Ardern established the initiative to eliminate violent extremist content online in the wake of the March 15 mosque attacks.
Her successor as Prime Minister, Chris Hipkins, appointed Ardern to the newly created position.
He had previously hinted she could continue her work on the initiative.
Hipkins said Ardern would be New Zealand's senior representative on Christchurch Call-related matters and would work closely with France.
"This allows me to remain focused on the cyclone recovery and addressing the cost of living pressures affecting New Zealanders," Hipkins said.
Ardern will report directly to Hipkins and has declined to be paid for the job.
"Jacinda Ardern's commitment to stopping violent extremist content like we saw that day is key to why she should carry on this work," Hipkins said.
"Her relationships with leaders and technology companies and her drive for change will help increase the pace and ambition of the work we are doing through the Christchurch Call."
Ardern's role will be reviewed at the end of the year.
She is due to deliver her final speech at Parliament tomorrow and will formally leave politics next week.
Ardern told 1News she did not leave because she felt she was being given too much of a hard time.
She said in the back of her mind was a belief her departure might bring the tempo, heat and friction in the country down a peg.
“If it did that would be good for NZ.”
Asked what advice she would give her 2017 self: “You can carry more than you think.”
Asked if she delivered on her promises she said she believed she did.
She said she would not miss the weight “because it was heavy”.
She acknowledged she had thought her departure “would take a bit of heat out” of conversations that involved those who were fervently opposed to her actions during the pandemic.
“If I can simply walk away knowing that there will be kids and girls in particular who think they can do the job just like me ... then job done,” she told Newshub.
Details of Ardern’s new role
Hipkins said Ardern had declined payment to act as special envoy; however, costs associated with the job would be reimbursed.
She will start on April 17 and her position would be reviewed at the end of the year. She will report directly to the Prime Minister.
“Jacinda Ardern’s commitment to stopping violent extremist content like we saw [on March 15, 2019] is key to why she should carry on this work,” Hipkins said.
“Her relationships with leaders and technology companies and her drive for change will help increase the pace and ambition of the work we are doing through the Christchurch Call.”
The Christchurch Call is an unprecedented global initiative working across governments, the tech sector, and civil society to eliminate terrorist and violent extremist content online.
Hipkins said work was under way on areas such as how algorithms - which determine what online content we see - affect how someone was radicalised and the implications of newly developed technology like artificial intelligence and augmented reality.
“We owe it to those who lost their lives on 15 March 2019 to continue our work to ensure there is no place for terrorist and violent extremist content online,” he said.
- additional reporting NZ Herald
