Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has held his first post-Cabinet press conference.
On Wednesday morning, he was sworn in as New Zealand's 41st Prime Minister, following the resignation of Jacinda Ardern.
Carmel Sepuloni was also sworn in as deputy Prime Minister at a ceremony at Government House.
Newshub's live updates have finished.
4pm - He extends his condolences to the Bagshaw family after Andrew Bagshaw was confirmed dead in Ukraine. It is a difficult situation as New Zealand has "next to none" consular services there, he says.
He hasn't been briefed on whether New Zealand has received any requests to provide Ukraine with more support.
The Government needs to take time to explain what it is doing and why it is doing it with regards to co-governance, Hipkins says. He questions whether National's position on it is clear as well.
Hipkins says he has received a message from Sir Ashley Bloomfield since his elevation to Prime Minister. Hipkins and Sir Ashley worked closely on the COVID response.
3:50pm - Hipkins won't comment on the possibility of a tax-free threshold. He says he won't speculate on tax policy.
He says co-governance can mean things in different situations and Kiwis need to be informed about what the Government is doing with regards to it.
He extends condolences to Titewhai Harawira's family after her passing.
Hipkins says he is committed to supporting small business owners facing ram-raids, noting measures introduced last year, like a rollout of fog cannons.
He doesn't believe the existing law has been used to its full extent to help stop youth offenders.
3:45pm - Hipkins says cost of living is at the top of the list of issues facing New Zealand. He is committed to quality health and education services, he says. The Government is making good progress on housing, but he wants to see more built.
3:40pm - Hipkins says he will meet with ministers on Friday and then attending Wellington Cup day on Saturday.
Asked about how he will help Kiwis struggling with price hikes, Hipkins says New Zealanders won't be expecting to hear from him hours into the role about tangible options to help combat inflation.
He says ministers will be making haste, but he won't make things up on the fly.
Hipkins won't say whether he backs a Capital Gains Tax or increasing the age of superannuation. But he says there won't be any further tax changes this term.
3:35pm: Hipkins has arrived for his first post-Cab press conference.
The Prime Minister says he has taken the baton of responsibility from his "good friend" Jacinda Ardern. It was an "immensely proud" moment, he says.
At Cabinet, he reiterated his expectation that reprioritisation work will happen over coming weeks. Resources will be moved to focusing on bread and butter issues, he says.
His firm focus is leading New Zealanders through the global economic downturn, he says.
The unchanged inflation figure confirms this is the right focus, he says. Other economies around the world are feeling similar effects and New Zealand's inflation figure is below the OECD average, he says. But he acknowledges the tough time for many Kiwis.
He will meet with business leaders on Thursday and expects one of the main issues will be the global labour shortage, he says. He says the Government loosened some immigration settings late last year and there has already been positive feedback.
3:25pm - We've added the livestream to the video above. The press conference should begin at 3:30pm.
3:05pm - Prime Minister Chris Hipkins will hold his first post-Cabinet press conference at 3:30pm. Newshub will stream that live in the video above.
2:05pm - Clarke Gayford, Ardern's partner, has released a statement on his Instagram about her departure.
"I'm still not sure how I managed to hitch a front row seat in all of this but I remain as always; in awe, in love, relieved, exhausted and so incredibly proud of Neve's mums superhuman efforts. First Bloke out."
His full comments can be found below:
1:35pm - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has released this statement on Chris Hipkins becoming New Zealand's Prime Minister:
"On behalf of the Government of Canada, I congratulate Chris Hipkins on becoming Prime Minister of New Zealand.
"I look forward to working with Prime Minister Hipkins to make further progress on the issues that matter most to Canadians and New Zealanders alike, ranging from economic growth that benefits everyone, to climate action, to reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples.
"Canada and New Zealand will keep working together closely with countries around the world to respond to global challenges and crises, including Russia's unjustifiable invasion of Ukraine and its wider global impacts. Through Canada's recently launched Indo-Pacific Strategy, we will create growth and new opportunities in both countries and across the Indo-Pacific region.
"Canada and New Zealand enjoy a close relationship based on strong ties between our people, common values, and shared priorities. These include promoting peace and security; advancing human rights, inclusion, and gender equality; and continuing the fight against climate change.
"I thank former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern for her steady leadership and her valuable partnership over the years, which played an essential role in deepening relations between Canada and New Zealand. I am also grateful for her friendship, and I wish her every success in her future endeavours."
1:20pm - Economists and politicians are concerned after New Zealand's inflation rate remained steady in the December quarter.
Statistics New Zealand data, released on Wednesday, shows the annual consumer price index (CPI) increased 7.2 percent in the 12 months to December 2022 - despite efforts to dampen demand.
"The bad news, of course, is we haven't seen any moderation or any real tipping points in terms of prices coming back," he said.
"We know that food prices, for example, have advanced at their fastest rate on record nearly going back 32-odd years. And again we are continuing to see very broad price pressures.
1pm - Newshub's Patrick Gower says Labour has a better chance at this year's election now the "incredibly polarising" Jacinda Ardern has resigned.
Ardern announced her resignation last week, saying she would not seek re-election as she "no longer has enough in the tank" to continue with the role.
"It's an absolutely phenomenal political story, including her decline. It was always exciting while Jacinda Ardern was Prime Minister including her dramatic decline, which is probably the ultimate illustration that political popularity is temporary and when it goes, it goes big time," Gower told AM on Wednesday.
12:45pm - National leader Christopher Luxon has just spoken to media after visiting Papakura Budgeting Service.
He said people with good jobs and average incomes are needing to use the service as well as food banks. He noted inflation is still sitting at 7.2 percent.
"It just speaks to a Government that is causing huge pain and suffering for people because it has no plan and it is not tackling the underlying issues around inflation. The longer this goes, the worse it gets, and more challenging the levers are to fix it."
Earlier, Finance Minister Grant Robertson said the Government knows "it is hard out there for New Zealanders in making ends meet".
"As the Prime Minister has said, the Government’s focus will narrow to support New Zealanders struggling to pay their grocery bills and mortgages," Grant Robertson said.
"The Government is committed to addressing the bread and butter issues in front of New Zealanders and the cost of living is top of that list.
"The Government is also doing its bit by bringing spending down to more normal levels and reduce overall demand in the economy. The Treasury is forecasting real Government consumption will fall by 8.2 percent over the next couple of years, which they say indicates that fiscal policy is supporting monetary policy in dampening inflationary pressures."
12:30pm - Here are some more photos from earlier:
12:20pm - Meanwhile, National leader Christopher Luxon and former leader Judith Collins are visiting Papakura Budgeting Service.
12:05pm - Speaking about the death of Titewhai Harawira, deputy Labour leader Kelvin Davis says he spoke with her just on Sunday.
During that conversation, Harawira said she was "devastated" about Ardern stepping down.
"Also devastated at the way she had been treated. I've spoken before about the vile attacks and the misogyny. That was the first thing she mentioned to me. She was a firm supporter of Jacinda and the progress this Government has made for Māori."
11:40am - Both Prime Minister Chris Hipkins and deputy Prime Minister Carmel Sepuloni made a few comments after being sworn in.
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins:
"Your excellency, thank you for your kind words and for hosting the appointment ceremony here at Government House today. As I have said before, this is the biggest privilege and responsibility of my life.
"I am energised and excited by the challenges that lie ahead. The Deputy Prime Minister and I both take today's appointments very seriously. As Prime Minister, I acknowledge the important nature of my role in advising the sovereign and the Governor-General. I express my personal thanks to you and look forward to working with you."
Deputy Prime Minister Carmel Sepuloni:
"Your excellency, thank you for your kind words. Prime Minister, congratulations on your well-deserved appointment, thank you for the trust you have placed in me, thank you for honouring me, my family and our Pasifika community through this appointment. I look forward to working with you and supporting you in this very important role."
11:35am - With Hipkins now sworn in as Prime Minister, he will soon return to Parliament to chair Cabinet. This will be followed by a press conference at about 3:30pm.
11:20am - Hipkins, Sepuloni and the Governor-General have arrived for the swearing in.
Dame Cindy Kiro says Hipkins has assured her that he has confidence to lead a Government. She confirms his appointment as Prime Minister. He is also Minister of National Security and Intelligence.
Sepuloni is confirmed as deputy Prime Minister.
Dame Cindy refers to Hipkins as her "principal ministerial advisor", something she says is important in an election year.
11:15am - Ministers have arrived for the ceremony. They are seated to the side of the main table where Hipkins and Sepuloni will be sworn in by the Governor-General.
11:05am - Chris Hipkins is about be sworn in as New Zealand's 41st Prime Minister. You can watch a livestream in the video component at the top of the page or in the YouTube video above.
11am - In his first press conference as Labour leader on Sunday, Hipkins said there is a "global inflation pandemic". StatsNZ has just released the December quarter figure, showing annual inflation at 7.2 percent, the same figure as the September quarter.
10:35am - We're yet to hear much policy from incoming Prime Minister Chris Hipkins, but he has promised a focus on "bread and butter" issues, particularly the cost of living.
Greenpeace has released a statement saying one of those issues must be climate change.
"Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has said that under his leadership, the Labour Government will focus on 'bread and butter issues', so let's talk about bread," said spokesperson Amanda Larsson.
"With drought and conflict driving global grain prices to record highs last year, it's clear that putting bread on the table in New Zealand requires global leadership to slow the climate crisis."
"And let's talk about butter. While people in Aotearoa struggle to afford butter, cheese and milk, the dairy industry has continued to rake in massive profits while the rest of us pay for its rampant pollution."
"Here in New Zealand, the biggest climate polluter is the dairy industry driven by vast amounts of fossil fuel derived nitrogen fertiliser. Yet while the rest of us pay the price of the climate crisis, the dairy industry has been let off the hook."
10:30am - Next on the agenda for Wednesday is the swearing in of Chris Hipkins and Carmel Sepuloni. This will take place at Government House shortly. Newshub will stream the ceremony above.
10:20am - We've attached part of Jacinda Ardern's departure to the video above. MPs and staff were clearly emotional as they bid farewell to the Prime Minister. There were lots of hugs before Ardern got into a car heading to Government House.
10am - Jacinda Ardern has left Parliament and is heading to Government House.
9:50am - Jacinda Ardern is about to leave Parliament for the final time as Prime Minister. She will leave from the Beehive entrance to a car, which will take her to Government House to tender her resignation to the Governor-General.
9:30am - While we wait for Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's official departure, let's have a look at Christopher Luxon's morning media comments.
He told AM that National was committed to scrapping the Māori Health Authority and could redirect its funding to initiatives led by iwi.
"You've got community organisations that can deliver food lunch programs into schools much better than Wellington can. I think Māori health organisations can actually deliver Māori health services a heck of a lot better than what the government can do centrally through Wellington.
"So one system, one coherent system, innovation within it to target people on the basis of need, delivered through community organisations, fully supportive of that. That's about getting outcomes and that's what I'm passionate about."
9:15am - Ardern met with Prince William on a number of occasions during her tenure as Prime Minister. That includes when he visited Christchurch in the aftermath of the March 15 shootings.
9am - Kia ora, good morning and welcome to Newshub's live updates of Jacinda Ardern's official resignation and the swearing in of Chris Hipkins as Prime Minister.
The Prince and Princess of Wales have just tweeted a personal message to Ardern:
"Thank you @jacindaardern for your friendship, leadership and support over the years, not least at the time of my grandmother’s death. Sending you, Clarke and Neve our best wishes. W & C."
