After having occupied the role of “Mister pandemic” of the island country during the Covid-19, Christopher Hipkins was appointed 41st Prime Minister of New Zealand, Saturday January 21. A face known to his fellow citizens for having addressed them many times during health press conferences, he takes over from the much appreciated Jacinda Ardern after her resignation due to fatigue. At 44, the left-wing MP, the only candidate to succeed Ardern, will have to lead the boat of a party whose popularity has been largely tarnished since 2020, as the next national elections loom in October.
The incumbent leader, a global figurehead of progressive politics, stunned New Zealand when she announced her abrupt removal from power on January 19, less than three years after winning a second term in a landslide election victory. . During her tenure, she faced the Covid-19 pandemic, a deadly volcanic eruption and the country’s worst ever attack – the killing of 51 Muslim worshipers at two Christchurch mosques by a white supremacist in 2019.
Although he does not enjoy the same level of popularity as Jacinda Ardern, Chris Hipkins is considered by commentators to be a seasoned politician, with more than 14 years in Parliament. Coming from a modest background and president of the student association of the University of Victoria, he had set foot there for the first time in 1997 as a protester, opposed to the educational policy of the time, before be arrested by the police. He is today hailed for his mandate of almost two years as in charge of the fight against Covid-19, in a country which closed its borders to ward off the pandemic and only reopened them in August 2022.
A successor combining skill and humor
Accustomed to working under pressure and being very exposed, the politician nevertheless warned that he wanted to keep his loved ones “out of the spotlight”, in view of the “enormous pressure” put on his predecessor and his family in recent years.
Despite his role in this particularly strict policy, “Chippy”, as his colleagues in the Assembly call him, is also known to be a man of humor, quick to self-mockery. In recent years, he has repeatedly made the front page of the tabloids for his ease in staging. When he was police minister, he gained international attention for a birthday cake made entirely of sausage rolls (known to be his favorite dish). A creation which he said was the product of “police intelligence gathering reaching new heights”.
Beyond this humor, Hipkins is also considered a fervent political opponent and avid debater. Political columnist Josie Pagani called him “sensitive, sympathetic, tough and competent”. For his rivals, however, “the reality is that he was an essential piece of a government that failed to do anything”, judged on Sunday January 22 Christopher Luxonthe leader of the country’s main opposition party, after congratulating Hipkins on his appointment.
Leading the Labor Party to the Elections
Barely installed at the head of the country, the new head of government will be responsible for leading his party to the general elections in October. Inflation and staff shortages have largely dented the popularity of the ruling party since 2020. In the polls, the left-wing party is now behind the centre-right opposition. “I like to think that I am someone who is resolute and able to get things done,” said Chris Hipkins recently, considering himself able to win the October 14 ballot.
The new Prime Minister immediately announced that the country would have its first Deputy Prime Minister of Pasifika origin, an indigenous people of the Pacific Islands, with the appointment of Carmel Sepuloni. About 8% of New Zealand’s 5.1 million people identify as Pasikifa. He himself will be enthroned on Wednesday January 25 by the Governor General, representative in New Zealand of King Charles III.