Former prime minister Dame Jacinda Ardern will be visiting Dunedin next month as part of a tour for her memoir A Different Kind of Power.
Dame Jacinda will share the stage with her former deputy prime minister Grant Robertson, who is promoting his own memoir Anything Could Happen.
The event “Old Friends. One Stage. One Night. – Jacinda Ardern & Grant Robertson” will be hosted by radio and television broadcaster Stacey Morrison (Te Arawa, Ngāi Tahu).
It is Dame Jacinda’s only South Island stop on her book tour and one of three events nationwide.
In a statement, the Dunedin Writers & Readers Festival said the “once-in-a-lifetime event” marked the first time the pair of former politicians had shared a stage in Dunedin since leaving office.
“With the pressure of office behind them and two candid, acclaimed memoirs in bookstores worldwide, Ardern and Robertson will do what old friends do: sit down, look back, and chat.”
The announcement comes amid news the former prime minister has relocated to Sydney with her family.
Dame Jacinda also recently made headlines after responding to the final report into New Zealand’s handling of Covid-19, saying in a joint statement with Mr Robertson their government ‘‘got a lot right’’ in its response to the pandemic.
A Different Kind of Power was published by Penguin in June last year.
The book has ranked #1 New Zealand bestseller, #1 Amazon bestseller, #2 Audible bestseller, #3 New York Times bestseller, #3 Sunday Times bestseller and #4 Australian bestseller.
It was last week shortlisted among four finalists for the 2026 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards General Non-Fiction Award.
The event will be held on Thursday, April 16 at 7.30pm in Dunedin’s Regent Theatre.
– Allied Media