Jacinda Ardern: Prime minister of New Zealand tells partner let’s get married during farewell speech

New Zealand’s ‘first couple’ will finally be able to tie the knot. In the surprise press conference where she announced she was stepping down, Ardern also addressed her family; her fiance Clarke Gayford and four-year-old daughter Neve. “Neve, mum is looking forward to being there when you start school this year,” she said. “And to Clarke — let’s finally get married.” According to Gayford, a radio and TV reporter, his relationship with the NZ PM started in an “embarrassing” way. They reportedly first met briefly at an awards ceremony in Auckland in 2012, where Gayford was hosting and Ardern attended as a guest. In 2013, the pair reconnected when Gayford wrote to her about potential privacy issues related to proposed legislation. He told Nova’s Fitzy and Wippa: “This is slightly embarrassing — I had a constituency issue and I emailed my local MP.” Ardern then arranged for the pair to discuss the matter over coffee where they hit it off and soon began hanging out as friends. Their first date was a fishing trip, where Ardern reeled in a 5.4kg snapper. “It was literally Jacinda’s first cast and she was like, ‘Ooh! Something’s pulling!’. . . she said, ‘Is that good?’ And I was like, ‘That’s real good!’,” Gayford told New Zealand’s Women’s Weekly. It was an appropriate first date, as Gayford was the host of a popular fishing show called Fish of the Day. Four years into their relationship Ardern became Labour leader and then NZ PM. Days before she was sworn into office she found out she was pregnant. Ardern became the second woman in history to give birth while an elected head of state and the first to take maternity leave. The pair became the very image of a modern family, with Gayford taking on the role a stay-at-home dad, while Ardern ran the country. After becoming Prime Minister, Ardern said that the pair’s unwed status was not a “deliberate decision”. “It sounds terrible, because we’re very committed to each other. [Marriage is] just not something we’ve really gotten around to,” she told NBC news. But the pair were prepared to tie the knot and had all the plans in place to get married in January 2022. However, the wedding was cancelled when an Omicron wave swept through Australia and New Zealand. In response, the country introduced a limit on gathering sizes. “My wedding will not be going ahead,” she told reporters at the time.