New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was sworn in for a second term on Friday, as final election results showed her landslide victory was even bigger than previously thought.
Ardern and her ministers, who were appointed earlier this week, took their oaths of office in English and Maori during a ceremony at Wellington’s Government House.
“I would say simply that sitting at this table is Aotearoa New Zealand,” Ardern said, using the Maori term for her country, gesturing at her 20-strong team, including many women and Maori, which she had previously described as incredibly diverse.
Ardern said she had a clear mandate for reform, although her priorities would be containing COVID-19 and rebuilding the coronavirus-damaged economy.
While praised for her crisis management, Ardern was criticised during her first term for failing to deliver on key promises such as improving housing affordability, protecting the environment and reducing child poverty.
Since the election, Ardern has signalled she wants reform, but not at a rate that would alienate the centrist voters who switched support to Labour in the poll.
Edward Elder, a teaching fellow specialising in political communication at the University of Auckland, said Ardern was likely to take an “incrementalist” approach to reform. »
