Hours after being unanimously endorsed by Labour Party MPs as the party's leader and the nation's next prime minister, Hipkins attacked the personal abuse suffered by Ardern during her more than five years in the top job.

Ardern sparked a national debate about the pressures she faced when she revealed on Thursday that she was stepping down just nine months before Oct.14 general elections, saying she no longer had "enough in the tank".

Politicians and other public figures have lined up to criticize the "vitriol" Ardern was subjected to as prime minister, notably on social media, although she did not mention it herself.

"The way Jacinda has been treated, particularly by some segments of our society, and they are a small minority, has been utterly abhorrent," Hipkins said.

"It does not represent who we are as a country," said the 44-year-old education and police minister.

Men have a responsibility to call out such treatment and say "it's not ok", he said.

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