The New Zealand prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, has given birth to her first child amid a flurry of excitement in New Zealand. Ardern posted the news to her Facebook page, saying her daughter was born at 4.45pm. “Welcome to our village wee one,” she wrote, next to a picture of her and partner Clarke Gayford cuddling the newborn.
“Feeling very lucky to have a healthy baby girl that arrived at 4.45pm weighing 3.31kg (7.3lb). Thank you so much for your best wishes and your kindness. We’re all doing really well thanks to the wonderful team at Auckland City hospital.” Earlier, a statement from the prime minister’s office said Ardern and Gayford had arrived at Auckland hospital at 5.50am on Thursday.
Winston Peters, the head populist New Zealand First party and deputy prime minister, is now acting prime minister. He had already taken over some of Ardern’s duties, including running cabinet meetings in Wellington, while she stayed close to home in Auckland. After Ardern went into the hospital, Peters said in a statement: “It’s a happy day and on behalf of the coalition government we wish her and Clarke all the very best.”