For the 44-year-old senior politician to take office as the nation’s 41st prime minister, the party’s caucus must officially support him on Sunday.
After obtaining the sole nomination from his fellow lawmakers, former COVID-19 responding minister Chris Hipkins of New Zealand will succeed Jacinda Ardern as prime minister, the ruling Labour Party announced on Saturday.
After Ardern quit suddenly on Thursday, the 44-year-old senior lawmaker needs the party’s formal approval on Sunday to become the 41st prime minister of the country.
Senior Labour Party member Duncan Webb announced in a statement that “the Labour Party caucus will convene at 1 p.m. on Sunday to endorse the nomination and confirm Chris Hipkins as Party Leader.”
He will also become prime minister in his capacity as head of the ruling Labour Party.
Hipkins, who is presently the minister of education and the police, will face a difficult battle to win the general elections in October, as his party is trailing in the most recent polls.
Less than three years after winning a second term in a landslide election, Ardern, who is known around the world as a symbol of progressive politics, shocked New Zealand by announcing that she was stepping down early.
The 42-year-old said she no longer had “enough in the tank” after leading the nation through natural disasters, the COVID outbreak, and its worst-ever terror incident.
“Tough and capable”: Ardern claimed that while the choice to resign was “laced with sadness,” she had “slept comfortably for the first time in a long time” after making the news.
Political experts have rushed to denounce the harassment Ardern received on social media before she resigned.
Former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark says that Ardern has seen “a level of hostility and vitriol” that has “never been seen in our country before.”
Her replacement has been in parliament for more than 14 years and is seen as a good choice by most people.
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Josie Pagani, a political journalist, has said that Hipkins is “smart, friendly, tough, and capable.”
His selection puts an end to rumors that Justice Minister Kiri Allan, a senior Maori MP for Labour, would eventually become the nation’s first Maori prime minister.
Hipkins received praise for his nearly two-year tenure as the COVID response minister in a nation that only completely reopened its borders in August of last year after closing them for over a year to keep the coronavirus out.
Last year, he acknowledged that the severe pandemic restrictions were becoming tiresome, calling the border bans “difficult going.”
On a brighter note, Hipkins famously misspoke in 2021 when he said that viral limitations made it difficult for Kiwis to stretch their legs and encouraged them to “get out and spread their legs.”
Hipkins identifies as an “outdoor enthusiast” who enjoys swimming, hiking, and mountain biking.
