INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Saturday.People voted for change after six years of a liberal government led for most of that time by Jacinda Ardern.The exact makeup of
He was joined on stage by his wife, Amanda, and their children, William and Olivia
She won the last election in a landslide, but her popularity waned as people got tired of COVID-19 restrictions and inflation threatened the
economy.Her departure left Hipkins, 45, to take over as leader
National Party had about 40% of the vote
electorate seat, Mount Albert
The seat has long been a Labour stronghold and was also held by another former Labour prime minister, Helen Clark.The National Party
candidate for the seat, Melissa Lee, told The Associated Press she was feeling excited but also nervous about the final result in Mount
and were concerned with the state of the economy and the spiraling cost of living.David Farrar, a longtime conservative pollster, said there
was still a good chance that Labour would end up holding the seat once all the votes were counted
has promised tax cuts for middle-income earners and a crackdown on crime
Hipkins had promised free dental care for people younger than 30 and the removal of sales taxes on fruit and vegetables.Also at stake in the
Luxon has promised to axe the M?ori Health Authority, which he says creates two separate health systems
Hipkins found himself dealing with a crisis after deadly floods and then a cyclone hit New Zealand
cost of living.Warm spring weather in the largest city, Auckland, seemed to encourage voters, with queues forming outside some polling
Early voting before Election Day was lower than in recent elections.During a six-week election campaign, both Hipkins and Luxon traveled the
country and hammed it up for the camerasEarlier in the week, Luxon, who served as chief executive of both Unilever Canada and Air New
experienced Hipkins during televised debates, according to political observers
$36) was ridiculed on social media as showing he was out of touch with the cost of living.Source - AP News- Agencies
