Who are the candidates to replace Jacinda Ardern as New Zealand PM?

While there is no clear successor at this point, several names are emerging as favourites among party members

New Zealand’s Labour Party is going to hold an election this Sunday to choose the next prime minister of the country after Jacinda Ardern’s shock resignation, with several names emerging as potential successors.

The party is receiving applications for nominations until 9am Saturday (10pm Friday GMT) ahead of the leadership vote on Sunday, Labour’s chief whip said in a statement on Friday.

The election will determine who will replace Ms Ardern next month when she steps down as well as who will lead the party into the next general election, which comes amid falling polling numbers for Labour.

Ms Ardern, 42, announced her resignation on Thursday saying she had “no more in the tank” to continue leading the country, and would step down no later than early February and not seek re-election.

While there is no clear successor at this point, several names are emerging as favourites among the party members.

One of the most popular candidates is said to be Chris Hipkins, who is currently the minister of education and previously served as the Covid minister.

New Zealand’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic under Ms Ardern was widely praised, with the country coming out of the worst phase of infections better than most Western nations.

Mr Hipkins refused to confirm whether he was throwing his hat in the ring on Friday, saying only that he expected the party to reach a consensus on a new candidate soon.

“We do have a responsibility to make sure that we’re making these decisions in the best interests of New Zealanders,” he told Newshub.

Another contender in the race is believed to be Kiri Allan, the minister for justice, who if elected would become the country’s first openly gay leader and its first prime minister of Maori descent.

However, Ms Allan has also not confirmed whether she is considering putting herself forward for the election.

“We’re going to go through a process as a caucus over the next few days,” she told The New Zealand Herald.

Megan Woods, the minister of housing, was also seen as one of the early contenders, although local media reported that she later ruled herself out.

Ms Ardern told the media on Friday that she would remain neutral during her party’s election for her successor, according to Reuters.

“I think the most important thing is that we focus on the process, it is swift, that [it] ensures that the team is able to move quickly back to focusing on the issues that matter for New Zealanders,” she said.

Candidates will need to secure the support of at least seven lawmakers to be nominated, according to the statement by Labour’s chief whip Duncan Webb. If a single candidate is unable to secure two-thirds of the available votes on Sunday, the leadership contest will go to the wider membership.

“Caucus (the 64 Labour lawmakers in parliament) had seven days from the date of resignation to reach a decision. Accordingly, Caucus can continue to meet to seek to obtain 66 per cent support for a leader up until that time,” Mr Webb said.

The winner will become prime minister until the next general election, set to be held in October this year. However, the biggest challenge in front of the new prime minister will be to sail the party through a rough phase as its popularity drops amid concerns related to inflation.

A Taxpayers’ Union-Curia poll released Friday using research from before Ms Ardern’s announcement saw Labour’s popularity fall to 31.7 per cent, while the opposition New Zealand National Party was supported by 37.2 per cent of respondents.