Former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and her husband are reportedly searching for a new home in Australia, joining a wave of New Zealanders relocating abroad.
Since stepping down from her leadership role in 2023, Ardern and her family have been on the move, initially settling in the United States that same year.
During her time away from New Zealand, Ardern, who served as prime minister for six years, also took on a prestigious fellowship at Oxford University in the UK.
According to a spokesperson, “The family has been traveling for a few years now,” as reported by 1News.
“For the moment, they are basing themselves in Australia, where they have work commitments, and it conveniently allows for more visits back to New Zealand,” the spokesperson added.
Between July 2023 and June 2025, over 92,000 New Zealanders have applied for Australian citizenship, according to figures from the Department of Home Affairs.
In 2024 alone, 30,000 New Zealanders moved to Australia – the highest number in more than a decade.
Confirmation of Ardern’s move came after realestate.com.au reported she was spotted viewing homes on Sydney’s Northern Beaches with her husband Clarke Gayford and seven-year-old daughter Neve.
Former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern (pictured) and her family have been spotted house hunting in Sydney’s northern beaches
The Northern Beaches is a well-to-do area, where the typical house price is more than $2.8million.
Palm Beach, a suburb in the area, is where popular TV series Home and Away is filmed.
She was seen at properties for sale in the beachside suburbs Curl Curl and Freshwater, as well as eating at a Mexican restaurant in Dee Why.
Sydney is not the only area of NSW where the former prime minister has been spotted. She also made a surprise appearance in the state’s south over the weekend.
Ardern visited a community expo in Gerringong, which has a population of about 4,165 and is located about 10 minutes south of Kiama in the Illawarra region.
Kiama Mayor Cameron McDonald, who was attending the event, shared the surprise appearance on LinkedIn.
‘Like many people, I’ve long admired Jacinda’s leadership style – particularly her clarity, composure and ability to communicate in difficult moments,’ he wrote.
‘It was a pleasure, along with Deputy Mayor Mel Matters, to exchange a few words and welcome both her and Dame Annette to our region.’
Ardern, her husband Clarke Gayford (both pictured) and their seven-year-old daughter Neve were also seen at a Mexican restaurant in Dee Why
Ardern was joined by Dame Annette King, who has been a mentor to the former prime minister and retired from her role as New Zealand High Commissioner in 2023.
At the age of 37, Ardern became the world’s youngest-serving female leader in 2017 and was the second woman to give birth while in office.
Since stepping down from the role, she has been a dual fellow at Harvard University.
She and Gayford, who is a New Zealand TV and radio broadcaster, tied the knot in 2023 in a lavish wedding surrounded by friends, family and politicians.
The nuptials were held at Craggy Range vineyard in Havelock North in the heart of New Zealand’s Hawke’s Bay.
Ardern joined Oxford University’s Blavatnik School of Government as a distinguished fellow in 2025, and has continued working on the Christchurch Call – a project she founded to combat online extremism after the Christchurch mosque shootings.
Her memoir, A Different Kind of Power, was released in 2025.
