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MP · #66
Hon Chris Penk
Kaipara ki Mahurangi
· New Zealand National Party
New Zealand National Party
Kaipara ki Mahurangi
@chrispenk
Candidate 2023
· Kaipara ki Mahurangi
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Candidate 2020
· Kaipara ki Mahurangi
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Candidate 2017
· [60]
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Pecuniary interests
7 items
Directorships
1 declared
Recent meetings
50 logged
Bg Background Methodology →
Hon Chris Penk is a New Zealand politician currently serving as Minister of Defence and Member of Parliament, most recently representing the Kaipara ki Mahurangi electorate [37] [40] [49] . Penk was educated at Kelston Boys' High School…
AI-assembled biography sourced from Wikipedia, Hansard, Beehive and the Parliament register. Every claim is footnoted to a verbatim quote in one of the cited sources and tagged confirmed, unverified or disputed.
01 Positions
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Cabinet Minister — Defence, Building and Construction, Veterans, GCSB and NZSIS, Space
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Associate Minister — Emergency Management and Recovery
03 Pecuniary interests (2025) Methodology →
as of 2026-05-27 02:22Beneficial interests in, and trusteeships of, trusts
The Barkley Trust (trustee and beneficiary)
— The Barkley Trust
(Trustee)
Debts owed by you
SBS Bank – home loans
— SBS Bank
Gifts
Coldplay concert tickets (x2) in Auckland (November 2024) – The Eden Park Trust
— The Eden Park Trust
Managed investment schemes
Synergy Investments – Consilium Limited
— Consilium Limited
Real property
Family home (owned by The Barkley Trust) – Waitakere, Auckland
— The Barkley Trust
Retirement schemes
Australian Defence Force Superannuation Scheme
— Australian Defence Force Superannuation Scheme
Booster KiwiSaver
— Booster KiwiSaver
04 Directorships Methodology →
as of 2026-05-27 02:22None recorded.
06 Trusteeships & beneficial trust interests
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activeTrustee
08 Recent meetings (as minister) Methodology →
as of 2026-05-27 02:42
2026-04-30
Thu
5 entries
MEET
MEET
MEET
Cabinet Committee
MEET: Cabinet Committee
Officials
MEET: Officials
with: Defence Officials, Staff
2026-04-29
Wed
6 entries
MEET
MEET: Public Service Commission
with: Deputy Public Service Commissioner Heather Baggott, Assistant Public Service Commissioner Erik Koed
MEDIA: Podcast
Officials
MEET: Officials
with: Defence Officials, Staff
Cabinet Committee
MEET: Cabinet Committee
Chief of Army
MEET: Chief of Army
with: Major General Rose King, Defence officials, Staff
2026-04-28
Tue
3 entries
2026-04-25
Sat
2 entries
MEDIA: Interview
ANZAC Day engagements
All day - ANZAC Day engagements
2026-04-23
Thu
2 entries
SPEAK: Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee
with: Committee Members, Officials
Officials
MEET: Officials
with: Defence Officials, Staff
2026-04-22
Wed
3 entries
Australian High Commissioner
MEET: Australian High Commissioner
with: HE Mr Daniel Sloper, Officials, Staff
Cabinet Committee
MEET: Cabinet Committee
Officials
MEET: Officials
with: Defence Officials, Staff
2026-04-21
Tue
4 entries
MEDIA: Podcast
Cabinet Committee
MEET: Cabinet Committee
Officials
MEET: Officials
with: MBIE Officials, Staff
MEDIA: Interview
2026-04-20
Mon
4 entries
Tonga Defence Minister
MEET: Tonga Defence Minister
with: His Royal Highness Tupouto'a 'Ulukalala, Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Tonga, Minister for His Majesty's Armed Forces and Foreign Affairs
MEDIA: Interview
MEET
Officials
MEET: Officials
with: Defence Officials, Staff
2026-04-18
Sat
1 entry
ATTEND: New Zealand Certified Builders 2026 Apprentice Challenge
with: Attendees
2026-04-17
Fri
2 entries
MEET
MEET: Inner-City Building Owners & Mayor Roundtable
with: Katie Nimon MP, Attendees, Staff
2026-04-16
Thu
8 entries
MEET
MEDIA: Interview
MEDIA: Interview
MEET
MEET
MEET
VISIT: Comfortech PinkBatts Manufacturing facility
with: Attendees, Staff
MEET
2026-04-15
Wed
5 entries
Japanese Minister of Defence
MEET: Japanese Minister of Defence
with: HE Shinjirō Koizumi
Singapore Minister of Defence
MEET: Singapore Minister of Defence
with: Mr Chan Chun Sing
Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence
MEET: Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence
with: Hon Richard Marles
MEET
Officials
MEET: Officials
with: Defence Officials, Staff
2026-04-14
Tue
5 entries
ATTEND: Taranaki Chamber of Commerce Connections
with: David MacLeod MP
MEET
MEET
VISIT: Taranaki Alliance and Port Taranaki
with: David MacLeod MP
MEET
09 Recent Hansard speeches
- 2026-05-21
- 2026-05-21
- 2026-05-19
10 Recent press releases
From Beehive.govt.nz. Most recent 10.
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2026-05-27Defence Minister Chris Penk will travel to Singapore this week to attend the Shangri-La Dialogue, an international security conference focused on issues confronting the Indo-Pacific region.
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2026-05-22The Government is investing in drone systems, critical ship maintenance and work to replace our aging naval fleet as it bolsters New Zealand’s maritime defensive and offensive capability.
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2026-05-20The New Zealand Defence Force has joined a new multi-national initiative led by Norway to train Armed Forces of Ukraine personnel in Poland, Defence Minister Chris Penk says.
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2026-05-18Modern, high-quality new homes have been delivered for military families ahead of schedule and under budget, Defence Minister Chris Penk says.
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2026-05-14Space Minister Chris Penk today announced the first recipients of the Kiwi Space Activator, a pilot programme helping to move novel space technology from the lab to the skies.
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2026-05-11Defence Minister Chris Penk has paid tribute to the contribution businesses supplying the New Zealand Defence Force make to national security and resilience at the Minister of Defence Awards of Excellence to Industry.
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2026-05-06The Government is progressing work to replace the Royal New Zealand Navy’s ageing frigates as part of broader efforts to strengthen New Zealand’s Defence capability, Defence Minister Chris Penk has announced.
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2026-05-01New rules restricting lead plumbing products will ensure new homes and buildings are fitted with modern plumbing products that protect the quality of our drinking water.
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2026-04-23Increased support is being provided to help ease fuel cost pressures for veterans needing to travel for treatment, Veterans Minister Chris Penk says.
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2026-04-23Defence Minister Chris Penk will travel to Australia today to undertake a range of engagements to further strengthen defence cooperation with New Zealand’s military ally.
12 In the news Methodology →
50 articlesCoverage from RNZ, Stuff, NZ Herald, ODT, 1News, Newsroom and The Spinoff that mentions this person. Click any source to expand. Article body markdown is captured separately and used for AI summarisation downstream.
Otago Daily Times 15
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2026-06-05Photo: NuScale Power With the growing interest in smaller nuclear reactors around the world, how should New Zealand weigh the developing technology?
- 2026-06-04
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2026-06-03Take a break, find Love Island. PHOTO: ODT FILES Lectures for Semester 1 have officially ended, with first exams already begun.
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2026-06-03Today's cartoon from Shaun Yeo
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2026-06-02Today's cartoon from Shaun Yeo
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2026-06-01Overseas trips by the Minister of Defence seldom make headlines back home, but Chris Penk’s visit to the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore was quite the exception.
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2026-06-01Today's cartoon from Shaun Yeo
- 2026-06-01
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2026-05-31Going underground in the Real Mary’s Close. PHOTO: SUPPLIED It’s not every day that one is transported back to the 17th century. It’s also not every day that one pays £25 for the privilege of doing so.
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2026-05-31A SpaceX Starship and Super Heavy launches from the Starbase site in Texas on May 22. PHOTO: SPACEX/TNS With a record of five failures and six partial successes in his Starship programme, the 12th launch on May 22 of Elon Musk’s BFR* (as…
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2026-05-31Today's cartoon from Shaun Yeo
- 2026-05-28
- 2026-05-28
- 2026-05-27
- 2026-05-27
RNZ 11
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2026-06-06Australia respects New Zealand's nuclear-free position and will work with that, "whilst respecting New Zealand sovereignty".
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2026-06-05Defence Minister Chris Penk last week said it'd be "helpful" for New Zealand to have a "conversation" regarding its nuclear-free policies.
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2026-06-04With the growing interest in smaller reactors around the world, can we make use of the new technology?
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2026-06-04A round-up of news from around the region, including Vanuatu recruiting another 100 nurses from Solomon Islands as it tries to address a major shortage of health workers.
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2026-06-04The Prime Minister says New Zealand and Australia's militaries will "absolutely" be more aligned in the future, adding that the process had already started.
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2026-06-02Analysis - "Freeloading" was the term Pete Hegseth applied to a country that had just put another couple of billion dollars from Budget 2026 towards the goal of doubling spending on defence.
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2026-06-01The prime minister insists New Zealand will not be dropping its nuclear-free stance - and doing so would be detrimental to relations with other countries, according to a former defence minister.
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2026-06-01It comes after new Defence Minister Chris Penk said it would be "helpful" to have "a conversation" on New Zealand's anti-nuclear stance.
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2026-05-29Defence Minister Chris Penk says New Zealand is prioritising talks with the British and Australian navies as it weighs options for replacing the ageing Anzac frigates.
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2026-05-27Struggling to keep up with all the "pre-Budget" news? We've got you covered.
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2026-05-27The briefing was over a NZDF invite to a UK-led planning meeting about reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
Stuff 8
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2026-06-05The US Department of State has given the green light for the New Zealand government to purchase MH-60R Multi-Mission Helicopters, and related equipment, in a $2.6 billion deal.
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2026-06-01Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has dismissed the suggestion that New Zealand is “freeloading” on US defence, and ruled out a change to the country’s nuclear-free policy.
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2026-05-31Brown’s approach to governing Auckland has endearing himself to some, but definitely not to others.
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2026-05-30Chris Hipkins said the National Party is putting New Zealand’s nuclear-free status “at risk” after Defence Minister Chris Penk said we should have “a conversation” about it.
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2026-05-30US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth says New Zealand is not spending enough on defence, shortly after stating that the days of the "US subsidising wealthy nations is over".
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2026-05-29NZDF says its impractical to find relatives of veterans
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2026-05-26The Mangatangi Fault, which runs through the Hunua Ranges, has been reclassified as active.
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2026-05-26Finance Minister Nicola Willis is hosted by ANZ bank for a post-Budget speech in Wellington.
1News 8
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2026-06-06The Australian and New Zealand prime ministers have concluded their leaders' meeting in Noosa, Queensland, which came at a "pivotal" time, according to Luxon.
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2026-06-04This tacit pressure comes at a time when global military expenditure has accelerated rapidly, wars and conflicts are expanding, and fears grow about a new arms race, writes law professor Alexander Gillespie.
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2026-06-01The Labour leader confirmed a wave of policy announcements was on its way but says caucus has not yet finished assessing last week's Budget.
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2026-05-31The Defence Minister's comment came as a response to a question at a security forum in Singapore about Australia buying nuclear-propelled submarines.
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2026-05-30Hegseth made the comments today at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Asia-Pacific's premier security conference.
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2026-05-28The surviving Topp Twin spoke through tears about the recent death of her sister, while also blasting the Government's "lousy" arts funding.
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2026-05-26Finance Minister Nicola Willis has used the past fortnight to preview a string of spending commitments and also cuts.
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2026-05-26Finance Minister Nicola Willis has used the past fortnight to preview a string of spending commitments and also cuts.
The Spinoff 5
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2026-06-05Please print out this podcast before sharing. The multifaceted, years-long story of Mike Smith’s climate court action, the parliamentary response, and hard-copy briefings from lobbyists that mysteriously vanished has officially reached…
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2026-06-04The world keeps shaking our windows. Volatile, volatile, volatile. It’s a word Christopher Luxon has deployed dozens of times in diagnosing the condition of the world since his state of the nation setpiece in January. “Our global…
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2026-06-03‘If I hadn’t heard politicians like him scapegoating migrants, I may have never cared about New Zealand politics in the same way that I do.’ My pub date with second-term MP Ricardo Menéndez March has been waylaid in the most Green Party…
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2026-06-03Keeping all things nuclear out of New Zealand may or may not make moral sense. But it almost certainly makes economic sense. Chris Penk barely had time to shut his mouth before everyone started yelling at him. The defence minister made an…
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2026-06-01US “Secretary of War” Pete Hegseth called New Zealand freeloaders for not spending 3.5% of GDP on defence. But how much defence do we really need, Henry Oliver asks in today’s excerpt from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each…
NZ Herald 2
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2026-06-04Under-resourced New Zealand military personnel are “stealing stuff” to get by, former Defence Minister Ron Mark (inset) says. Defence Minister Chris Penk and the New Zealand Defence Force reject the claims, saying Mark has offered no…
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2026-06-03American nuclear submarine USS Haddo greeted in Auckland by numerous vessels. The flotilla was made up of police launches which acted as a barrier between the submarine and the many boats of protesters who were calling for a nuclear-free…
Newsroom 1
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2026-06-03Opinion: ‘War Secretary’ Pete Hegseth does not understand the dynamic of relations between our countries
13 Commentary topics Methodology →
Topics where op-eds, blogs and press releases mentioned this MP — preview of the top 2 over the last 12 weeks. Each row deep-links to the discourse lens.
14 Press topics Methodology →
Topics where major news outlets reported on this MP — preview of the top 2. Each row deep-links to the press lens; compare with commentary to spot convergence vs. divergence.
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