Nine years today. Happy Anniversary my love. Thanks for all the tea in bed, fresh fish and endless love and support xxx
A quick update! When I did my final interviews before leaving Parliament, I said that alongside working as a special envoy to the Christchurch Call, and joining the Earthshot board, I would also be doing some speaking, teaching, and learning. Here’s a little more detail on that….
I’m incredibly humbled to be invited to join Harvard University later this year as 2023 Angelopoulos Global Public Leaders Fellow and as a Hauser Leader in the Kennedy School’s Center for Public Leadership.
Harvard have been a really important partner in the Christchurch Call work, and my semester there later this year will also be an opportunity to take up the first tech governance leadership fellowship at the Berkman Klien Center. Not only will this be a chance to work collaboratively with the center’s research community, but also work on the challenges around the growth of generative AI tools.
I’ll also be sharing my experiences through speaking both here and abroad, while also taking time over the next year to learn too.
While I’ll be gone for a semester (helpfully the one that falls during the NZ general election!) I’ll be coming back at the end of the fellowships. After all, New Zealand is home!
When I left parliament there were a few questions I got asked quite often – are your family happy to have you back (mostly 😂) and will you write about your time in office? At first, my answer was no. I didn’t want to write a book that hauled over the internal politics of the last five years, and then someone convinced me that I didn’t have to. That maybe it might be worth expanding on some of things I talked about in my valedictory instead—like the idea you can be your own kind of leader and still make a difference. And so that’s what I’m planning to do.
I’ve seen a bit of speculation about me writing, but there’s not too much more to say other than I’m planning on doing it and will be working with a lovely team of publishers (including Penguin in NZ and Australia, Macmillan in the UK and Crown in the United States.)
There’s no set date for when it will be done- the Christchurch call work on violent extremism and terrorism online is keeping me pretty busy- but I hope when it’s done, it’s the kind of book that would have made a difference to my 14 year old self. (📸 Today -finishing up in Wellington after Chch call meetings.)
Can’t remember the last time I had a birthday that was quite as normal as this one. Tea and toast in bed, work, and dinner with my loves. Feeling very lucky today…and just a little older. ❤️❤️❤️
Can’t remember the last time I had a birthday that was quite as normal as this one. Tea and toast in bed, work, and dinner with my loves. Feeling very lucky today…and just a little older. ❤️❤️❤️
It’s NZ Music T-Shirt day, and to mark the occasion I popped on this shirt, donated to @musichelpsnz and got Clarke to take a photo of me with my eyes half closed. I remember when Music Helps first launched – they do amazing stuff. In their own words “MusicHelps support hundreds of projects across Aotearoa, each using the power of music to change the lives of thousands in need. This includes music therapy, music programs in respite and palliative care, music education programs (particularly in low decile environments), music programs in prisons and rehabilitation and music in aged care to name but a few initiatives they support.
MusicHelps also provides emergency assistance to thousands of music people experiencing hardship and illness through their suite of music support services.” Huge thanks to music helps for the work you do, and to everyone supporting you today! #nzmusictshirtday #musichelps
Dad was in charge of the birthday cake this year, and given our now five year old changed her mind about what she wanted no less than ten times, he did a great job of pulling this one together (especially after a long day of filming.) Happy Birthday to our girl, and great work @clarkegayford – you’re both the greatest. 🎈🎈
Happy Easter everyone! May it be filled with things that bring you joy (just to be clear, I did not find these stairs joyful. The view was lovely, but I was too puffed to take a picture of that 😊)
Thank you to those who sent me a message today. I meant what I said to the media when they asked – I feel incredibly humbled to be made a Dame Grand Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit.
I was in two minds about accepting this acknowledgement. So many of the things we went through as a nation over the last five years were about all of us rather than one individual. But I have heard that said by so many kiwis who I have encouraged to accept an honour over the years. And so for me this a way to say thank you – to my family, to my colleagues, and to the people who supported me to take on the most challenging and rewarding role of my life. And to celebrate, I spent a bit of time this morning spinning my niece around on a Roktopus in the rain. As you do. I hope everyone enjoyed their King’s Birthday Weekend!
Daughter and niece watching some of the best in the world at the FIFA Women’s World Cup. This is what it’s all about.
Just finishing up a few days of meetings in the US and realise I have just this one photo to show for it! I’ve been here meeting with tech companies and academics (such as those pictured here from Stanford University) to talk about the ongoing work of the Christchurch Call to eliminate violent extremism and terrorism online. It’s complex work, made even more complicated by emerging and newer technologies like AI. It’s a real privilege to still be a part of it.
So lucky to have the chance to see the Football Ferns in action yesterday. And you can too!
A couple of weeks ago I got an email from the De La Selle College debating team asking if I’d drop by as they prepared for their next round of competition. Debating was a huge part of my life when I was at school – it taught me so much, including how to see the world from other people’s perspective. I loved visiting today, and talking competition tactics. Thank you so much for having me De La Selle! It was such a treat.
A real treat yesterday to visit AUT and meet members of the Indonesian Young Leaders Programme. Some amazing questions from leaders working on everything from conservation and biodiversity through to child protection and women’s empowerment. A humbling and lovely afternoon.
A real treat yesterday to visit AUT and meet members of the Indonesian Young Leaders Programme. Some amazing questions from leaders working on everything from conservation and biodiversity through to child protection and women’s empowerment. A humbling and lovely afternoon.
A real treat yesterday to visit AUT and meet members of the Indonesian Young Leaders Programme. Some amazing questions from leaders working on everything from conservation and biodiversity through to child protection and women’s empowerment. A humbling and lovely afternoon.
Put a few thoughts to paper for the Washington Post on AI and what we learned from convening the Christchurch Call. Text below if you’re interested! ——- Several months ago, I retired from politics. After five years leading a small but incredible country, I knew it was time for someone else to take the reins. My plan to step back from the fray has been disrupted, though, because of two words. Artificial intelligence. Like so many, I have been following the escalating development of AI and its promise of huge benefits for humanity — ranging from improved productivity to advances in medical science. But I have also been following the risks. The core technology that enables an AI assistant to describe an image to a vision-impaired person is the same technology that might enable disinformation campaigns — and this is the tip of the iceberg.
My interest in learning is matched by my drive to find answers. I want to know the destination for these tools and what they will mean for democracy and humanity. If these are also the answers you’re searching for, I can tell you that you won’t find them — not yet. It’s difficult to know the path we’re on when advocates tell us “everything is fine,” while others warn that AI might be the end of humanity.
It’s no wonder leaders in government, industry, civil society and academia, as well as people generally, are looking for their own ways to manage generative AI. Last month alone, leaders from every corner of Big Tech — OpenAI’s Sam Altman, Microsoft’s Brad Smith, Google’s Sundar Pichai — have presented various blueprints for governing AI. There is no shortage of calls for AI guardrails — but no one seems able to tell us exactly how to build them. I’m no AI expert. I’m not here to argue the finer details of what oversight should include. But I have strong views on how oversight is developed, and they come from bitter experience. (link for remainder of op-ed in bio and comments below)
Spent an hour with Noelle McCarthy speaking at HER conference at Ellen Melville Hall in Auckland today. A beautiful event to be a part of. Thanks Noelle, and thanks @ellamizrahi tor organising!
Spent an hour with Noelle McCarthy speaking at HER conference at Ellen Melville Hall in Auckland today. A beautiful event to be a part of. Thanks Noelle, and thanks @ellamizrahi tor organising!
That wasn’t just a win, it was groundbreaking. What a privilege to see it in person. #footballferns #legends
If you haven’t heard of the Earthshot prize, the team released a video yesterday (featuring Earthshot prize winners and products) which is a fantastic explainer. Rather than just look at my poor screenshots, check it out for yourself! I’ve popped the link in my bio.
If you haven’t heard of the Earthshot prize, the team released a video yesterday (featuring Earthshot prize winners and products) which is a fantastic explainer. Rather than just look at my poor screenshots, check it out for yourself! I’ve popped the link in my bio.
Mānawatia a Matariki! I have such lovely memories of standing on the waterfront in Te Whanganui-a-Tara as we marked Matariki as a public holiday in Aotearoa for the first time. This year, I’m watching from afar and it feels just as special. Wherever you are, I hope it’s a day for reflection, whanau and kai!
This is your warning that my feed is going to be dominated by a lot of football chat these next few weeks – not because I’m an expert, but because I’m so excited that New Zealand is hosting such a massive event full of amazing teams and athletes from around the world. There are still tickets to some games across New Zealand (Auckland, Dunedin, Wellington and Hamilton) so whether you’re an amateur enthusiast or an expert, this is your reminder to jump online and join in!
