33.2 C
Delhi
Friday, July 11, 2025

Chris Hipkins sworn in as New Zealand PM

Date:

Share post:

Donate-GC-Razorpay

Wellington: Chris Hipkins was sworn in as New Zealand Prime Minister on Wednesday, with his predecessor Jacinda Ardern officially tendering her resignation.

The swearing-in ceremony held in parliament saw Hipkins officially taking up the top job and Carmel Sepuloni becoming the deputy prime minister.

Prime Minister Hipkins will reshuffle the cabinet next week. Besides the top leadership role, Hipkins himself will be the minister of national security and intelligence.

Tackling inflation will be his priority, he said, as Stats NZ released on Wednesday the growth of New Zealand’s consumers price index remained 7.2 percent in the 12 months to December 2022.

Announcing her resignation last Thursday, Ardern said, after five and a half years of the top leadership role, she could not keep going for another year or term after careful consideration.

“Being prime minister has been the greatest honor of my life,” Ardern said, citing her cabinet’s achievement in alleviating child poverty and increasing welfare support and public housing stock.

On Tuesday with the presence of her successor Hipkins, Ardern made a de facto farewell speech as New Zealand prime minister.

The outgoing Labor leader on her last day as prime minister said her departure should not be viewed as a negative commentary on New Zealand.

“I have experienced such love, compassion, empathy and kindness when I’ve been in this job — that has been my predominant experience,” Ardern said while visiting the town of Ratana with Hipkins.

Ardern said she is not going anywhere and will still be the Member of Parliament for Mt Albert and she will be away from the center of politics.

Travelling with Ardern, Hipkins said he and Ardern have reflected on the last few years, adding “it’s a bittersweet moment.”

New Zealand’s 2023 general election will be held on Oct. 14, 2023.

Related articles

Confidence of New India Will Lead to Viksit Bharat: ‘Viksit Bharat: India @ 2047’ Author Aditya Pittie

Timely and meticulously researched, ‘Viksit Bharat: India @ 2047’, by author and thought leader, Aditya Pittie, provides a...

Voice of a Nation, Voice of the World: PM Modi’s Historic Addresses to Foreign Parliaments

An Unprecedented Journey of Words and WillIn the grand halls of parliaments across continents, where voices echo...

The Emerging Axis: Turkiye-Pakistan Bonhomie and Its Implications for India

The Ankara-Islamabad TangoIn the simmering July heat of Islamabad, the red carpet was rolled out for two...

SSI MantraM “Made in India” Surgical Robot Yatra Kicks Off India Tour, First Leg to Cover 1500 km Across Rajasthan

 ● In the first phase of the roadshow, SSI MantraM will cover key medical institutions across Jaipur, Jodhpur,...