Jacinda Ardern has not signed up with an international speakers agency
CLAIM: Social media users were speculating about a claim after an international speakers' agency listed New Zealand former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern as one of its clients, suggesting that the politician had a new career lined up for her as she said farewell to politics.
RATING: The claim however was not supported by any official sources and the page listing Ardern as a client was removed after making rounds on social media platforms.
BACKGROUND
Jacinda Ardern announced her resignation as the Prime Minister of New Zealand on January 19, 2023. Following the announcement in April 2023, she confirmed her upcoming career plans, none of which included a paid speaker in an agency. The roles she announced were a special envoy for the Christchurch Call, an initiative to eliminate extremist content online, and a position on the board of Prince William’s climate charity, the Earthshot Prize.
Despite the official announcements, a website claiming to be a US-based talent agency listed the former prime minister as one of its clients. The ad appeared on “speakerbookingagency.com”, claiming that Ardern was available for speaking engagements for an unspecified sum.
Soon after, The Platform NZ, an online news website founded by controversial broadcaster Sean Plunket, published an article, titled: "We expose the new job of Jacinda Ardern", claiming that the former politician was hiding her new role and the possible bill. The claim was shared by social media users. Here and here, some criticising her for not revealing her plans to the media.
METHOD
A search through the website of speakerbookingagency.com shows that the ad was taken down. However, a simple Google search reveals that the same agency made headlines in February 2023 in the UK after mistakenly listing Scotland’s former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon as an "athlete" who was available for personal and virtual appearances. The Scotland Herald quoted a source close to Sturgeon as saying that the ad was not real.
Meanwhile, speakerbookingagency.com which describes itself as "America's Leading Speakers Bureau since 1999", has only 43 followers on its Twitter account, 260 followers on its Instagram account, and 56 followers on Facebook, an unusually low number of followers for an agency claiming to have listed former US President Barack Obama and many other international politicians and celebrities as clients.
Later on, the article published on April 11, by The Platform NZ was taken down, followed by a tweet that explained it.
A representative from Ardern's office also told The Spinoff, a New Zealand news website, that "Ms Ardern was not aware of this website page before now, and the listing is certainly not authorised by her.”
RATING: The ad is false and no official from Jacinda Ardern's office has confirmed it.