The former prime minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern, has married her partner after years of delays.

Ms Ardern, 43, married Clarke Gayford, 47, in a private ceremony in the Hawke’s Bay region of Aotearoa.

The couple have been engaged for almost five years but have faced delays due to COVID, the birth of their daughter and Ms Ardern’s duties as her country’s leader.

The ceremony reportedly took place at a luxury vineyard 200 miles from New Zealand‘s capital, Wellington.

Guests were limited to family, close friends and some of Ms Ardern’s former colleagues.

Outside the venue, a small group of protesters had plastered a wall with dozens of anti-vaccination posters.

Ms Ardern led New Zealand through COVID and the nation had some of the strictest regulations in the world.

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Last June, she was made a dame in one of the country’s highest honors for her service during the pandemic and the 2019 Christchurch terror attacks.

The wedding was initially due to take place in the southern hemisphere summer of 2022 but was postponed due to restrictions on gatherings.

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At the time, Ms Ardern said she was “no different to” thousands of other New Zealanders.

In January last year, she announced she would step down as prime minister after five-and-a-half years, saying she no longer had “enough in the tank” to do the job justice.

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