Rt Hon Chris Hipkins is a New Zealand politician affiliated with the Labour Party [45] who currently serves as Leader of the Opposition [26].
Hipkins attended Hutt Valley Memorial College, where he served as head boy in 1996 [16][18]. He went on to study at Victoria University of Wellington [20], where, according to a single reputable secondary source, he was active as a student protest organiser [13] and a student executive member [12]. He is reported to have served as president of the Victoria University of Wellington Students' Association (VUWSA) from around 2000 [17][40].
Before entering Parliament, Hipkins held a number of advisory and industry roles. According to a single reputable secondary source, he worked as an adviser in the offices of education ministers Trevor Mallard [5] and Steve Maharey [4], and also as an adviser in the office of Prime Minister Helen Clark [6]. He is also reported to have been a policy adviser at the Industry Training Federation [8], a training manager in the oil and gas industry in Taranaki [14], and a worker in the oil and gas industry more broadly [15].
Hipkins was first elected as the Labour Member of Parliament for Rimutaka in 2008 [29]. Sources differ on the electorate name, with some references listing it as Remutaka from 2020 [28]. According to a single reputable secondary source, he served as Labour spokesperson for internal affairs from 2008 [2], and later as Labour spokesperson for state services and education from 2011 [3]. He is reported to have served as Labour Party chief whip from 2011 [1] and as shadow leader of the House from 2014 [10].
Following the 2017 election, Hipkins held the office of Leader of the House, though sources disagree on the precise period of this role [23]. He served as Minister of Education, with sources placing the start of this role in 2017 across multiple accounts [35], and as Minister of State Services [38] and Minister for the Public Service [34]. He held the role of Minister for COVID-19 Response [31][39], and served as Minister of Health [36] and Minister of Police [37], though sources disagree on the precise periods for each of these portfolios. He also held the office of Minister for National Security and Intelligence [32] and Minister Responsible for Ministerial Services [30].
Sources differ on the precise start date of his tenure as Prime Minister of New Zealand, with some placing it from 25 January 2023 [42] and others from January 2023 more broadly [9][41]. He assumed the leadership of the New Zealand Labour Party on 22 January 2023 [25], with broader references also noting this transition in January 2023 [22][24]. Following the October 2023 general election, he became Leader of the Opposition, with one source placing this from 27 October 2023 [26].