What was claimed
Melinda Gates made a $US30 million payment directly to Jacinda Ardern.
Our verdict
Misleading. Ms Ardern received $US20 million to finance a charitable fund held by a third-party trust and the money is not for her personal use.
AAP FACTCHECK - Misleading claims are spreading that Melinda Gates gave Jacinda Ardern $US30 million for her personal use.
In fact, Ms Gates selected the former New Zealand prime minister to direct a $US20 million fund held by a philanthropic trust that can only be used for charity.
The claim appears in a Facebook post that alleges Ms Ardern received a direct payment from Ms Gates, the former wife of tech billionaire Bill Gates, after supposedly agreeing to mandate COVID vaccines.
Ms Ardern served as New Zealand’s prime minister during the height of the COVID pandemic and oversaw the country’s vaccine rollout.
"Gates went on to publicly announce a $30Million USD payment directly to Jacinda Ardern," the post claims.
Another post by the same user suggests the money allowed Ms Ardern to buy expensive real estate in Sydney.
In September 2026, Guardian Australia reported that Ms Ardern and her husband, Clarke Gayford, had bought a $5.3 million home in Sydney.
The post also claims a Forbes article "states specifically that $30m USD was given to Jacinda Ardern".
However, the money in question - which was $US20 million, not $US30 million - did not go directly to Ms Ardern.
In May 2024, Ms Gates' foundation, Pivotal, announced $US1 billion in commitments to "advance women's power globally".
As part of this, 12 global leaders, including Ms Ardern, were each provided a $US20 million fund to distribute to charities doing "urgent, impactful, and innovative work to improve women’s health and wellbeing".
Forbes Australia reported in June 2024 that Ms Ardern would be a "recipient" of $A30 million under the pledge.
However, a Pivotal spokesperson told AAP FactCheck the grant was held by a third-party trust and “could only be used for charitable purposes”.
The fund is administered by the National Philanthropic Trust (NPT), the spokesperson said, which manages billions of dollars of philanthropic funds on behalf of donors.
The spokesperson said NPT had "legal and financial control over the funds", while the leaders, including Ms Ardern, recommended which charitable organisations should receive funding.
The Pivotal spokesperson said Ms Ardern had already directed some of the funds, including providing $US4 million to the International Rescue Committee to fund an initiative to prevent maternal and newborn deaths in crisis-affected settings.
She also directed $US3 million ($NZ5.1 million) to the University of Auckland for a project aimed at eliminating cervical cancer in the Pacific, the Pivotal spokesperson said.
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