Former Prime Minister Dame Jacinda Ardern and TV presenter Clarke Gayford are reportedly set to marry this weekend after sharing more than 10 years, one baby, one pandemic, two major election campaigns, and the loss of one celebrity cat together.
Their relationship has frequently been in the spotlight, with several major milestones taking place while Ardern was also busy leading the country.
Here are the highs and lows they’ve experienced on the way to their wedding day.
2012: The 'lots of smiles'
The early days of the couple’s relationship featured special guest appearances by model and TV personality Colin Mathura-Jeffree and the Government Communications Security Bureau Amendment Bill.
Ardern and Gayford first met, albeit briefly, at the Metro Restaurant Awards in Auckland in 2012.
Gayford was hosting the event. Ardern was there as the guest of Mathura-Jeffree, who made the introductions between the two. When asked about his recollection of that moment several years later, Mathura-Jeffree told Stuff all he could remember was that there were “lots of smiles”.
2013: The proper meet cute
It would be another year before Ardern and Gayford would reconnect over the Government Communications Security Bureau Amendment Bill. And they say romance is dead.
Gayford apparently had concerns over what the bill might mean for privacy and contacted his local MP, National’s Nikki Kaye, about them. She didn’t respond to those concerns, so he decided to write to opposition MP Ardern instead.
She suggested they meet for coffee to discuss the bill. More coffees followed.
2013: The first date
Gayford told the NZ Woman’s Weekly he took Ardern fishing for their first date.
He said it was “a champagne day”. There were calm seas. There was a pod of dolphins nearby. And Ardern, ever the high achiever, caught a 5.4kg snapper on her first cast.
Exact year unknown: The improvised almond milk
Prior to the 2017 general election, Gayford was asked by the NZ Herald to write about why Ardern should be Prime Minister.
He used an anecdote about almond milk to demonstrate Ardern’s qualities as a person.
“Jacinda is someone who so constantly thinks of others that she once woke in the middle of the night worried I was out of milk for my morning cup of tea,” he wrote.
“So, she got up and decided to soak some almonds at 2am, just to make me almond milk at dawn.”
Almond milk, of course, has absolutely no business being in a cup of tea. But it was the thought that counts.
“It was the best cup of tea I've ever had, and I hate almond milk,” Gayford wrote.
2017: The election win and the death of their celebrity cat
2017 was a big year for Ardern and Gayford, but not always for the best of reasons.
Ardern became Prime Minister in October that year. However, the following month, she and Gayford mourned the loss of Paddles, their famous ginger polydactyl rescue cat.
During Paddles’ very short tenure as New Zealand’s First Cat, she amassed a large social media following, was profiled in Vanity Fair, and loudly interrupted Ardern’s first phone call with then-US President Donald Trump.
But sadly, Paddles was hit by a neighbour’s car and died. Stuff reports the neighbour’s children wrote condolence cards for Ardern and Gayford, in which they asked Ardern not to send their father to prison for his act.
She did not.
January 2018: The surprise pregnancy reveal
Election wins and pet losses weren’t the only big events on Ardern and Gayford’s minds in late 2017 – there was also the small matter of a surprise baby on the way.
The couple revealed Ardern’s pregnancy at the beginning of 2018, saying she found out she would be a mother six days before learning she would become Prime Minister.
Ardern said she told Gayford and her parents about the baby before telling coalition partner Winston Peters.
Ardern said the baby was a surprise, as she and Gayford had been told they “would need help” to have a child.
“We wanted a family but weren’t sure it would happen for us, which has made this news unexpected but exciting,” she said.
June 2018 – The arrival of baby Neve
Ardern became just the second elected world leader to give birth while in office when she and Gayford welcomed the arrival of Neve Te Aroha in June 2018.
The couple explained the meaning behind Neve’s middle name while introducing their baby girl to the media.
“I thought, how do I reflect the generosity, particularly of all the iwi who gifted us names, and Te Aroha seemed to be a way,” she said.
“Te Aroha was something we settled on quite early. It was our way of reflecting the amount of love this baby’s been shown before she even arrived.”
The young family made international headlines again a few months later when Ardern attended a United Nations general assembly meeting with baby Neve (and Gayford) in tow.
2019 – The proposal
Nearly a year after Neve was born, Gayford asked Ardern to marry him during a trip to Hawke’s Bay.
The proposal took place on Mokotahi Hill, with Gayford using his grandmother’s ring to pop the big question.
Also in attendance for the occasion was a member of the Diplomatic Protection Service (DPS) and a random dog that tried to make off with some chocolate that Gayford had brought along with him.
And they say romance is dead. Again.
2022 – The first attempt at a wedding
The couple was supposed to marry in 2022 but cancelled the wedding when the Ardern-led government imposed new Covid-related restrictions to try and slow the rapid community spread of the virus.
The restrictions included a cap on the number of people at events like weddings.
"My wedding will not be going ahead," Ardern told media as she revealed the new rules.
“Such is life.”
2023 – The vow to get the wedding back on track
The prime minister says she's looking forward to being there when Neve starts school and is ready to marry Clarke Gayford. (Source: 1News)
When Ardern revealed her shock resignation as Prime Minister in January last year, she said she was looking forward to spending more time with her family.
“To Neve, Mum is looking forward to being there when you start school this year,” she said.
“And to Clarke, let’s finally get married.”
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