- Ardern sparked a national debate about the pressures she faced when she revealed on Thursday.
- Ardern stated that she was exhausted after leading New Zealand through the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Politicians and other public figures have lined up to criticize Ardern.
New Zealand‘s incoming prime minister, Chris Hipkins, condemned Jacinda Ardern‘s “abhorrent” treatment and vowed on Sunday to protect his own family, three days after her shocked resignation.
Hours after being unanimously elected as the Labour Party’s leader and the country’s next prime minister, Hipkins attacked Ardern’s personal abuse during her more than five years in the top job.
Ardern sparked a national debate about the pressures she faced when she revealed on Thursday that she was stepping down, saying she no longer had “enough in the tank”.
Politicians and other public figures have lined up to criticize Ardern’s “vitriol” as prime minister, particularly on social media, despite the fact that she did not mention it herself.
“The treatment of Jacinda has been utterly abhorrent, particularly by some segments of our society – and they are a small minority,” Hipkins said.
“It does not represent who we are as a country,” said the 44-year-old minister of education and police.
Men have a responsibility to call out such behavior and say, “This is not acceptable,” he said.
The future prime minister, best known for leading a national crackdown on COVID-19 for nearly two years, said he understood that putting himself forward as a leader meant he was “public property”.
“But my family aren’t,” he told reporters.
Hipkins stated that he wanted his six-year-old son and four-year-old daughter to have a “typical Kiwi kid life,” adding that his amicable divorce from his wife was his own business.
“I have seen the enormous scrutiny and pressure placed on Jacinda and her family and so my response will be to keep my family completely out of the spotlight,” he said.
‘Humbling’
Ardern stated that she was exhausted after leading New Zealand through the COVID-19 pandemic, the country’s deadliest terror attack, and a volcanic eruption.
“I am human. We give as much as we can for as long as we can and then it’s time,” the 42-year-old leader said.
Hipkins stated that after Ardern formally steps down, he will be sworn in as the country’s 41st prime minister by the governor general on Wednesday.
Hipkins stated that New Zealand will shift its focus from COVID-19 to economic development under his leadership.
The rising cost of living, rising inflation, and labor shortages have all been blamed for Labour’s decline in the polls since 2020, which has now been surpassed by the center-right National Party opposition.
“COVID-19 and the global pandemic caused a public health emergency. It has now created an economic one, and that is where my government’s attention will be directed “Hipkins explained.
The next leader of New Zealand has also promised to address rising crime rates.
“We know we’ve got more work to do when it comes to re-engaging young people, to tackle the underlying causes of criminal offending.”
Carmel Sepuloni, the country’s first deputy prime minister of Pacific Island descent, will be appointed by Hipkins.
Sepuloni, 46, was elected to parliament in 2008 and has served as Minister of Social Development since 2017.
Sepuloni stated that her father, who is of Samoan and Tongan descent, came to New Zealand in 1964 to work on the railways.
“It’s very difficult to comprehend” that his daughter would become New Zealand’s deputy prime minister, she said.
“I want to recognize the importance of this for our Pacific community.”
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