Former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern married her longtime partner Clarke Gayford in a private ceremony on Saturday.
Ardern and Gayford has been engaged for almost five years. They had to postpone their wedding due to Covid pandemic.
The ceremony, reportedly, was staged at a luxury vineyard in the scenic Hawke's Bay region, 325 kilometers (200 miles) from New Zealand's capital, Wellington.
Only family and close friends were invited for the ceremony. Ardern's successor and former PM Chris Hipkins was among those who attended the function.
Ardern (43) and Gayford (47) have been dating since 2014.
Due to Ardern government's Covid restrictions that reduced gatherings to 100 people, the wedding planned for the summer of 2022 was postponed. “Such is life”, Ardern said at the time of their decision to call off the wedding.
Ardern was noted for the handling of the nation's worst-ever mass shooting and the early stages of the Covid pandemic.
In 2018, Ardern became the second elected world leader to give birth while holding office. Later that year, she brought her infant daughter to the floor of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, which had gone viral in the social media.
New Zealand, was one of the countries to impose stringent rules during the pandemic times.
Her announcement of stepping down in January 2023 left many in shock. she said she was stepping down after five-and-a-half years as prime minister because she no longer had enough in the tank to do the job justice in an election year.
Since then, Ardern announced she would temporarily join Harvard University after being appointed to dual fellowships at the Harvard Kennedy School.
(With PTI inputs)
