Jacinda Ardern's wedding day is picketed by anti-vax protestors as new details ... trends now
The venue hosting Dame Jacinda Ardern's long-awaited wedding to partner Clarke Gayford has been interrupted by protesters hours before the pair say 'I do'.
The former New Zealand prime minister and her fiancé are tying the knot today at elite vineyard Craggy Range in Havelock North, in the heart of New Zealand's Hawke's Bay.
The ceremony comes almost a decade after their first date - and two years on from an earlier planned wedding which was scuttled by Covid-19.
However, hours before guests are due to arrive, a male protester holding a sign reading, 'Lest we forget jab mandates' was seen patrolling the outskirts of the lavish property.
A marked police car was seen driving up and down the country road on which the vineyard is located.
Speaking to Daily Mail Australia from nearby Te Mata Peak, a local mum-of-three, who did not wish to be named, said she's shocked there aren't more protesters picketing the former PM's wedding.
Jacinda Ardern is set to marry her long-term fiancé Clarke Gayford on Saturday (pictured, a lone protester near the wedding venue shortly after 9am)
Craggy Range Winery (above) is in lockdown mode as protestors and police converge on the property
'She's not the person the world media have put her up to be,' she began.
'In New Zealand she's referred to as "JABcinda" with her vaccination and lockdown agenda.'
A female protester was later seen at Craggy Range holding a placard reading, 'This s*** is bananas' while playing anti-mandate propaganda on a large boombox.
The slew of protesters hasn't come as a surprise to locals who say rallies were increasingly common in the last year of Ardern's prime ministership.
Demonstrations included violent mass protests against vaccine mandates, which culminated in a stand-off outside Parliament House, and a spate of death threats made against the former PM.
'I wouldn't be surprised if someone puts a sign at the top of Te Mata Peak (overlooking Craggy Range) in protest of Jacinda's big day,' a Māori local said.
A marked police car was seen parked at the summit of Te Mata Peak.
Several private security guard vehicles have also been seen coming and going from the picturesque venue.
Anti-vax mandate protesters (above) swarmed Jacinda Ardern's wedding venue ahead of her nuptials to Clarke Gayford
Clarke Gayford and Jacinda Ardern (above) will tie the knot at Craggy Range winery today
The electric gates of the vineyard are closed, with a security guard standing nearby letting suppliers and staff in.
The venue - described as the
