New Zealand: Chris Hepkins has been named the next prime minister after the shock resignation of Jacinda Ardern

Former New Zealand Covid-19 official Chris Hepkins said he was “able to get things done” on Saturday after being chosen to replace outgoing Jacinda Ardern as prime minister. The sole candidate to succeed Jacinda Ardern, Chris Hipkins, 44, must be formally nominated on Sunday by his party’s leadership before becoming his country’s 41st prime minister.

“The Labor caucus will meet at 1pm on Sunday to ratify the nomination and confirm Chris Hipkins as party leader,” said Duncan Webb, a Labor executive. The new prime minister will be responsible for leading his party into the general elections in October, for which he is not the candidate, according to opinion polls.

“I like to think of myself as someone who is determined and can get things done,” he told reporters outside parliament in the capital, Wellington, believing he could win the October 14 election. As leader of the ruling party, Chris Hipkins will also become prime minister when Jacinda Ardern steps down. Jacinda Ardern, a pioneer of global progressive politics, stunned New Zealand when she announced her sudden removal from power, less than three years after winning a second term in a landslide election victory. During her tenure, she faced the Covid-19 pandemic, a deadly volcanic eruption and the country’s worst ever attack, the killing of 51 Muslim worshipers at two Christchurch mosques by a white supremacist in 2019.

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A future prime minister who is ‘tough and competent’

Jacinda Ardern said her decision to step down was “tinged with sadness”, but after her announcement she “slept well for the first time in a long time”. Political commentators have collectively condemned inappropriate comments on social media targeting Jacinda Ardern before her resignation. Jacinda Ardern suffered an “absolutely unbearable vitriol,” asserted her successor, who paid tribute to “the leader we needed, when we needed her.”

Chris Hipkins is widely regarded as an experienced politician, with over 14 years in Parliament. Political columnist Josie Pagani described him as “sensitive, sympathetic, tough and competent”. The country’s main opposition party, the National Party, did not immediately respond to Chris Hipkins’ victory.

“incredibly strong”

The appointment of Chris Hipkins also ended speculation that Justice Minister Kerry Allan could have become the first Maori to govern New Zealand. Kerry Allan paid tribute to Chris Hipkins, saying he would make an “incredibly strong Prime Minister”. Chris Hipkins has been hailed for nearly two years as the minister responsible for combating Covid-19 in a country that closed its borders to stave off the pandemic and only reopened them in August 2022. He admitted last year that people were fed up with the tough pandemic restrictions, describing border closures as “difficult”. He describes himself as an “outdoor enthusiast” who enjoys mountain biking, hiking, and swimming.