“I think we’re an incredibly strong team,” Hipkins told a news conference after the party announced him as the sole candidate.
“We’ve gone through this process with unity and we’ll continue to do that. I’m feeling really fortunate to be working with such an amazing group of people who have a real commitment to the service of the people of New Zealand.”
He would not be drawn on his policy plans. A cabinet reshuffle proposed by Ardern would go ahead,but Finance Minister Grant Robertson was likely to continue in the role,he said.
Hipkins,the Remutaka MP,is a well-liked member of parliament,known for his sense of humour and enjoyment of sausage rolls.
He is a Labour lifer,volunteering for the party at a young age,becoming president of his university student union and entering parliament in 2008 in the same cohort as Ardern.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Twitter that he had a “warm discussion” with his new counterpart on Saturday morning and was looking forward to working with him.
A trusted political ally of Ardern,Hipkins became a household name fronting the government’s response to the pandemic after being appointed minister for COVID-19 in November 2020. He is currently minister for police,education and public service,as well as leader of the House.
They are also close friends,taking their young children on play dates.
Hipkins is also a political warrior with an enthusiasm for point-scoring that has led to him making retractions and apologies.
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His most notable episode for Australians came in 2017,when he used parliament to dig for information around the dual citizenship status of Barnaby Joyce,drawing censures from then-Australian foreign minister Julie Bishop and Ardern in a rare trans-Tasman spat.
This week,Hipkins was quickly seen by Labour MPs as their best choice to follow Ardern,especially given Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson’s decision to rule himself out of contention.
The hastily convened 44-hour process did not allow grassroots Labour members a say in picking the prime minister.
Both Hipkins and Ardern argued this was crucial to allow stability for the government.
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“The most important thing is that we focus on a process that is swift,that ensures that the team was able to move quickly back to focusing on the issues that matter for New Zealand,” Ardern said.
Hipkins will now take the party to the next election which Ardern set for October 14.
While the public was not included in the process,Hipkins appears to be the popular pick. A variety of polls from NZ media outlets and polling agencies confirmed he was the most popular Labour MP to follow in her footsteps.
Local media also reported the party may re-think its deputy leader role,currently held by Kelvin Davis.
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Kiritapu Allan and Carmel Sepuloni have been mooted as possible leadership partners for Hipkins,who is likely to be sworn in as prime minister next week.
Ardern said she will leave parliament altogether by April.
New Zealand Green Party,Labour’s traditional coalition partner,said it was looking forward to working with Hipkins.
“Chris will make an excellent Prime Minister and we look forward to continuing our work together,for the rest of this term and the next,” co-leader James Shaw said.
AAP,Reuters
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