The next New Zealand prime minister will be Chris Hipkins instead of Jacinda Ardern.
The next New Zealand prime minister will be Chris Hipkins instead of Jacinda Ardern.
Labour MPs scrambled to find a replacement for her as party leader and prime minister after her stunning departure, which was unknown to her party room until just hours beforehand.
In a hurriedly organised leadership ballot, Hipkins won the majority of the vote and was the only contender listed. It had been anticipated that the vote would occur on Sunday.
Senior MPs kept quiet at meetings in Napier, where they had travelled for the party retreat that began the year, and Wellington.
In accordance with an agreement to keep discussions internal, no MP declared their desire to run before the nomination deadline of Saturday morning at 9 a.m. (7 a.m. AEDT).
After that time had gone, Hipkins was the only contender, as announced by party whip Duncan Webb to the MPs.
At the Sunday caucus meeting, the 44-year-appointment old's as party leader will be confirmed. The Governor-General will then receive Ardern's resignation before he is formally appointed. His first press conference is scheduled for Saturday afternoon.
Following the party's announcement that he was the only candidate, Hipkins stated at a press conference, "I think we're an exceptionally strong team."
"We've remained unified throughout this process, and we will do so moving forward. I consider myself extremely fortunate to be working with such a remarkable group of individuals who are genuinely dedicated to serving the people of New Zealand.
On his policy intentions, he refused to be interviewed. Grant Robertson, the finance minister, will probably stay in his position despite the expected cabinet overhaul, he said.
Hipkins, a popular member of parliament from Remutaka who enjoys sausage rolls, is recognised for his sense of humour.
He has been a member of the Labour party all of his life, having volunteered for it from a young age, served as president of the student union at his university, and entered parliament in the same class as Ardern in 2008.
On Saturday morning, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had a "warm discussion" with his new counterpart and expressed enthusiasm for working with him on Twitter.
Hipkins, a dependable political ally of Ardern's, rose to prominence after being named COVID-19 minister in November 2020, leading the government's response to the pandemic. He presently serves as leader of the House, minister of police, education, and public service.
They playdate with one other's young children and are great friends as well.
Hipkins is a political fighter who enjoys scoring points to the point where he has had to provide retractions and apologies.
His most memorable incident for Australians occurred in 2017, when he used parliament to research Barnaby Joyce's dual citizenship and provoked criticism from Ardern and then-New Zealand foreign minister Julie Bishop in a rare cross-Tasman argument.
Given Grant Robertson's decision to take himself out of the running this week, Hipkins was soon viewed by Labour MPs as their best option to succeed Ardern.
The prime minister was not selected by grassroots Labour members during the hastily organised 44-hour procedure.
This, according to Hipkins and Ardern, is essential to the government's ability to remain stable.
The most crucial thing, according to Ardern, is to concentrate on a speedy process that enables the team to quickly return to concentrating on the problems that are essential to New Zealand.
As of right now, Hipkins will lead the party to the October 14th election that Ardern has scheduled.
Although the public was excluded from the selection process, Hipkins seems to be the preferred candidate. He was the most well-liked Labour MP to take her place, according to numerous polls from New Zealand media sources and polling organisations.
Additionally, according to local media, the party may reconsider Kelvin Davis' current position as deputy leader.
Jacinda Ardern increased New Zealand's standing abroad to previously unheard-of levels.
As potential leadership partners for Hipkins, who is most likely to be sworn in as prime minister next week, Kiritapu Allan and Carmel Sepuloni have been mentioned.
By April, according to Ardern, she will completely resign from office.
The New Zealand Green Party, a longtime ally of Labour, expressed interest in collaborating with Hipkins.
James Shaw, a co-leader, remarked that Chris would make a great prime minister. "We look forward to continuing our work together, for the remainder of this term and the next," he added.
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