Former Prime Minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern married her long-time partner Clarke Gayford in a private ceremony on Saturday (Jan 13) after delays due to stringent COVID-19 rules in the country imposed by her government. The couple tied the knot after an almost five-year engagement and around a decade of being together.
About the ceremony
The wedding ceremony took place on Saturday afternoon in Hawke’s Bay at Craggy Range Winery on the east coast of New Zealand’s North Island, said her spokesperson. According to a report by news site Stuff, Ardern (43) and Gayford (47) tied the knot in front of some 50 to 75 guests.
The wedding comes nearly a year after (January 19), when Ardern resigned as prime minister. During her final speech in parliament, Ardern told Gayford, a New Zealand television presenter, “Let’s finally get married.”
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The couple, who also have a five-year-old daughter named Neve, first met about a decade ago, and got engaged in 2019.
Images of the wedding shared by the New Zealand media show the former PM in a dress by fashion designer Juliette Hogan paired with a long veil and Gayford in a black suit reportedly custom-made by the country’s fashion house Zambesi.
It has been reported that only the couple’s family, close friends and a few of the 43-year-old former PM’s colleagues were invited, including her successor and ex-PM Chris Hipkins and his partner Tony Grace.
The wedding was officiated by the couple’s friend and former Deputy PM Grant Robertson, said Ardern’s spokesperson.
‘Such is life’
The wedding, which was reportedly supposed to take place in the summer of 2022, was postponed due to Ardern’s government’s strict COVID-19 policies and her “go hard, go early” approach to the pandemic, which helped keep the spread of the deadly virus in check in New Zealand.
In line with this, gatherings were limited to 100 people amid the Omicron variant surge. “My wedding won’t be going ahead but I just join many other New Zealanders who have had an experience like that as a result of the pandemic,” she told reporters while announcing that she had called off the wedding for now, adding “Such is life.”
Ardern became a global icon for her left-leaning politics and was among one of the most prominent women in leadership when she led the country between 2017 to January 2023. She was also one of just two women to have a baby while serving as a national leader.
Her resignation five-and-a-half years after serving as the PM last year came as a shock to New Zealanders. Ardern, at the time, had said she no longer had “enough in the tank” to do the job justice.
Around six months ago, the former PM joined Harvard University where she has been undertaking three fellowships.
‘Wedding crashers’
On Saturday morning, the police met with a small group of protesters who opposed the vaccine mandates imposed by Ardern’s government and that ended in 2022.
The protesters had also plastered a wall with dozens of anti-vaccination posters outside the venue, according to the Associated Press.
One protester was also seen holding a sign that read, “Lest we forget jab mandates,” on the outskirts of the property, reported the AP.
(With inputs from agencies)
