Dunedin Writers & Readers Festival Special Event
Coalition for Books member, Dunedin Writers & Readers Festival, is proud to present one of the most remarkable events of 2026: Jacinda Ardern and Grant Robertson — two of New Zealand’s most consequential political figures and genuine old friends — sharing a stage for the first time in Ōtepoti Dunedin since leaving office. Quite simply, a once-in-a-lifetime event!
Event details
Jacinda Ardern & Grant Robertson
In conversation with Stacey Morrison (Te Arawa, Ngāi Tahu)
Thursday 16 April, 7.30pm, Regent Theatre, Ōtepoti
They navigated some of the most turbulent chapters in New Zealand’s modern history together and the relentless demands of governing a country through extraordinary times. Now, with the pressure of office behind them and two candid, acclaimed memoirs in bookstores worldwide, Ardern and Robertson will do what old friends do best: sit down, look back, and chat.
Expect laughter, candour, and the kind of conversation that can only happen between two people who have been through it all together.
The evening will be hosted by the incomparable Stacey Morrison (Te Arawa, Ngāi Tahu) — broadcaster, journalist, and one of Aotearoa’s most gifted and warmly regarded conversationalists.
This promises to be an evening unlike anything else on Aotearoa’s cultural calendar this year — intimate and utterly unmissable.