Chris Hipkins sworn in as New Zealand's 41st Prime Minister

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Chris Hipkins was sworn in as New Zealand's 41st Prime Minister on Wednesday, following the unexpected resignation last week of Jacinda Ardern.

< p>Hipkins, 44, promised a back-to-basics approach focused on the economy and what he described as the "inflation pandemic".

He will be less than nine months away from contesting a tough general election, with opinion polls indicating his Labor party is trailing his Conservative opposition.

The New Zealand Governor-General Cindy Kiro presided over the swearing-in after accepting Ardern's resignation.

Hipkins served as Minister of Education and Police under Ardern. He rose to public prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic, when he took on some kind of crisis management role. But he and other liberals have long been in the shadow of Ardern, who has become a global icon of the left and exemplified a new style of leadership.

Ardern made his final appearance on Tuesday as prime minister, saying what he would miss most was the people because they had been the "joy of the job".

New Zealand's head of state is British King Charles III, and Kiro is his representative in New Zealand, though these days the nation's relationship with the monarchy is largely symbolic.