ANALYSIS: A huge call sent shock waves through the political world on Thursday, January 19, 2023.
As the country returned to work, then prime minister Jacinda Ardern was ready to shake things up. She quit.
In terms of political surprises, nothing compares to this.
Ardern threw the Labour Party into a brief period of chaos, handing in her notice. But it turned out the line of succession was more or less sorted out.
Chris Hipkins was ready to step in and become prime minister.
The rest is history.
Ardern’s resignation gave Labour a brief bump in the polls, moving from 32% up five points to Hipkins’ high of 37% in Stuff’s Rolling Poll.
It seemed that her resignation was working well for Labour, although the popularity boost did not last.
Bruce Mackay/Stuff
Jacinda Ardern and Chris Hipkins arrive ahead of the Labour leadership vote, following her resignation.
Labour, of course, went on to lose the election after securing a mammoth majority government under Ardern’s leadership in 2020.
As 2023 comes to an end, Ardern has moved to take a break from politics. She headed offshore, for a job in the US, to escape New Zealand’s election.
As for Hipkins, he finished the year as Leader of the Opposition. From the other side of the House, he faced jokes from new Prime Minister Christopher Luxon about his future in politics. Luxon wished Hipkins all the best for the new year, “in whatever role Kieran McAnulty gives him”.
