It’s going to be PM Chris Hipkins
Chris Hipkins named as sole nominee for Labour leadership; Labour caucus to meet in Wellington tomorrow at 1pm to endorse Hipkins; Current Leader of the House expected to be sworn in as PM soon after
TLDR: Chris Hipkins will be the next Prime Minister of Aotearoa-NZ.
Labour Whip Duncan Webb announced in a statement emailed at 9.30 am that current Education, Police and Public Service Minister Chris Hipkins was the sole nominee to be Labour leader when nominations closed at 9am.
“The Labour Party caucus will meet at 1pm on Sunday to endorse the nomination and confirm Chris Hipkins as Party Leader,” Webb said in the statement.
That means Hipkins, who is also Leader of The House, is expected to be confirmed as leader and be shortly after sworn in as Prime Minister to replace Jacinda Ardern, who announced her resignation on Thursday after over five years in the job.
I’ll be in the Parliamentary Press Gallery tomorrow afternoon to cover the formal vote and will report more on it tomorrow.
Ka kite ano
Bernard
I disagree with the way Ardern and the Labour Party have handled a lot of things. But I think they’re handling this very well. Ardern is standing down at the right time and in the right way to make the transition easier by letting the new leader take over soon while staying in her electorate. Labour quickly choosing a new leader without fuss portrays an image of stability to the world. Thumbs up to them for this.
Might we hope for a full suite of tax changes including Property Tax, Tax Free Threshhold, effective prior to the election?
Go fer broke!
Nail yer colours to the mast!
Give the punters A Real Choice!