New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has revealed there are plans for her wedding to TV host Clarke Gayford but a date has yet to be decided.
‘We have some plans – they are some way off,’ the 40-year-old told reporters in the city of New Plymouth on Wednesday. ‘We might need to share some of our plans with our family and friends before we do that more widely.’
Ms Ardern got engaged to 44-year-old Mr Gayford last year and they have a two-year-old daughter, Neve.
The PM is still riding high on last month’s landslide election victory for the Labour Party after voters were convinced by her strong response to the coronavirus pandemic.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern carries her newborn baby Neve Te Aroha Ardern Gayford with her partner Clarke Gayford as she walks out of the Auckland Hospital in New Zealand, June 24, 2018
Ms Ardern is embraced by Mr Gayford following her victory speech to Labour Party members at a post-election bash in Auckland on October 17
Ms Ardern shares a tender moment with Mr Gayford while her sister Louise Ardern looks on at her swearing ceremony on November 6
Mr Gayford, presenter of the fishing programme Fish of the Day, served home-cooked venison to reporters stationed outside the family home on election night and later said he was ‘enormously proud’ of his wife’s victory.
The couple announced their engagement in May, 2019, after meeting at an awards event in 2012.
The pair didn’t start dating until the following year when a constituency issue brought them together.
Mr Gayford was upset about the potential loss of privacy proposed by the Government Communications Security Bureau Amendment Bill.
He first went to local MP, Nikki Kaye, but got no response.
He then wrote to Ms Ardern and the two met for coffee and bonded over a shared interest in music.
Wedding rumours have circulated since baby Neve was born but the media-shy couple have been reticent to confirm any news.
Ms Ardern has previously spoken out about their wedding plans, saying neither her nor Mr Gayford had a particular stance on marriage.
‘I predict we will one day. We happen to have done things in reverse a little bit, but that happens in life sometimes too,’ she said.
Ms Ardern confirmed in April 2019 her partner popped the question over the Easter break after she was spotted wearing an engagement ring.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern (centre) and partner Clarke Gayford arrive at the national Remembrance Service to those who were tragically killed in the Al Noor Mosque and the Linwood Islamic Centre shooting in Christchurch, New Zealand, Friday, March 29, 2019
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, left, with partner Clarke Gayford during the Labour Party campaign launch in Auckland, New Zealand, Saturday, August 8, 2020
Ms Ardern and Mr Gayford are greeted by the Governor-General, Dame Patsy Reddy and her husband, Sir David Gascoigne, while arriving for the ceremony to appoint the new ministers at Government House on November 6, 2020 in Wellington
The proposal took place with a beautiful backdrop at the top of Mokotahi Hill in Mahia on North Island’s east coast with a ring that belonged to Mr Gayford’s grandmother.
‘It was Clarke, myself, a member of the DPS (Diplomatic Protection Squad), a couple of locals from Mahia and a dog which tried to eat the chocolate that Clarke bought me at the same time, so it was very romantic,’ she told reporters.
But she was reluctant to provide any further details.
‘There are some things I don’t mind keeping for ourselves,’ Ms Ardern said.
‘This is a very public job and I’m quite happy to put quite a bit of ourselves out there. But there are some things I wouldn’t mind keeping to ourselves.’
Ms Ardern drew international attention when she became second elected world leader to give birth while in office, the first was former Prime Minister of Pakistan Benazir Bhutto.
Ms Ardern was also the first world leader to attend the United Nations general assembly meeting with baby Neve in tow last year.
Earlier this month Mr Gayford posted a loving tribute to his wife after she was sworn into office for a second time.
Their engagement was announced almost a year after the birth of their first child Neve Te Aroha Ardern Gayford in June 2018
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern arrives at Wellington Airport with her partner Clarke Gayford and their daughter Neve Gayford on August 4, 2018
Mr Gayford had watched on with pride alongside Ms Ardern’s parents and sister at the ceremony conducted by Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy at Government House in Wellington on November 6.
‘Was nice having both our families in town for the official appointment of the new government this morning,’ Mr Gayford captioned a photo of the couple shared to Instagram.
‘While the last three years have been a bit of a blur there are still moments like this where I wonder how on earth I ended up here hitched to the Jacinda Ardern express.’
Ms Ardern also posted a photo with her parents Ross and Laurell and sister Louise outside the Beehive as an Instagram story.
‘My family,’ she captioned the snap.
The power couple on the red carpet during the 2018 ASB Rugby Awards at SkyCity Convention Centre on December 13, 2018 in Auckland
Jacinda Ardern made headlines across the globe when she appeared at the United Nations General Assembly in New York City with baby Neve and partner Clarke Gayford
Ms Ardern and her ministers were joined by their families and close staff when they were sworn in by the governor-general.
She was flanked by MP Nanaia Mahuta for the singing of the karanga, an element of cultural protocol of the Māori people, before the ceremony.
For the first time, the ceremony included a traditional Maori welcome and prayer – a karanga and a karakia.