As New Zealand’s Prime Minister, Jacinda Adern has been winning hearts all over the world with her compassionate and powerful reaction to the recent terrorist attack in Christchurch.
However, it seems her biggest fans are a little closer to home.
Adern’s partner, Clarke Gayford has shared a rare picture of the pair’s nine-month-old daughter, Neve Te Aroha Ardern Gayford alongside a heartfelt, and emotion-inspiring tribute to his incredible politician partner, applauding her for swiftly changing the country’s gun laws in the aftermath of last week’s horrific attacks.
This is the heartfelt photo of little Neve Clarke shared. Image: Twitter/ClarkeGayford
“For her 9 month birthday today we received the gift of crawling,” wrote Gayford. “While her mum got her the gift of having a safer country to grow up in.”
.jpg?resize=380%2C285)
And no we’re not crying, YOU are.
Indeed, Jacinda has been applauded for actioning swift change in New Zealand. In the wake of last week’s Christchurch mosque shootings, the leader announced immediate changes to the country’s gun laws, including banning assault rifles and military-style semi-automatics.
Commenters were quick to jump on board and let him know that they felt equally touched by 38-year-old Adern’s power and presence in the face of such an atrocity in their country.
“Please thank Neve for giving you the strength to give Jacinda the strength to give us all the strength to get through this together,” wrote one Twitter user.
“We are so very proud of your mama little Neve,” wrote another. “I hope she is looking after herself too in all of this.”
While another was quick to relate to Neve’s milestone, asking: “How on earth do you babyproof Premiere House? Yikes!”
Adern and Gayford’s modern romance has seen them in the headlines before, particularly for the fact that 42-year-old Gayford put his work as a radio and television broadcaster and host of fishing documentary show, Fish of the Day on hold to look after little Neve while her mum continued doing an incredible job as one the world’s most adored leaders.
“We weighed it up and we decided that her job was possibly slightly more important,” Gayford laughed in an interview with Australian Women’s Weekly. “It was always on the cards to work out that way. I’ve always been completely supportive of Jacinda and I believe in what she’s trying to achieve for New Zealand. So, it was easy for me to make that call. There are plenty of males out there that do that.”
Clarke is “a great dad”, Adern told Woman’s Day.
“He’s exactly as I expected him to be, completely doting, very dedicated, really patient. I feel they’ve got in-jokes already, I don’t even know how that’s possible, but they do. And he of course will dress Neve, so there are a lot of ‘I heart Dad’ socks and shirts.”
Jacinda Adern and Clarke Gayford welcomed daughter, Neve Te Aroha Ardern Gayford and now we’re all in love!Image: Instagram/JacindaAdern.
The story of how these two met is adorable. Gayford spoke to the New Zealand Herald and confessed that it was actually politics that brought them together.
“Because I had a constituency issue,” he laughed. “I can feel myself getting embarrassed even saying it.”
When National MP, Nikki Kaye failed to respond to a letter an incensed Gayford penned about the controversial Government Communications Security Bureau Amendment Bill he tried her opponent, Adern.
“I thought, well, Jacinda’s sitting on the other side, so I wrote this letter and said ‘how can I help?'”
It was politics that brought these two together. Image: Getty.
The pair met for coffee where Gayford was shocked to learn they shared a passion for New Zealand drum and bass outfit, Concord Dawn.
One coffee became more coffees and eventually they began dating.
“We don’t really talk about it publicly. She’s definitely been the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I didn’t know what it meant to work hard until I started seeing what she does on a daily basis.”
WATCH: Jacinda Ardern talks leadership and motherhood with CNN. Continues after video …
As for how they manage family life when Adern is so busy in her role as PM. Well, they say it takes a village to raise a child, and according to Adern, “New Zealand is our village”.
“I see quite literal signs of that all the time,” Adern told Woman’s Day.
“I’ll go places and people will say, ‘Where’s our baby?’ Men too – when I went to Ratana, ‘Where’s our mokopuna [meaning grandchild or young person in Maori culture]?’ It’s really lovely – this expectation that she’s there and they can take care of her if she is. Even someone at the Business Advisory Council today said, ‘Next time, bring the baby – we’ll pass her around’.”
