Christopher Luxon, leader of the center-right National Party, was sworn in as New Zealand's prime minister on Monday, in the first change of government in six years amid expectations for a recovery from the economic downturn.
The businessman-turned-politician will lead a three-party coalition government with right-wing ally the ACT party and the populist New Zealand First party. National won the Oct. 14 general election, defeating the Labour Party, which had held power since 2017.
Luxon, 53, told reporters after a swearing-in ceremony in Wellington that the new government's first priority will be to rebuild the economy through prudent government spending and such measures as getting the country's central bank focused on price stability.
In the new government, New Zealand First leader Winston Peters has assumed the post of deputy prime minister and foreign minister. ACT leader David Seymour is the regulation minister.
Seymour will serve in the role of deputy prime minister in the second half of the government's three-year term, from May 2025.
Luxon entered politics in 2020 after heading the country's national carrier Air New Zealand, following a career abroad as an executive at global consumer goods giant Unilever. He became the leader of National in 2021.
