Chris Hipkins, former New Zealand Minister of Police and Education, succeeds outgoing Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. The 44-year-old was formally confirmed by a Labor Party committee on Sunday, along with his future deputy Carmel Sepuloni, who is of Pacific Islander descent. Hipkins has received recognition for his nearly two-year tenure as Corona Secretary.
He will be sworn in as the new prime minister on Wednesday, Hipkins said at a press conference on Sunday. Ardern, 42, who has ruled the country since 2017, surprisingly announced her retirement on Thursday, saying she didn’t have the strength to continue. “I know what it takes for this job and I know I don’t have enough in the tank,” she said with tears in her eyes.
Youngest prime minister in the world upon taking office
Ardern was the youngest prime minister in the world when he took office. In 2018, she became the first government leader in decades to become a mother while in office.
Ardern implemented a strict zero-Covid policy during the Corona pandemic and closed New Zealand’s borders in March 2020. The country did not fully open again until July 2022. Hipkins was the minister responsible for containing the pandemic. Now, as the 41st head of government, he will lead the country in elections scheduled for October 14.
New deputy: “Represent generations of mixed heritage“
Hipkins deputy candidate Sepuloni was born in New Zealand in 1977 to a Pacific Islander immigrant father and a New Zealand mother of European descent. She will now be the first Pacific Islander representative to hold this senior government position. “I want to emphasize the importance to our Pasifika community. I am proudly Samoan, Tongan and New Zealand European, representing generations of New Zealanders of mixed heritage,” she said on Sunday.
Source: Krone
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