New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern Gets a Touching Note on Her 40th Birthday. But From Whom?

Jacinda Ardern’s fiance Clarke Gayford has shared a touching tribute to the love his life on her 40th birthday.

The New Zealand prime minister celebrated the milestone on Sunday, with her fiancé among the many who publicly posted for the occasion.

‘I don’t really do these posts, but I think a bit of symmetry like the number 40 is worth positing on,’ Mr Gayford wrote alongside an Instagram photo of the couple.

‘Happy Birthday today to my favourite achiever in the whole wide world, someone, who despite everything on her plate, still finds time to squeeze lots of fun, love and happiness into our wee family unit.’

The prime minister was handed another birthday present on Sunday with a new poll showing Labour is on track to cruise to victory in this year’s New Zealand election.

Ms Ardern’s party charted 61 per cent in a Newshub-Reid Research poll announced on Sunday, the same day that Ms Ardern turned 40.

The result is the strongest result on record for Labour.

If replicated at the ballot box on September 19, Labour would be able to govern alone with a sizeable majority in the next parliament.

Meanwhile, Ms Ardern confirmed her engagement to her long-term partner in May 2019 after she was spotted wearing a ring on her left hand.

Their engagement came almost a year after the birth of their first child Neve Te Aroha Ardern Gayford in June 2018.

Mr Gayford, who hosted a fishing show, stepped away from work to look after their daughter, allowing Ms Ardern the role of running the country.

Ms Ardern and Mr Gayford, 43, first met at an awards event in 2012.

However, they did not start dating until 2013 when a constituency issue brought them together, Stuff reported.

Mr Gayford was upset about the potential loss of privacy proposed by the Government Communications Security Bureau Amendment Bill.

He first went to local MP, Nikki Kaye, but got no response.

He then wrote to Ms Ardern and the two met for coffee and bonded over a shared interest in music.

Ms Ardern has previously spoken out about their wedding plans, saying neither her or Mr Gayford had a particular stance on marriage.

‘I predict we will one day. We happen to have done things in reverse a little bit, but that happens in life sometimes too,’ she told RNZ.

Ms Ardern drew international attention when she became second elected world leader to give birth while in office, the first was former Prime Minister of Pakistan Benazir Bhutto.