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fullscreenChris Hipkins and Carmel Sepuloni leave the New Zealand Labor Party meeting in Wellington. Photo: Marty Melville/AFP/TT
Chris Hipkins has been formally appointed as the next leader of the Labor Party and thus also the next Prime Minister of New Zealand. Hipkins says during a press conference in Wellington that Labor unanimously elected him during a party meeting on Sunday, the New Zealand Herald reports.
Hipkins says Carmel Sepuloni will be his deputy prime minister. She is the first person of Pacific Island origin to hold the post in New Zealand.
On Wednesday, Hipkins will be sworn in as Prime Minister.
New Zealand’s current Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who has ruled the country since 2017, announced earlier this week that she will step down by February 7 at the latest.