Chris Hipkins, the sole candidate of the New Zealand Labor Party, will replace Jacinda Ardern as the next Prime Minister of New Zealand.
The Labor Party said in a statement that Chris Hipkins is set to replace Jacinda Ardern as leader of the Labor Party and Prime Minister of New Zealand.
Hipkins is expected to be confirmed as the new leader at a meeting of Labour's 64 MPs, or caucus, on Sunday.
First elected to parliament for the Labor Party in 2008, 44-year-old Hipkins became a household name for the government's response to the pandemic after being appointed minister for COVID-19 in November 2020.
Hipkins is currently the Minister for Police, Education and Public Service as well as the Leader of the House.
In a surprise announcement on Thursday, Ardern said she had "no more in the tank" to lead the country and would step down and not seek re-election.
Ardern's shock decision comes after five and a half years in office as she led New Zealand through the coronavirus pandemic.
Ardern said she knew what the job of prime minister took and believed there was "no longer enough in the tank to do justice" but that there were allies who could.
She said that her government had achieved much and that she was not standing down because she did not believe Labor could win the next election, but because she thought it could.
Speaking to the media, Ardern said that there was no particular "angle" or "real reason" why she wanted to resign, only that she was "human".
"For Nev, Mom is looking forward to being there when you start school next year. For Clarke, let's finally get married."
A Horizon Research snap poll obtained Friday by local media organization Stuff showed Hipkins was the most popular potential candidate among voters, with the support of 26% of those surveyed.
'Tough and capable'
Ardern said her decision to step down was "full of sadness", but that she had "slept well for the first time in a long time" after making the announcement.
Political commentators have lined up to condemn the misuse of social media that was increasingly directed at Ardern before her resignation.
Former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark said that Ardern "faced a level of hatred and vitriol" that was "unprecedented in our country".
His successor is widely seen as a safe pair of hands with more than 14 years in Parliament.
Political commentator Josie Pagani described Hipkins as "sensible, likeable, tough and capable".
There was no immediate reaction from the country's main opposition National Party on Hipkins' victory.
The right-wing ACT party urged them to "deliver on substance rather than snowballing New Zealand with spin", criticizing his party's record on the number of welfare recipients, rising food prices and a tight labor market.
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