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Following the surprise departure of former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, Chris Hipkins was sworn in as New Zealand’s 41st Prime Minister on Wednesday.
Hipkins, 44, now has fewer than nine months to rebuild public faith in his party before facing a difficult general election. According to opinion polls, the Labour Party is behind its rival party.
New Zealand’s governor-general, Cindy Kiro, swore in Chris Hipkins as Prime Minister during a ceremony in Wellington.
“This is the greatest honour and duty of my life,” Hipkins remarked after assuming office. “The difficulties ahead inspire and excite me,” he continued.
On Wednesday, Jacinda Ardern made her final public appearance as prime minister. Jacinda Ardern resigned as Prime Minister of New Zealand last week. She declared that she no longer had “enough in the tank” after guiding the country through its biggest natural catastrophe, a terrorist assault, and the COVID-19 epidemic.
Chris Hipkins was the education and police minister throughout her reign. His crisis management during the COVID-19 epidemic thrust him into the national spotlight. However, his work and that of other liberal leaders remained unpopular in comparison to that of Jacinda Ardern, who was hailed internationally for her leadership and decisions.
New Zealand’s head of state is Britain’s King Charles III, and Kiro is his representative in the country. However, the country’s relationship with the monarchy is mostly symbolic these days.
Chris Hipkins has been very vocal on social media about how bad it is that ex-PM Jacinda Ardern is being treated.
“The way Jacinda has been treated, particularly by some segments of our society, and they are a small minority, has been utterly abhorrent.” “It does not represent who we are as a country,” said Chris Hipkins in one of his public conferences.
He also stated that people must learn to regard female leaders in the same way that they regard their male counterparts in politics.