Chris Hipkins sworn in as Prime Minister

Chris Hipkins is to be formally sworn in as prime minister at Government House. Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver.

UPDATE 11.23am: Chris Hipkins is today being sworn in as prime minister, formally completing the handover of power from Jacinda Ardern.

Watch the livestream above.

Ardern will head to Government House to officially tender her resignation and shift to the back benches.

At about 11.30am, Hipkins and deputy Carmel Sepuloni will arrive for a swearing-in ceremony.

From there, he will leave to convene a Cabinet meeting before addressing media in the afternoon.

The new prime minister has a hefty to-do list to get through - with a ministerial reshuffle to come next week, and a full policy reset.

Hipkins has signalled tackling the "inflation pandemic" will be a top priority for his cabinet's slimmed-down work programme.

Ardern announced her resignation as prime minister late last week, saying she knew she no longer had "enough in the tank to do it justice".

She has been prime minister for five years and hoped to find a way to prepare for another year and another term in office, but couldn't.

Ardern gave her final speech as prime minister at Rātana celebrations on Tuesday, where she thanked New Zealanders for their love and empathy.

"For my part, I want you to know that my overwhelming experience in this job of New Zealand and New Zealanders has been one of love, empathy and kindness," she said.

-RNZ.

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2 comments

Same

Posted on 25-01-2023 07:15 | By Kancho

Same song second verse , could be better but it's gonna be worse


Slap lipstick on it

Posted on 25-01-2023 11:10 | By an_alias

Yep no matter how you dress it up, pushing exactly the same agenda will always be a pig. My experience of JA is NOT love, empathy or kindness. You have brought the exact opposite, saying one thing and doing another is exactly lipstick.


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