The most anticipated wedding in New Zealand's history will take place this summer, when Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and her fiance Clarke Gayford tie the knot.
Ms Ardern, 40, revealed on Coast Radio she and Mr Gayford, 44, would wed after two and a half years of engagement. "We have finally got a date. Finally," she said, declining to reveal the precise date, but adding it would be "this coming summer". "When I say we've got a date, that doesn't mean we've told anyone yet. I feel like we should probably put some invites out!" Weddings by heads of government are relatively rare.
When UK Prime Minister Boris Johnston marries his fiancee Carrie Symonds, as he intends to do this year, he will become the first British leader to do so in office in almost two centuries. While Ms Ardern's wedding timetable has been set, the scale and size is not yet clear. Ms Ardern is well known to count international celebrities - including members of Britain's Royal family - as personal friends. Her popularity both at home and abroad prompts persistent questions about her relationship, her wedding and whether or not her two-year-old daughter Neve may get a brother or sister. She and her office keep a tight rein on her private life, usually shunning questions that stray from her role as prime minister. In the past year, she has also firmed up a practice of declining all internationally-based media requests, save for a few Australian television appearances last month when the trans-Tasman bubble was confirmed. Since her election win, Ms Ardern has decided to conduct more light-touch interviews with FM radio stations and magazines, which tend to stray into the personal. In a long-form interview with Kiwi magazine Thrive, Ms Ardern revealed she got through last year - managing New Zealand through the COVID-19 pandemic and winning October's election - on a simple diet. "I live on cups of tea to be honest and blimmin bliss balls," she said. "My mother made so many bliss balls for me during the election that I was being powered by dates." Mr Gayford is a radio and television personality, who hosts fishing program Fish Of The Day, while acting as Neve's primary caregiver. "Thank God Clarke is a morning person," Ms Ardern said to Thrive. "I don't think I've talked about this before but he has consistently been the night and morning person for our daughter. "He will bring me a cup of tea every morning without fail. Which sounds like its a little thing but it's not. "He'll make me breakfast if I'm in a rush. He checks I've eaten before I've gone out the door and he checks in on my day. "He knows the bits I find hard and he'll send a nice little text before I go into it. He's always thinking of me."
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BLOCKHOUSE BAY MARKET
Hi ALL PLEASE COME AND SUPPORT OUR MARKET! WE HAVE BEEN OUT OF OUR USUAL VENUE AT THE BHB COMMUNITY CENTRE DUE TO LATE AND PROLONGED REFURBISHMENT BY THE COUNCIL. PLEASE SUPPORT LOCAL PEOPLE AND KIWI MADE SO WE CAN KEEP UP AND RUNNING UNTIL BUILDING AND ROADWORKS ARE COMPLETED. WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU THERE!
Poll: Does the building consent process need to change?
We definitely need homes that are fit to live in but there are often frustrations when it comes to getting consent to modify your own home.
Do you think changes need made to the current process for building consent? Share your thoughts below.
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91.7% Yes
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8% No
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Food and product recalls
These items have been recalled during the last month. If you have any of these items at home, click on the title to see the details:
Product recalls
Avanti, Malvern Star & Raleigh bicycles
Yoto Kids Speaker
Anko Kids Pyjamas
Battery drill chainsaw attachment
Industrial pedestal misting fan
Yamaha adaptor
Zero Tower safety harness
Naturacoco moisturising cream
Thule child bike seat
Food recalls:
Maketū pies mussel pie
The Catering Studio cottage pie
Matakana Smokehouse gravlax/salmon
Our Fruit Box fruit juices
ProLife Foods value packs - nuts, raisins.
YY Dumplings & Fu Yuan ready-to-eat meat products
Waiheke Herbs italian herb spread
We hope this message was helpful in keeping your household safe.