Ardern, pictured last summer, resigned as New Zealand's prime minister and left Parliament earlier this year. "I am incredibly humbled to be joining Harvard University as a fellow," she says.

Former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has been chosen for multiple fellowships at Harvard University, the school announced Tuesday.

Ardern resigned as prime minister and left Parliament earlier this year and said she "no longer had enough in the tank" to continue in politics.

She has been selected as a 2023 Angelopoulos Global Public Leaders Fellow and a Hauser Leader at Harvard Kennedy School's Center for Public Leadership. Additionally, she has been named as a Knight Tech Governance Leadership Fellow at Harvard Law School.

"I am incredibly humbled to be joining Harvard University as a fellow not only will it give me the opportunity to share my experience with others, it will give me a chance to learn," Ardern said. "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."

The Angelopoulos fellowship "provides opportunities for high-profile leaders who are transitioning from public service roles," while the Hauser fellowship appoints high-profile leaders to work with students and faculty on improving leadership skills, the school said.

During the Knight Tech fellowship, Ardern will "study ways to improve content standards and platform accountability for extremist content online, and examine artificial intelligence governance and algorithmic harms," Harvard said.

Ardern became the world's youngest leader in 2017 at the age of 37. Her last day in office was Feb. 7.

In six years, Ardern garnered a positive reputation globally, taking on challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic, terrorist attacks on two mosques in Christchurch and a volcanic eruption.

Ardern previously received the Kennedy School's Gleitsman International Activist Award in 2020 and delivered Harvard's 2022 commencement speech.

"Jacinda Ardern showed the world strong and empathetic political leadership," Kennedy School Dean Douglas Elmendorf said. "She earned respect far beyond the shores of her country, and she will bring important insights for our students and will generate vital conversations about the public policy choices facing leaders at all levels."

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Ex-New Zealand leader Jacinda Ardern appointed to several Harvard fellowships - NPR

Former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will be temporarily joining Harvard University later this year

By

STEVE LeBLANC Associated Press

April 25, 2023, 8:01 PM ET

3 min read

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- Former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who led her country through a devastating mass shooting, will be temporarily joining Harvard University later this year, Kennedy School Dean Douglas Elmendorf said Tuesday.

Ardern, a global icon of the left and an inspiration to women around the world, 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 schools Center for Public Leadership beginning this fall.

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

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, theres often very little time for reflection, but reflection is critical if we are to properly support the next generation of leaders, she said.

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.

The center has been an important partner as New Zealand worked to confront violent extremism online after a white supremacist gunman killed 51 people at two mosques in the city of Christchurch in 2019, Ardern said. The gunman livestreamed the slaughter for 17 minutes on Facebook before the video was taken down.

Two months after the shooting, Ardern launched the Christchurch Call with French President Emmanuel Macron. The initiative's goal is to eliminate terrorist and violent extremist content online.

More than 50 countries joined the initiative, including the United States, Britain, Germany and South Korea, as well as technology companies like Facebook parent company Meta, Amazon, Google, Microsoft, YouTube, Zoom and Twitter.

"The Center has been an incredibly important partner as weve developed the Christchurch Call to action on addressing violent extremism online," Ardern said, adding that the fellowship will be a chance not only to work collaboratively with the centers research community, but also to work on the challenges around the growth of generative AI tools.

Jonathan Zittrain, co-founder of the Berkman Klein Center, said it's rare for a head of state to be able to immerse deeply in a complex and fast-moving digital policy issue.

Jacinda Arderns hard-won expertise including her ability to bring diverse people and institutions together will be invaluable as we all search for workable solutions to some of the deepest online problems," he said in a statement.

Ardern said she planned to return to New Zealand after the fellowships.

___

Associated Press writer Nick Perry contributed from Wellington, New Zealand.

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Ex-New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to join Harvard - ABC News

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) Former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who led her country through a devastating mass shooting, will be temporarily joining Harvard University later this year, Kennedy School Dean Douglas Elmendorf said Tuesday.

Ardern, a global icon of the left and an inspiration to women around the world, 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 schools Center for Public Leadership beginning this fall.

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

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, theres often very little time for reflection, but reflection is critical if we are to properly support the next generation of leaders, she said.

Arderns time at the Cambridge, Massachusetts, university will also include a stint as the first tech governance leadership fellow at the schools Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society.

The center has been an important partner as New Zealand worked to confront violent extremism online after a white supremacist gunman killed 51 people at two mosques in the city of Christchurch in 2019, Ardern said. The gunman livestreamed the slaughter for 17 minutes on Facebook before the video was taken down.

Two months after the shooting, Ardern launched the Christchurch Call with French President Emmanuel Macron. The initiatives goal is to eliminate terrorist and violent extremist content online.

More than 50 countries joined the initiative, including the United States, Britain, Germany and South Korea, as well as technology companies like Facebook parent company Meta, Amazon, Google, Microsoft, YouTube, Zoom and Twitter.

The Center has been an incredibly important partner as weve developed the Christchurch Call to action on addressing violent extremism online, Ardern said, adding that the fellowship will be a chance not only to work collaboratively with the centers research community, but also to work on the challenges around the growth of generative AI tools.

Jonathan Zittrain, co-founder of the Berkman Klein Center, said its rare for a head of state to be able to immerse deeply in a complex and fast-moving digital policy issue.

Jacinda Arderns hard-won expertise including her ability to bring diverse people and institutions together will be invaluable as we all search for workable solutions to some of the deepest online problems, he said in a statement.

Ardern said she planned to return to New Zealand after the fellowships.

___

Associated Press writer Nick Perry contributed from Wellington, New Zealand.

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Ex-New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to join Harvard - The Associated Press

The recent announcement that Jacinda Ardern, New Zealands former Prime Minister, will be taking on dual roles at Harvard University, as reported by The Guardian, has brought forth a new chapter in her political career. Ardern will serve as a visiting professor and assume the mantle of the institutions first-ever leader in online extremism. This move not only exemplifies Arderns dedication to fighting online hate and radicalization but also highlights the essential role of academic institutions in searching for answers to societys biggest questions.

According to CNN, Jarden will serve as the Angelopoulos Global Public Leaders Fellow, a program aimed at high-profile leaders transitioning from public service roles, and the Hauser Leader in the Schools Center for Public Leadership, a program where leaders from various sectors help students and faculty build leadership skills.

The interesting thing about this new role is that it combines Arderns governmental policy expertise with the universitys research capabilitiesindicative of a closer partnership between academic institutions and policymakers. Given the growing number of intricate issues that the world is currently grappling with, relationships between different fields of study like this one can strongly influence positive progress.

As Helen Gordon, President of Council at the University of Reading, said in a statement, Science is fundamental to every part of our lives and our future. Leaders must ensure that science teams are supported in working together creatively, across disciplines and nations, especially around the big challenges the world faces.

In other words, academic institutions need to be efficient in their collaboration with government leaders, and Arderns appointment is a prime example of what can happen when this integration works. Subsequently, this could be the start of a new era in which universities become hubs of problem-solving and social justice.

That said, while Arderns move to Harvard is a testament to the potential of academic institutions in driving positive change, its important to accept that no single entity can take on the worlds most pressing problems alone. Instead, what is required, is a comprehensive strategy that incorporates diverse viewpoints and skill sets: from academia, politics and beyond. Arderns appointment might be a step in the right direction, but it certainly isnt the only one we need.

Consider the UNs Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which rely on a collective effort from many different actors, or the forthcoming Leadership Impact Festival hosted by Henley Business Schools Centre for Leadership and the Alumni and Development Department on June 1. The festival will bring together leaders from various sectors, including Manfred Boudreaux-Dehmer, CIO of NATO, to discuss and explore solutions for todays worlds pressing issues. Speaking ahead of the festival, Bernd Vogel, the professor of leadership responsible for hosting the event, said, We invite leaders who will be able to share their experience and knowledge on topics such as globalization, digital transformation, sustainable development and climate change. We are hoping that this forum will make a meaningful contribution towards finding solutions for the common good.

And so, it is evident that academic institutions are now playing an increasingly crucial role in finding solutions for the worlds most pressing issues. We can expect more collaborations like this to emerge as universities leverage their research capabilities and policy leaders seek out new ideas to tackle global problems.

That said, the responsibility to lead these efforts lies with all of us. With that in mind, lets work together to create a better world for future generations. We can do this by promoting and encouraging collaboration between universities, governments and other stakeholders in order to drive progress on the most pressing global issues. Only through such a collective effort can we hope to achieve positive change and make the world a better place for everyone.

Disclosure:Two sources mentioned in this articleHelen GordonandBernd Vogelare employed by the same University as this articles author, though the author is not involved in the Leadership Impact Festival. The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and not of any institution or organization.

I'm a leadership professor writing expert commentary on global affairs

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Jacinda Ardern And The Power Of Academia In Tackling Societys Greatest Challenges - Forbes

Watch: Petitioners demand action now after Government delivers 'excuse after excuse'. Credit: Video - Newshub; Image - Getty Images.

The Greens say the Government is "running out of time" this term to fulfil its promise to ban new mines on conservation land.

The party is launching a new petition on Monday to put the focus back on the issue, while also criticising the "enormous uncertainty for nature" the delay is causing.

It is spotlighting Australian billionaire Clive Palmer's Mineralogy International, which has 10 active mineral permits in New Zealand allowing for prospecting and exploration.

Many of the permits cover conservation land areas and allhave been granted during the Labour Government's tenure.

A further four permits are currently under evaluation. None are mining permits.

One was just granted in March at Whirinaki, south-east of Rotorua, while another is a prospecting permit that began in July last year covering 283 square kilometres on the West Coast. It wraps around a large portion of Lake Brunner and covers part of the Hohonu Range conservation land.

In the headlines lately has been a prospecting permit for land northwest of Kerikeri in Northland that has the local Whangaroa hap concerned. Part of the permit covers a small portion of Puket Forest, which has some of the last unlogged ancient kauri trees.

While permits can be secured from New Zealand Petroleum and Minerals (NZP&M) for a number of years, holders still need to get land access, either from private landowners or, in the case of conservation land, from the Department of Conservation (DoC). Mineralogy has previously received DoC access.

Prospecting permits are described as "low-impact" by NZP&M (including geographic mapping and hand sampling) but can lead to "higher impact" exploratory work that includes drilling.

It concerns Greens environment spokesperson Eugenie Sage that these activities are allowed on conservation land.

"If those go onto mining, that mining we know is invasive, it involves vegetation clearance and major damage to waterways," she said.

Sage said the current situation creates "enormous uncertainty for nature" and leaves it up to community organisations to defend lands' conservation values.

"We need to change the law to provide security for nature," she said.

"We have a climate crisis and a biodiversity crisis. New Zealanders expect our conservation lands to be protected [and] these stunning landscapes and the plants and wildlife that inhabit them to be protected from mining."

She said Labour has failed to implement the promise to ban new mines on conservation land despite having a parliamentary majority. Former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern first made the promise in the 2017 Speech from the Throne.

Sage was the Conservation Minister between 2017 and 2020, but as Newshub has previously reported, the policy was bogged down then by a lack of consensus between Labour, New Zealand First and the Greens over its scope, including whether it would apply to stewardship land.

With NZ First out of Parliament, there were hopes Labour would quickly move ahead with the policy, but progress was delayed by a decision to focus on the reclassification of stewardship land first.

Conservation Minister Willow-Jean Prime told Newshub the Government remained committed to "ensuring that mining in Aotearoa only happens where and when appropriate, and according to robust regulatory standards".

"As such, significant and considered policy work is ongoing regarding the proposed policy of no new mines on conservation land final decisions on any Bill have not yet been taken."

Until any law change is made, companies can continue to seek permits and access arrangements.

DoC director of regulatory services Steve Taylor told Newshub that when assessing access arrangement applications, it considers "the impacts and effects of the activity and assess any proposed mitigation measures".

"These statutory processes are required by legislation and remain unchanged while policy work proceeds on potential amendment to regulatory or legislative settings.

"NZP&M permits does not give right of access to any land. The permit holder must seek access from the individual landowners to operate. Therefore, there can be conservation land within a permit granted by NZP&M, but the permit holder cannot access the conservation land without gaining the relevant access arrangements."

Prime also said she and her officials were "engaging with Te Rnanga o Ngi Tahu, recognising their Deed Settlement and the Ngai Tahu (Pounamu Vesting) Act 1997".

It's been reported that progress on the policy has been slowed by the need to figure out how to address Ngi Tahu's rights to pounamu, which may be impacted by a mining ban.

Sage has a Member's Bill which would prohibit new mines on conservation as well as coal mines. It's expected to come up for reading on the next Member's Day next week.However, Sage said there's been no public indication from Labour that it will support it.

"The bill and the explanatory material makes it very clear that there is no intention to impact on Ngi Tahu's right to pounamu," she said.

"Alluvial gold mining on the West Coast in river valleys can unearth boulders, and that is the practical way that access to pounamu occurs.

"If there needs to be further protections in the Bill, we'd hope that that can be done through the Select Committee process. But there's absolutely no intent to cut across Ngi Tahu's statutory right to control, own and control access to pounamu."

The Greens are launching a petition on Monday calling on Prime to honour the Government's promise and back Sage's Bill.

"We are running out of time in this term to change the law. My Bill is an opportunity to change the law to allow the public to have a say on what they think should happen on conservation land. The petition is to encourage the Government to support the Bill."

It's not the first time the party has tried to put pressure on the Government to act. In 2021, it launched an open letter calling for the Government to protect conservation land. It ended up receiving more than 16,000 signatures. But there's been no change.

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Green Party wants Government to crack on with Jacinda Ardern-era promise to ban new mines on conservation land - Newshub