Meet Chris Hipkins - Jacinda Ardern's successor as Prime Minister of New Zealand

On January 25, 2023, Chris Hipkins became the 41st Prime Minister of New Zealand, succeeding Jacinda Ardern. Will Hipkins be up to fulfill the role of such a noteworthy predecessor?

Hipkins, afer all, ran unopposed within the Labour Party to be the next party leader and the next Prime Minister of New Zealand. This could be seen as a sign of trust within his own political faction.

As Minister of Health during the Covid-19 outbreak, Hipkins stood out for his role in managing the government pandemic response, Al Jazeera highlights.

New Zealand is generally regarded as having done pretty well in dealing with the coronavirus outbreak, in no small way thanks to Chris Hipkins.

However, there are still some challenges ahead. The new Prime Minister of New Zealand will face general elections, scheduled on October 14, 2023. Will he be up for the task?

On January 19, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced her resignation at a press conference. The reason? She considers that she no longer has the energy that is required for her position.

According to The New York Times, Ardern argues that whoever governs New Zealand should do it with a “full tank” of fuel, and then have a little extra for those unexpected challenges.

Pictured: Parliament building in Wellington, New Zealand.

“These have been the most rewarding five and a half years of my life. I am leaving because such a privileged job comes with great responsibility,” she stated. Among those present was the PM's partner Clarke Gayford, who embraced her after announcing her resignation.

Jacinda Ardern, who has decided that her family and personal life are more important than her political career, is definitely a different class of politician.

The center-left politician became Prime Minister in 2017, with an approachable style that attracted voters. She was reelected in 2020.

During her time in government, Ardern had to face many challenges. The biggest one, without question, has been the Covid-19 pandemic. With very early strict measures, she soon became a reference in dealing with the pandemic.

Despite belonging to the center-left New Zealand Labour Party, she has earned the respect and appreciation of people of all ideologies around the globe.

Fun fact: When she took office in 2017, Jacinda Ardern was the youngest head of government, at the age of 37.

The 40th New Zealand Prime Minister has defined herself as a feminist, progressive, republican social democrat. Her policies have had a social bent, focusing on gender equality and more lax abortion laws.

One of the highlights of her time in office was when she and the rest of her cabinet accepted a 20% pay cut on their salaries to show solidarity with those facing financial problems amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

She also visited the survivors and families affected by the 2019 Christchurch mosque attack, where a white supremacist killed 51 people.

In the wake of the attack, Ardern spearheaded in parliament a new law that would restrict the sale of semi-automatic firearms.

The 40th New Zealand Prime Minister made history when she became in the first world leader to take maternity leave when she and her partner had their daughter Neve Te Aroha.

Motherhood was no obstacle for Ardern to keep up with her duties leading the New Zealand government. She could be seen with her daughter in public events, including a meeting at the United Nations General Assembly, in 2008.

Clarke Gayford, the PM's partner, is a well-known face on New Zealand television, presenting the fishing show 'Fish of the Day'.

Jacinda Ardern and Clarke Gayford got engaged in 2019 but, to date, they have not tied the knot. Her professional commitments and the Covid-19 crisis meant that they had to postpone their wedding.

One thing that is certain is that Jacinda Ardern's resignation marks the end of an era for New Zealand politics.