Chris Hipkins was sworn in as the new Prime Minister of New Zealand

Reuters, January 25, Wellington – Following the resignation of incumbent Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern last week, Labor leader Chris Hipkins was sworn in as Prime Minister of New Zealand in a solemn ceremony on Wednesday.

On Sunday came the 44-year-old Hipkins, a former COVID-19 Minister of Response and Police was elected to lead the Labor Party and the nation. Ardern, 42, announced her resignation last week, claiming she no longer had it in me to run the country.

When Ardern left for the last time, hundreds of people gathered in the parliament grounds. She hugged each of her legislators, many of whom were moved. She then made her way to Government House, where she delivered her letter of resignation to Governor General Cindy Kiro, who represented King Charles in New Zealand.

After a brief ceremony, Hipkins and his deputy Carmel Sepuloni—the first person of Pacific Islander descent to hold the position—were sworn in. Hipkins spoke to reporters after his first cabinet meeting as prime minister several hours later.

After receiving numerous questions about the cost of living after new price data beat analysts’ expectations, Hipkins stated that the issue would become central to his policy agenda.

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He opposed publishing new rules immediately, saying he would act quickly but not make decisions “on the fly.”

“New Zealanders will absolutely see in the coming weeks and months that cost of living is central to our work program,” he said.

“It is the number one priority we face as a government and they will see tangible evidence of that. Of course I will not just make up for it, as I have already indicated.”

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Hipkins, also known by his nickname “Chippy” is known among New Zealanders as skilled at fighting COVID-19, even though he acknowledged making some mistakes in dealing with the pandemic. Hipkins will have to fight a brutal battle to keep his position in office in the October general election.

This is reported by A1 News-Kantar survey, Labour’s popularity had fallen from 40% at the start of 2022 to 33%, meaning that even with its usual coalition partner, the Green Party, the party was unable to secure a majority at 9%. Labor’s collapse helped the opposition National Party.