Incoming prime minister Chris Hipkins says the public can expect significant policy changes from his government, which will be announced in the weeks ahead.

However, Hipkins is refusing to say what those changes could look like, adding that he won't make 'policy on the fly”. But he says he would 'take a ruler” to every minister's proposal, to cut anything that wasn't a priority.

Hipkins also left the door open to making some even bigger changes to core policy such as tax and superannuation, after the next election.

But for now, he says the Government would stick to commitments made by outgoing Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. She had says there would be no Capital Gains Tax or change to the superannuation age.

Hipkins says there would be some leadership differences between him and Ardern, but any changes to key policy such as tax would be given plenty of pre-warning.

'We're different people, we've got a different style,” he told The AM Show.

Hipkins is also sticking to the timetable of Ardern's priorities and portfolio reshuffle.

The incoming prime minister Chris Hipkins speaks after being confirmed as Jacinda Ardern's replacement, alongside his deputy PM Carmel Sepuloni. Video: Stuff.

Last year, Ardern says she had asked her ministers to reassess their priorities – and says some plans would be scrapped. Ardern also indicated a reshuffle was due for early this year.

Hipkins says he was aware late last year that Ardern was considering whether to continue as prime minister, but he wasn't sure if it was purely because 'everyone was tired” at the time.

He says he was given a week's notice before Ardern announced her resignation on Thursday.

Ardern says the full Cabinet wasn't told until early Thursday morning, before she spoke to reporters that afternoon.

On Sunday, Hipkins was endorsed to be Labour's leader – with no one standing against him for the leadership. He confirmed Carmel Sepuloni would be deputy prime minister.

The Governor General would officially swear in both ministers on Wednesday.

Deputy Prime Minister Carmel Sepuloni and Prime Minister Chris Hipkins will be sworn in on Wednesday. Photo: Robert Kitchen/Stuff.

What will change?

Hipkins says'everything” was up for review, as he stressed that the next few months would be focused on the cost of living and inflation.

But he also paid significant attention to 'co-governance”, which he raised across most media interviews on Monday morning.

The role of 'co-governance” in the Three Waters reforms had 'confused” and even 'scared” people, he says.

Hipkins didn't think many people knew what Three Waters was about, and says the term 'co-governance” had become meaningless as well.

'The public feel we're doing too much too fast,” he says.

Over the coming days, he says he would discuss priorities with ministers. The RNZ-TVNZ merger was also raised often, as well as income insurance. He didn't confirm those policies would be scrapped, but says he would 'take a ruler” to them.

'I'm not going to predict or pre-empt discussions that are yet to be had,” he told Newstalk ZB, TVNZ, and others.

Hipkins was set to meet with Cabinet on Wednesday, to hold his first post-Cabinet press conference later that day.

- Glenn McConnell/Stuff.