<p>WELLINGTON, New Zealand — New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern plans to marry her longtime partner during the southern summer.</p>
<p>In an interview Wednesday on the Coast radio breakfast show, Ardern said she and Clarke Gayford have have finally set a date for their wedding after announcing they were engaged two years ago.</p>
<p>But Ardern wouldn’t be drawn on the exact day other than to say it would be during the Southern Hemisphere summer, which runs from December through February. </p>
<p>“When I say we’ve got a date, that doesn’t mean we’ve actually told anyone yet,” Ardern said on the show. “So, I feel like we should probably put some invites out.”</p>
<p>Ardern and Gayford have a 2-year-old daughter, Neve. Ardern in 2018 became just the second elected world leader in modern history to give birth while holding office.</p>
<p>Gayford is Neve’s primary caregiver and a presenter on a TV fishing show.</p>
<p>Ardern was asked on the show if she was going to be modern and have a bridesman at her wedding rather than the more traditional bridesmaid.</p>
<p>“I feel a bit too old to have a bridal party,” said Ardern, who is 40. “I don’t know if it’s just me, but for some reason I just feel like there are some things that, because I’m getting on a bit, I just need to forego.”</p>
<p>Ardern had previously joked about the awkwardness of Gayford’s proposal atop a hill in the coastal town of Mahia. </p>
<p>What was supposed to be a romantic moment was gate-crashed by a police protection officer, some locals, and a couple of dogs that tried to eat the chocolate Gayford had brought with him, she said at the time.</p>
<p>The Coast radio interview offered a chance for some lighter and more personal discussion than Ardern’s typical political interviews. The hosts also asked if Ardern had plans for Mother’s Day on Sunday.</p>
<p>“I know of none, except for the fact that I said something to Clarke about it yesterday, and there was a long pause. He said, ‘When is it?’,” Ardern said. “And so, I’m not expecting much.”</p>
