New Zealand elects conservative Christopher Luxon as premier after 6 years of liberal rule

By NICK PERRY
Associated Press

AUCKLAND, New Zealand (AP) — Conservative former businessman Christopher Luxon will be New Zealand’s next prime minister after winning a decisive election victory. People voted Saturday for change after six years of a liberal government led for most of that time by Jacinda Ardern. The exact makeup of Luxon’s conservative government is still to be determined as ballots continue to be counted. Prime Minister Chris Hipkins, who spent just nine months in the top job after taking over from Ardern in January, told supporters late Saturday he had called Luxon to concede, saying he was “proud of what we achieved over the last six years.”