New Zealand: Mr. Chris Hipkins has been sworn in as the 41st Prime Minister of New Zealand by the country’s governor general during a ceremony in the capital, Wellington.

“This is the biggest privilege and responsibility of my life. I’m energised and excited by the challenges ahead,” Mr. Hipkins shared after taking the oath of office. The New Zealand Governor-General Ms. Cindy Kiro officiated the brief swearing in ceremony in front of his friends and colleagues.

Ms. Carmel Sepuloni was also sworn in as Deputy Prime Minister, making it the first time a person with Pacific Island heritage took on the role. Ms. Carmel congratulated Hipkins and thanked him for the trust he’d placed in her.

Recently, the former Prime Minister Ms. Jacinda Ardern announced that she no longer had “enough in the tank” after steering the country through natural disasters, its worst-ever terror attack, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

At the ruling Labour Party’s caucus, Mr. Hipkins received unanimous support to be promoted to lead the country and now faces the uphill task of retaining power in the upcoming general elections in October 2023.

Mr. Hipkins, who served as education and police minister under the former Prime Minister, rose to public prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic, when he took on a kind of crisis management role.

Ms. Ardern plans to stay on as a backbench lawmaker until April 2023 to avoid triggering a special election ahead of the nation’s general election in October.