Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has officially been replaced

It’s Chris Hipkins, the 44-year-old former COVID-19 chief appointed by Labor MPs to replace Jacinda Ardern as prime minister.

New Zealand’s outgoing Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was officially replaced on Wednesday, and her successor Chris Hepkins, 44, was installed in a ceremony in Wellington.

Jacinda Ardern, 42, said last week that she did not have “enough energy” to carry on with her duties, after five years marked by a deadly volcanic eruption, the country’s worst ever attack in 2019 in Christchurch and the COVID-19 pandemic. .

“It’s the greatest privilege and greatest responsibility of my life,” said Chris Hipkins, 44, saying he was “excited” and “excited” about the “challenges that arise”.

“I leave with a feeling of gratitude.”

Chris Hipkins has won praise for his nearly two-year tenure as 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.

Jacinda Ardern stunned New Zealand when she announced her abrupt removal from power, less than three years after she won a second term in a landslide election victory.

“I leave with a sense of gratitude after playing such a wonderful role for so many years,” she told reporters in Ratana (north) on Tuesday during her last public visit as prime minister.

His Labor government’s popularity has plummeted in recent months due to a looming recession and the return of the Conservative opposition.