"I am only human, I can't work any longer"… Former New Zealand Prime Minister publicly proposes while resigning voluntarily

Wedding Planned for 2022 Canceled Due to COVID-19

"Clark, finally we can get married too."

Last January, Jacinda Ardern, the former Prime Minister of New Zealand (43), who announced her sudden resignation, publicly proposed to her partner in a de facto relationship. Standing beside Ardern was Clark Gayford, the man she had been in a de facto relationship with for a long time. One year later, Ardern is having an actual wedding ceremony.

In April 2018, Jacinda Ardern, then Prime Minister of New Zealand (left), and her partner Clarke Gayford arrived at Buckingham Palace in London upon the invitation of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom.
[Photo by AP/Yonhap News]

On the 9th (local time), New Zealand local media reported that former Prime Minister Ardern will tie the knot with Gayford at a winery in Hawke's Bay on the North Island of New Zealand on the 13th. The wedding will be held privately, and former Prime Minister Chris Hipkins, who succeeded Ardern, is expected to attend. Ardern had previously publicly expressed her intention to marry Clark Gayford, but postponed the wedding due to the COVID-19 pandemic and other reasons.

The two first met in 2013. Gayford, who was a broadcaster at the time, visited the parliament to protest against the ruling National Party's attempt to amend the security law, where he encountered Ardern, who was then a Labour Party MP.

The two developed a romantic relationship. Subsequently, Ardern, born in July 1980, was elected as the 40th Prime Minister of New Zealand in 2017 at the age of 37. At that time, she was the youngest prime minister in New Zealand's history. She was also considered one of the youngest national leaders worldwide. In 2018, Ardern gave birth to a daughter with Clark Gayford (47), her partner in a de facto relationship.

Former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern (right) announced her resignation next month and hugged her fianc? Clarke Gayford during a press conference held in Napier, New Zealand, on January 19 last year (local time).
[Photo by AP/Yonhap News]

The couple got engaged in April 2019 and planned to have a wedding in 2022. However, when the COVID-19 pandemic struck, Ardern implemented strict lockdown policies and postponed her own wedding. At that time, she boldly closed the borders and imposed nationwide movement restrictions during the early stages of the COVID-19 crisis.

Leading the COVID-19 emergency response, Ardern held a press conference on January 19 last year and announced her sudden resignation, citing exhaustion. She said, "I no longer have enough fuel to perform this role." She added, "I am human too, and my energy is depleted." Then, she proposed to Gayford, who was by her side, saying, "Let's get married now."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.