Hipkins, 44, promised a back-to-basics approach focused on the economy and what he described as the “inflation pandemic.” He will have less than nine months before contesting a tough general election, and opinion polls indicate his Labor Party is trailing its Conservative opposition.
New Zealand Governor General Cindy Kiro officiated the brief swearing-in ceremony in front of friends and colleagues after accepting Ardern’s resignation.
“This is the greatest privilege and responsibility of my life,” Hipkins said at the ceremony. “I am energized and excited for the challenges that lie ahead.”
Carmel Sepuloni was also sworn in as deputy prime minister, the first time a person with Pacific Islander heritage has taken office. She congratulated Hipkins and thanked him for the trust he had placed in her.
After the ceremony, Hipkins said as an aside to reporters, “It feels pretty real now.” Many know Hipkins by the nickname “Chippy”, which fits his upbeat demeanor and his skills as an amateur handyman.
He served as minister of education and police under Ardern. He rose to public prominence during the Covid-19 pandemic, when he took on a kind of crisis management role.
But he and other liberals have long been in the shadow of Ardern, who became a global icon of the left and exemplified a new style of leadership.
Ardern on Tuesday made it last public appearance as prime minister, saying that what he would miss the most was people because they had been the “joy of work”. New Zealand’s head of state is King Charles III of Great Britain, and Kiro is his representative in New Zealand, though these days the nation’s relationship with the monarchy is largely symbolic.
