The 45-year-old was set to speak about her book A Different Kind of Power, winner of the E.H. McCormick Prize for General Non-Fiction.<\/p>\n
Fed Deli, in Auckland’s CBD, where Dame Jacinda Ardern was seen lunching today. Photo \/ NZ Herald<\/p>\n
About 50 anti-vaccine protesters gathered<\/a> in Aotea Square during the event, carrying large placards and partially blocking access to the venue.<\/p>\n Heightened security was put in place ahead of her appearance at the festival, and attendees were advised they would not be readmitted if they left.<\/p>\n Ardern was unable to attend the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards<\/a> days earlier because of scheduling conflicts with the Melbourne Writers Festival.<\/p>\n Her $3000 winnings were donated to literacy charity Read New Zealand Te Pou Muramura.<\/p>\n Today\u2019s sighting marks one of only a handful of public appearances in New Zealand since the family moved across the Tasman earlier this year.<\/p>\n In the years since she left politics, Ardern has spent time in the United States and United Kingdom, but chose Australia as the family\u2019s permanent home<\/a> – at least for \u201ca little bit of time\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cOne of the main attractions for us was the proximity to home,\u201d she told the Sydney Morning Herald.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019d 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.<\/p>\n Ardern recently told Nine\u2019s Today show that the family had been enjoying their new life across the Tasman<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s so many similarities between Kiwis and Aussies and so it\u2019s so like home in so many ways,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople have been so welcoming.<\/p>\n \u201cSo it\u2019s probably been our favourite bit, and then the beach.\u201d<\/p>\n Ardern has remained active on the international stage since leaving politics, taking up dual fellowships at Harvard University and continuing work in global leadership and climate advocacy.<\/p>\nDame Jacinda Ardern has been spotted around Australia since her relocation, posing here for a photo with a local in Gerringong, south of
\nSydney. <\/p>\n