New Zealand Labour Party leader Chris Hipkins will remain at the helm for now despite a heavy election defeat.
The now caretaker prime minister said that any decisions about party leadership would need to wait until the final composition of the caucus was confirmed once overseas and special votes are counted on Nov. 3.
“I’m certainly still the leader of the Labour Party,” Hipkins told reporters Tuesday in Wellington. “I’ve still got a bit of fight left in me. I am absolutely committed to supporting Labour into opposition.”
Labour secured just 27% of the vote based on preliminary results from Saturday’s election, giving it 34 seats — down from 65.
Senior minister and former leader Andrew Little announced his retirement from politics today, saying the party needs to use its time in opposition to rebuild.
“It’s important for the party to straight away build the talent that it needs” to form the next Labour government, Little said.
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Former finance minister Grant Robertson said he plans to continue in parliament for the time being to help rebuild the party as it transitions into opposition.
“I’m going to take this in stages over the next little while,” Robertson told reporters. “I’ll make assessments as I go through the term. But right now I think I’ve got a job to do to get us ship shape in opposition.”
Robertson declined to say whether he would be around to stand in the 2026 election.
Both Robertson and Little said they are supportive of Hipkins remaining as opposition leader.
