Covid minister to take over from Ardern

NEW ZEALAND’S former Covid-19 response minister Chris Hipkins has been named as the country’s new leader, following the resignation of Jacinda Ardern.

Mr Hipkins was the only candidate to be nominated for the role, the Labour Party said yesterday, and is expected to be confirmed as the new prime minister by a meeting of its 64 lawmakers.

The 44-year-old, who was first elected to parliament in 2008, became a household name fronting the government’s response to the pandemic after being appointed minister for coronavirus in November 2020.

He is the police and education minister and serves as leader of the New Zealand parliament.

Ms Ardern surprised the nation of five million people on Thursday when she announced she was resigning after five and a half years in the top role.

In a statement, she said she did not have “enough in the tank” to lead.

The lack of other candidates indicated the party had rallied behind Mr Hipkins to avoid a drawn-out contest and any sign of disunity after Ms Ardern’s departure.

Ms Ardern, who was 37 when she became leader, won praise around the world for her handling of the nation’s worst-ever mass shooting in 2019 and the early stages of the pandemic. But she faced mounting political pressures at home and a level of vitriol that previous New Zealand leaders had not faced.

Fighting back tears, Ms Ardern told reporters that she was leaving the role no later than Feb 7.

“I know what this job takes, and I know that I no longer have enough in the tank to do it justice. It is that simple,” she said.

Mr Hipkins will have less than eight months in the role before contesting a general election in October.