Chris Hipkins is expected to retain the title as the Labour Party's leader and will face the challenge of building a new identity for the party, according to a political expert. 

The Labour caucus will be meeting in Upper Hutt today to decide whether 'boy from the Hutt' Chris Hipkins will keep his hand on the tiller.

It's the team's first caucus meeting since the election saw Labour thrust out of office. 

Today's rules for the vote are clear - whoever wants the title of leader needs to gain at least sixty per cent of the vote, in other words, get at least twenty-one MPs on their side. 

A recent rule change means that before anybody even nominates themselves for the leadership role, they need at least ten per cent of the caucus' approval before voting begins. 

If nobody can decide on who should be in charge of Labour's new role in opposition, then the "awful process" begins of referring to the electoral college and involving member and union votes. 

But for all the checks and balances of a Labour caucus vote, political commentator Josie Pagani believes Hipkins is a shoo-in to keep the position without much competition. 

During an interview on The Mike Hosking Breakfast, Pagani was asked if Hipkins had the numbers to keep the leadership on lockdown. 

"What we're hearing is yes," said Pagani. 

"There were some rumblings around David Parker, but it seems David doesn't really have the numbers for it so it looks like Chris is going to get it"

Pagani said the lack of contenders highlighted a deeper root issue in the party - given the party "voted to keep everybody who lost the election on the list". 

"I don't think the next New Zealand Prime Minister is in that caucus at the moment."

Hosking asked if Hipkins really wanted the role, considering his coy responses during prior interviews when asked if he wanted the position. 

Pagani said when he last spoke to Hosking, Hipkins was only just post-election and likely needed time to reset himself as a fighter and prepare himself to lead an opposition party. 

She said it's time for Hipkins to trust his instincts and begin moving the party back to bread-and-butter topics, like delivering jobs in an economy that delivers for working people. 

"He needs to shift away to being the Labour Party, rather than the Latte party - which is what it's become, a sort of liberal party."

Pagani expects former Finance Minister, Grant Robertson to leave at some stage in the near future, David Parker is still possibly around for a bit longer yet - but both are the most likely challengers. 

"The problem is, it doesn't necessarily bring in new, fresh ideas and blood because that list is pretty deep in the status quo," she said. 

"But you never know, I just think those old timers need to go."

Meanwhile, the job for Hipkins - or whomever else takes the reigns - is to begin redefining Labour's identity and proving to voters they can adapt and stay with the times. 

Pagani said she hopes once Hipkins claims his seemingly inevitable victory in votes, he comes out with a message that suggests he has heard the voters, rather than "the voters didn't vote for us, what the hell is wrong with them - they need to be more left-wing". 

She said the party needed to avoid being led by people who glue themselves to things, instead finding a clear definition of what a radical, centrist Labour Party looks like. 

"It's not diet green."