‘Mr Fix-It’: Who Is Chris Hipkins, New Zealand’s New Prime Minister

The Labour Party of New Zealand on Sunday selected Chris “Chippy” Hipkins to replace Jacinda Ardern as the 41st prime minister of the country.

New Zealand-based newspaper New Zealand Herald in its report commented on Hipkins’ appointment by saying that he may have landed ‘his largest “fix-it” job of them all.’

During the Covid pandemic, Hipkins was in charge of New Zealand’s Covid response. He is regarded as a hard worker and he earned the moniker of ‘Mr Fix-It’ because he has stepped up when his party has needed him and taken on some tough roles.

“It’s a big day for a boy from the Hutt, It’s an enormous privilege. It’s also an enormous responsibility. And the weight of that responsibility is still sinking in,” Hipkins was quoted as saying by New Zealand-based news outlet Stuff.

Chris Hipkins is Member of Parliament for Remutaka and has been the MP from the constituency since 2008 and is also the country’s education and police minister. In 2020, he took over the role of Covid-19 handling from David Clark and helped New Zealand mount a successful response to the pandemic, but there has been criticism that the government impinged on people’s basic rights during that period.

On Sunday, Chippy will hope that he has the support of two-thirds of the party’s MPs when the caucus convenes in order to become leader and Prime Minister. Hipkins said that Ardern, following her resignation, did not signal that he would be chosen as her successor. If all goes well, Hipkins will lead the Labour Party in the upcoming general elections on October 14.

The mode of selection of who will lead New Zealand is somewhat similar to that of the selection of UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, or Liz Truss before him in 2022 – fellow party members will select who will lead the nation and the nation will not go into immediate elections.

His interest in criminology and youth justice led Ardern to assign him to the role of police minister. He took over the role from minister Poto Williams in 2021 after New Zealand’s cities witnessed a spike in gang violence and robbery raids using battering rams, according to a report by the New Zealand Herald.

Chippy’s Controversial Actions

Hipkins was criticised for the Auckland lockdown during the pandemic. It was one of the strictest lockdowns in the world and Hipkins says he regrets the tough actions taken at that time.

Another serious controversy in which Hipkins was involved was the Northland lockdown in October 2021. It was alleged that three ‘sex workers’ with possible gang connections crossed the Auckland border and as a result they were publicly vilified.

It should be mentioned that in New Zealand there was a culture of tipping the police off when any member of the public was perceived to have breached the pandemic rules. Hipkins accused the women of using false information to enter Auckland by crossing the state border and imposed an 11-day lockdown, according to the New Zealand Herald.

Later, it was found in documents released under the Official Information Act that these women had no links to gangs and were not sex workers. Further investigation revealed that the women did not commit any offence and did not deceive authorities while obtaining travel documents.

Hipkins is yet to apologise for the incident.

He was forced to apologise in March 2022 for falsely accusing Charlotte Bellis of ignoring consular assistance when she requested for a Managed Isolation and Quarantine (MIQ) spot as she was pregnant and in Afghanistan – caught in the chaos as US troops withdrew from there in August 2021.

At that time, he released her personal information and claimed that an MIQ spot was offered to her which the latter turned down, according to the New Zealand Herald.

‘Spread your Legs’ and ‘Pashing on in the Dancefloor’

Hipkins has also revealed his lighthearted side while addressing the Covid press conferences and releasing daily updates. In one press conference, where he was explaining the use and necessity of masks and social distancing, he explained why one needed to wear a mask at a supermarket but not at nightclubs.

“It’s a question of volume. There are going to be a lot more people in a supermarket on a weekly basis than there will be out and about pashing on a dancefloor,” Hipkins said. Pashing is an Australian informal term which means to kiss in a sexual way, according to the Cambridge Dictionary.

His comment on exercising amid the Covid-19 pandemic led to numerous memes and it also earned the Massey University’s Quote of the Year competition.

In a gaffe, where Hipkins meant to say ‘stretch their legs’, he ended up saying: “It is a challenge for people in high-density areas to get outside and spread their legs when they are surrounded by other people.”

He owned up to his mistake and even embraced the memes that came his way and even attended a presser with a mug that had the quote inscribed on it.

Hipkins, according to the New Zealand Herald, was born and raised in the Hutt Valley and attended the Hutt Valley Memorial College and has completed a BA in politics. He earned his Masters degree in Criminology at Victoria University.

He was arrested but not charged as a student leader when protest fee hikes. He worked as a staffer in the office of former NZ PM Helen Clark and also worked at the Parliament as an adviser to two education ministers. He was elected as an MP from his constituency Remutaka in 2008 and has been elected since.

He has two young children and is married to Jade Marie Hipkins, they live in Upper Hutt.

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