Labour
Position: Centre-left l Leader: Chris Hipkins l Currently: Main opposition
Website: NZ Labour Party
What they stand for
Labour is one of New Zealand's two major parties, founded in 1916. It believes in strong public services, workers' rights, affordable healthcare, keeping key assets in public hands, honouring the Treaty of Waitangi, and ensuring equal opportunity for all New Zealanders.
Economy: New Zealand Future Fund; capital gains tax of 28% on property transactions excluding the family home; streaming levy on Netflix and other foreign platforms to fund New Zealand film.
Health: Free or subsidised general practitioner visits; free cervical cancer screening for women 25-69; free maternity scans; opposes general practitioner fees approaching $100.
Housing: Reversing landlord interest deductibility tax break; making renting fairer with stronger tenant protections; building more public homes.
Workers: Made withholding wages a form of theft (2025); banned salary gag orders (2025); supports Fair Pay Agreements
Treaty of Waitangi: Supports Treaty settlements and co-governance
Māori: Māori-led health and social services
Nuclear Free: Reaffirmed New Zealand's nuclear-free policy as non-negotiable
Climate - Would restore the Zero Carbon Act, reinstate the offshore oil and gas exploration ban, reserve Fast-track Approvals for coal, goal and seabed mining
AUKUS: Labout has said it would not join AUKUS under Hipkins leadership, wanting an independent foregin policy
Transport: Want to cap public transport at $20
Labour was founded on 7 July 1916 in Wellington, bringing together socialist groups focused on workers' rights, proportional representation, and the nationalisation of key industries. It rose to power for the first time in 1935 under Michael Joseph Savage during the Great Depression, building the modern welfare state, public housing and free healthcare
1935-1949 (First Labour Government): Built New Zealand's welfare state; old age pensions, free healthcare, state housing
1957-1960 and 1972-1975: Brief governments under Walter Nash and Norman Kirk
1984-1990 (Fourth Labour Government): Roger Douglas's radical free-market 'Rogernomics' reforms shocked many Labour supporters. Despite the ideology being alien to traditional Labour values, Douglas transformed New Zealand's economy through deregulation, privatisation, and reducing trade barriers.
1999-2008 (Helen Clark): Three terms; rebuilt public services after the 1990s cuts; nuclear-free reaffirmation; Working for Families; interest-free student loans
2017-2023 (Jacinda Ardren and Christ Hipkins): Ardren won in a coalition with NZ First (2017) and then won a majority alone (2020 - 50% of the vote, a modern record). Covid response, Zero Carbon Act, gun reform, Kiwibuild failure. Ardern resigned January 2023; Hipkins took over and led Labour to defeat in October 2023, losing 23 seats.
Christopher Hipkins l Born: 5 September 1978 l MP for: Remutaka (Lower Hutt/Petone area) l Role: Labour Party Leader
Christopher Hipkins was born in the Hutt Valley on 5 September 1978. His father is Doug Hipkins; his mother Rosemary is the chief researcher for the New Zealand Council for Educational Research. Hipkins attended Waterloo Primary school and Hutt Intermediate School and was Head Boy at Hutt Valley Memorial College (later renamed Petone College) in 1996. Hipkins studied at Victoria University of Wellington, where he immersed himself into student politics, being elected president of the Victoria University of Wellington Students' Association (VUWSA) twice in 2000 and 2001. In September 1997, as a first-year university student, Hipkins was arrested while protesting against the Tertiary Review Green Bill at Parliament. Hipkins later won compensation and an apology after a legal battle of around 10 years over his arrest - this moment eventually led him into politics.
After graduating, Hipkins worked briefly as a trainer in the oil and gas industry, before working as a policy adviser to Labour education ministers in Helen Clark's government and in Clarks' own offices. In 2008, Hipkins won the Labour seat of Remutaka by a thin margin of 753 votes. In 2011, Hipkins served as the Labour Party's cheif whip requiring him to manage and discipline his colleagues. When Labour returned to government under Ardern in 2017, Hipkins became Minister of Education and Leader of the house. In 2020 he became Minister for Health and then the country's COVID-19 Response Minister. When Ardern resigned suddenly in January 2023, Hipkins was the sole nominne to replace her. He became the 41st Prime Minister on 25 January 2023. At the end of 2023 Labour lost the election falling from 50% of votes to 26.9% of votes, while he still retained his Labour leadership.
Hipkins separated from his wife, Jade during his brief stint as Prime Minister in 2023.