Politicians' Christmas plans: Clarke Gayford's present for Neve and Ardern's 'practical' gift

Is the first-baby of New Zealand getting a sandpit for Christmas this year? If her father's Instagram is anything to go by, then the answer is yes.

Sandpits are a centre-piece for any childhood backyard and Clarke Gayford took to social media yesterday about his "very important Dad job".

In one picture, a loader was dumping sand into the back of Gayford's ute and in the second was a wheelbarrow filled with sand and a wooden rectangle frame.

"Very important Dad job today, getting all important sand for the home made sandpit," Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's partner said on Instagram.

View this post on Instagram

Very important Dad job today, getting all important sand for the home made sandpit.

A post shared by Clarke Gayford (@clarkegayford) on Dec 19, 2019 at 8:12pm PST

Meanwhile, Ardern said she was planning on getting her 18-month old daughter, Neve, socks for Christmas this year.

Speaking to the Herald, Ardern said she planned to carry on the tradition of gifting "practical gifts," which was started by her grandmother.

One year, when Ardern was about 10, her grandmother gave her a set of coat hangers for Christmas.

"It's now a gift that I would really appreciate but as a child I probably didn't show the level of appreciation that I should have," Ardern said.

"Now, I'm all about the practical gifts."

Come December 25, Neve can look forward to a similar type of present.

"For Neve, for me it's all about being practical – she's a child that lacks for nothing and so she's got all she needs in life.

"For her, it will just be if she needs some extra socks or something, she might get that."

And what about for her?

"I need nothing. Time, time will just be a real gift for me this year."

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says she plans on getting her 18-month old daughter, Neve, socks for Christmas this year. Photo / Mark Mitchell

It's a much different story for National Leader Simon Bridges.

"I would like an electronic drum kit," he tells the Herald.

Bridges is a drummer and one of National's social media videos features him playing the drums.

But he was not convinced that his family – or any of his MPs for that matter – will actually deliver on his Christmas wish.

"The truth is, it will be me buying that for me."

Bridges and his family are heading away on a Pacific Island cruise for the holidays.

But before that, he is facing what he describes as the most stressful part of his Christmas break – making a "Mary Berry Chocolate Log".

He said his boys, aged 7 and 5, talked him into making it.

"They think it's very funny – they are quite the chefs, I am not".

What's in a Mary Berry Chocolate Log? "Chocolate, flour, eggs, the usual stuff," Bridges said.

"I don't have a lot of faith in myself to make this well, but I have promised. It's now the family joke and, at some level, will happen."

While Bridges is cruising around the Pacific, the two halves of the Green Party leadership plan to go off the grid in New Zealand.

"I'm going to spend my time resting and recuperating in advance of the election," co-leader James Shaw said.

The other co-leader, Marama Davidson, is going up to the Hokianga, to the family bach.

That bach, she said, is "disconnected" from the world – "no radio, no wifi, no television".

"I'm going to throw a mattress on the deck and really enjoy sleeping and reading and having cups of tea and swimming."

Winston Peters was also looking forward to some time off. Photo / Mark Mitchell

NZ First Leader Winston Peters is also looking forward to some time off – he plans to go sailing on his boat.

"The problem is I have to sit down and anti-foul it, start from scratch and get the whole thing – inside, outside – all done before we go out to the sea."

Then, he plans to paint it white and red and sail off into the sunset.

When it comes to relaxing with his family, Peters has one request.

"I have made it very clear that I want them to do the work – such as the BBQ, the cleaning up and everything else.

"It's been a hard, rugged year and I do want a holiday."

He said he didn't want anything for Christmas.

"Frankly, when you're ending a year like this – just having a Christmas is a big enough gift in itself."

Meanwhile, Ardern said she plans on having a "very normal" Christmas in Gisborne where her fiancée Clark Gayford's family comes from. Her family will be there too.

But there will be one distinctively abnormal element.

Ardern said she always insists her security team joins her family for Christmas dinner.

"I have, to date, convinced them, that it is a tradition that they all have to wear Christmas hats."

Asked if they were happy about this, Ardern said: "No".

But maybe she can win them over with her Christmas cooking.

"I love to cook, but I don't get to do much of it," she said.

Last year, she said she did a good chunk of the cooking. "This year, I'll see what I'm allowed to do".

Despite being Prime Minister, Ardern is not in charge of her mother-in-law-to-be's kitchen.

"You've got to respect someone else's kitchen etiquette," she said.

"Them's the rules."