Ardern’s heir revives ruling NZ party ahead of election
JACINDA ARDERN’S successor has revived her party’s prospects of winning another term in office, according to opinion polls.
Chris Hipkins, a former head boy nicknamed “Chippy”, replaced Ms Ardern after she unexpectedly resigned in January. He became New Zealand’s 41st prime minister on Jan 25.
Under Mr Hipkins, support for the governing Labour Party is now at 36 per cent, two points ahead of the main opposition National Party, according to a 1News/kantar poll published yesterday in Wellington.
The Green Party, a Labour ally, saw its support rise by four points to 11 per cent. If those levels hold steady until the general election in October, Labour and the Greens would have the biggest share of the vote. They would, however, need the support of the smaller Maori Party to form a government.
Since becoming prime minister, Mr Hipkins has concentrated on winning back middle-ground voters by jettisoning some of his predecessor’s more unpopular policies. While praised for her empathetic style of leadership, Ms Ardern’s popularity was undermined by the tough Covid lockdown she imposed and a crime wave featuring violent ram raids. While her zero-covid policy initially won plaudits, it ultimately had to be abandoned after New Zealanders took to the streets in protest at lockdown restrictions.
Critics said she spent too much time playing identity politics while failing to meet promises on reducing child poverty or addressing housing supply.
Known as “Mr Fixit” for his ability to take on challenging portfolios, Mr Hipkins’ profile was given a boost when he took on the role of Covid response minister during the pandemic.
He became even more well known after making a slip of the tongue that went viral, suggesting New Zealanders suffering lockdown restrictions should “spread their legs”, when he meant to say “stretch their legs”.