Former New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern marries a year after leaving office
Jan. 13 (UPI) -- Former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is back in the news, releasing photos of her Saturday wedding to partner Clarke Gayford following a five-year engagement.
Ardern, 43, married Gayford, 47, at a vineyard in Hawkes Bay, on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island, an Ardern family representative confirmed.
The couple have been together for a decade and made headlines when they postponed their nuptials when New Zealand enacted strict measures to combat COVID-19.
Ardern in January 2022 moved New Zealand to a "red light" level of COVID-19 restrictions.
They became formally engaged in 2019.
The pair were married at a small ceremony in front of 50 to 75 friends and family.
Photos show Ardern in a white dress by fashion designer Juliette Hogan, while Gayford sports a black Zambesi suit and tie. The two are seen in photos walking through the vineyard holding hands.
Ardern, who is from the country's fourth-most populist city of Hamilton, resigned as prime minister just under one year ago during her party's annual retreat.
She was set to enter her sixth year as prime minister and said she did not have "enough left in the tank" to continue.
"I believe that leading a country is the most privileged job anyone could ever have, but also one of the more challenging," she said at the time.
"You cannot, and should not do it unless you have a full tank, plus, a bit in reserve for those unexpected challenges."
This article has been updated to correct the spelling of Jacinda Ardern's last name throughout.
