Chris Hipkins takes charge as NZ PM

Hundreds gathered to applaud Jacinda Ardern as she left New Zealand's parliament to resign as prime minister yesterday, before Chris Hipkins was swiftly sworn in as her replacement. Ardern said last week 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. Hipkins was sworn in by Governor-General Cindy Kiro during a ceremony in the capital Wellington, saying he was "energised and excited by the challenges ahead".