Clarke Gayford joins David Beckham to front UNICEF parenting campaign

New Zealand's favourite stay-at-home dad has signed on with UNICEF New Zealand as part of a global campaign calling on businesses and governments to put more effort into developing family-friendly policies.

While David Beckham, also part of the campaign, has previously described parenthood as "the most important job in the world", Gayford has appeared on camera to share that "the best gift you can give a child is time".

Released today in conjunction with the UN Day of Parents, the video for the #EarlyMomentsMatter campaign sees Gayford discuss his own journey with a baby and the challenges he now understands and wants to help other parents overcome.

After welcoming baby Neve with fiance and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern last year, Gayford became a full time stay-at-home dad, and has lovingly and humorously shared the trials and tribulations of parenthood along the way.

YOU SHALL NOT PASS pic.twitter.com/CxeQoxAH1d

— Clarke Gayford (@NZClarke) March 29, 2019

He says he and Ardern understand how tricky "the juggle between being parents and working" can be. And acknowledges that there are "so many parents out there that would love to spend more time with their kids."

So, he says, he's joining UNICEF "to call on all countries to implement family-friendly policies so that parents out there can give their kids that most precious of gifts, which is time."

And in his role as stay-at-home dad, he reveals the incredible "little milestones" he's been able to see: "crawling, walking and first words. But there's a thousand other little milestones that come along as well."

He shares that last week he was at home alone with Neve and recalls the joy of teaching her over a couple of days how to climb off the couch.

"She kept going head first and I kept saying, 'no, you've got to get your little bum there and get your legs down and get off this way.'

"You could see the joy in her face and you share that moment with your child."

Clarke and Neve at the United Nations General Assembly in September last year. Photo / Supplied