Chris Penk

Last updated

New Zealand Parliament
The Honourable
Chris Penk
MP
PENK, Chris - Kaipara ki Mahurangi (cropped).png
Penk in 2023
10th Minister for Building and Construction
Incumbent
Assumed office
27 November 2023
YearsTermElectorateListParty
2017 –2020 52nd Helensville 64 National
2020 –2023 53rd Kaipara ki Mahurangi 41 National
2023 –present 54th Kaipara ki Mahurangi 18 National

In Opposition, 2017–2023

Penk during a shovel-ready projects protest, 2021 Chris Penk During Shovel-Ready Protest.png
Penk during a shovel-ready projects protest, 2021

Penk won selection as National's Helensville candidate for the 2017 election, replacing former prime minister John Key. [4] He won Helensville, defeating Labour's candidate Kurt Taogaga by margin of 14,608 votes. [8] In his first term, he was a member of the parliamentary committees for transport and infrastructure; foreign affairs, defence and trade; and justice and the National party opposition spokesperson for courts. [9]

During the 2020 New Zealand general election, Penk contested the Kaipara ki Mahurangi electorate, defeating Labour's candidate Marja Lubeck by a margin of 4,435 votes. [10] He was appointed National's shadow attorney-general and elected chair of parliament's regulations review committee, which he held from November 2020 until October 2022. [9]

In June 2021, in response to Winston Peters describing National Party members as "sex maniacs", Penk made a tweet saying Peters "is the real s*x maniac because he can f**k a whole country at once". Judith Collins said her office asked Penk to take down the tweet. Collins said "It's just simply inappropriate, we don't use that sort of language." [11] [12] [13]

On 7 December 2021, after the election of Christopher Luxon as party leader, the National caucus elected Penk as its Senior Whip, thus making him the Chief Opposition Whip in the House of Representatives. [14]

On 12 August 2023, Penk made an online comment "Sorry but your poor ratings crashed an entire radio station" in response to an article by Tova O'Brien about National Party election strategy. Christopher Luxon said the comment was "insensitive and inappropriate" because many people lost their jobs when Today FM closed. Penk apologised for the comment. [15]

In Government, 2023–present

Penk was elected for a third term at the 2023 New Zealand general election, retaining Kaipara ki Mahurangi for National. [16] He defeated Labour's candidate Guy Wishart by a margin of 19,459 votes. [17]

Following the formation of the National-led coalition government in late November 2023, Penk became Minister for Building and Construction, Minister for Land Information, Minister for Veterans, and Associate Minister of Agriculture (Horticulture). [18]

In early July 2024, Penk announced that the Government would make remote virtual inspections the default for building consents across New Zealand in an effort to accelerate the building process. [19] In mid July, Penk confirmed that the Government was exploring plans to reduce new insulation standards introduced in May 2023 with the goal of making newer houses more affordable and accelerating the home construction process. During an interview with RNZ, Penk said that the new insulation standards added costs amounting to between $40,000 to $50,000 to new houses. In response, the Green Building Council expressed concerns that the Government's proposed rollback of insulation standards would set New Zealand back in comparison to other OECD countries. [20]

In December 2024, in his role as Associate Minister of Immigration, Penk intervened to approve the visa application of controversial American commentator and speaker Candace Owens, whose visa had previously been declined by Immigration New Zealand in November on the grounds that she had been denied entry to Australia for reasons that included denying the impact of the Holocaust and claiming that Muslims started slavery. [21] [22] Owens had submitted a request for ministerial intervention to Penk asking him to exercise his discretionary powers and grant her a visa. [21]

Also in December 2024, Penk, as Minister for Land Information, declined the proposal to rename Hutt Valley suburb Petone to Pito One, in order to correct a historic spelling error. Despite the Geographic Board, local council, iwi groups, and community all supporting the change, Penk pointed to the need to achieve "a balance of official advice and public submissions". [23]

Political views

In an interview before the 2017 general election, Penk self-described as "a social moderate... towards the conservative end [of the National Party]." [24] He voted against the End of Life Choice Act 2019 and the Abortion Legislation Act 2020. [25] [26]

Penk was one of only eight MPs to vote against the Conversion Practices Prohibition Legislation Act 2022. He voted against it at its first reading in July 2021 (which then-party-leader Judith Collins instructed her MPs to do), for it at its second reading, and against it at its third and final reading in February 2022. [27]

Personal life

Penk married Newshub journalist Kim Choe; their first child was born shortly before the 2017 election. [24] [28]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Winston Peters</span> New Zealand politician (born 1945)

Winston Raymond Peters is a New Zealand politician who has been serving as the 13th deputy prime minister of New Zealand since November 2023, his third time in the role. He has been leader of New Zealand First since he founded the political party in 1993. He was re-elected for a fifteenth time at the 2023 general election, having previously been a member of Parliament (MP) from 1979 to 1981, 1984 to 2008 and 2011 to 2020. Peters also serves as the 25th minister of foreign affairs, 8th minister for racing, and 29th Minister for Rail.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Helensville (New Zealand electorate)</span> Former electorate in Auckland, New Zealand

Helensville was a New Zealand parliamentary electorate in the Auckland region, returning one Member of Parliament to the House of Representatives. The electorate was first established for the 1978 election, was abolished in 1984, and then reinstated for the 2002 election. The seat was won and held by John Key through his term as prime minister. Chris Penk of the National Party held the seat from the 2017 general election until its abolition in 2020, when it was replaced with the new Kaipara ki Mahurangi electorate, which Penk also retained.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Hipkins</span> Prime Minister of New Zealand in 2023

Christopher John Hipkins is a New Zealand politician who has been serving as leader of the New Zealand Labour Party since January 2023 and leader of the Opposition since November 2023. He was the 41st prime minister of New Zealand from January to November 2023, previously serving as the minister for the public service and minister for education from 2017 to 2023, and the minister for health and the COVID-19 response from 2020 to 2022. He has been the member of Parliament (MP) for Remutaka since the 2008 general election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carmel Sepuloni</span> New Zealand politician (born 1977)

Carmel Jean Sepuloni is a New Zealand politician who served as the 20th deputy prime minister of New Zealand. A member of the Labour Party, she was first elected to Parliament in 2008 for a three-year term as a list Member of Parliament (MP) and was re-elected as MP for Kelston in 2014. In 2023, she was elected as the deputy leader of the Labour Party, succeeding Kelvin Davis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tracey Martin</span> New Zealand politician

Tracey Anne Martin is a New Zealand former politician. She was a member of the New Zealand House of Representatives between 2011 and 2020, representing the New Zealand First Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Poto Williams</span> New Zealand politician

Munokoa Poto Williams is a New Zealand Labour Party politician and a member of Parliament. She was elected in a 2013 by-election and served as Minister of Conservation and Minister for Disability Issues in the Sixth Labour Government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 New Zealand general election</span>

The 2020 New Zealand general election was held on Saturday 17 October 2020 to determine the composition of the 53rd New Zealand Parliament. Voters elected 120 members to the House of Representatives, 72 from single-member electorates and 48 from closed party lists. Two referendums, one on the personal use of cannabis and one on euthanasia, were also held on the same day. Official results of the election and referendums were released on 6 November.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Erica Stanford</span> New Zealand National Party politician

Erica Louise Stanford is a New Zealand politician and Member of Parliament in the House of Representatives for the National Party. She currently serves as the 49th Minister of Education and the 60th Minister of Immigration in the Sixth National Government of New Zealand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jenny Marcroft</span> New Zealand politician (born 1963)

Jennifer Lyn Marcroft is a New Zealand politician and Member of Parliament in the House of Representatives for the New Zealand First party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marja Lubeck</span> New Zealand politician

Maria Josina Elisabeth "Marja" Lubeck is a New Zealand politician. She was a member of parliament in the House of Representatives for the Labour Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nicola Willis</span> New Zealand politician

Nicola Valentine Willis is a New Zealand politician who is currently deputy leader of the National Party and minister of Finance in a coalition government with ACT and New Zealand First. Willis entered the New Zealand Parliament in 2018, when she inherited Steven Joyce's seat in Parliament as the next on the party list after his retirement from politics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christopher Luxon</span> Prime Minister of New Zealand since 2023

Christopher Mark Luxon is a New Zealand politician and former business executive who has been serving as the 42nd prime minister of New Zealand since 2023, previously as leader of the Opposition from 2021 to 2023, and as leader of the National Party since 2021. He has been member of Parliament (MP) for Botany since 2020. He was the chief executive officer (CEO) of Air New Zealand from 2012 to 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2023 New Zealand general election</span> General election for the 54th Parliament of New Zealand

The 2023 New Zealand general election was held on 14 October 2023 to determine the composition of the 54th Parliament of New Zealand. Voters elected 122 members to the unicameral New Zealand House of Representatives under the mixed-member proportional (MMP) voting system, with 71 members elected from single-member electorates and the remaining members elected from closed party lists. Of the 72 electorates, only 71 seats were filled, with the remaining electorate MP determined in the 2023 Port Waikato by-election, due to the death of one of the general election candidates. Two overhang seats were added due to Te Pāti Māori winning six electorate seats when the party vote only entitled them to four seats, with an additional overhang seat added after the by-election making for 123 members of parliament.

This page lists candidates contesting electorates in the 2020 New Zealand general election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kaipara ki Mahurangi</span> Electoral district in Auckland, New Zealand

Kaipara ki Mahurangi is an electorate to the New Zealand House of Representatives. It was created for the 2020 election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naisi Chen</span> New Zealand politician

Naisi Chen is a New Zealand politician. She served as a Member of Parliament for the Labour Party from 2020 to 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tova O'Brien</span> New Zealand political journalist

Tova O'Brien is a New Zealand political journalist and broadcaster.

Several polling firms conducted opinion polls during the term of the 53rd New Zealand Parliament (2020–2023) for the 2023 New Zealand general election. The regular polls are the quarterly polls produced by Television New Zealand (1News) conducted by Verian and Discovery New Zealand (Newshub) conducted by Reid Research, along with monthly polls by Roy Morgan, and by Curia. The sample size, margin of error and confidence interval of each poll varies by organisation and date.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shadow Cabinet of Christopher Luxon</span> New Zealand shadow cabinet (2021–2023)

The Shadow Cabinet of Christopher Luxon formed the official Opposition in the 53rd New Zealand Parliament from December 2021 to November 2023, replacing the Shadow Cabinet of Judith Collins. Christopher Luxon was appointed Leader of the National Party and Leader of the Opposition in a party leadership election on 30 November 2021.

Freedoms New Zealand, also known as Freedoms NZ: Uniting Political Parties and Freedom Movements, is a registered political alliance in New Zealand, founded on 22 August 2022 by Brian Tamaki following a series of protests. Today it is co-led by Tamaki and Sue Grey. It is an "umbrella party", consisting of an alliance between Tamaki's Freedom and Rights Coalition organisation, the registered Vision NZ and Outdoors & Freedom parties, and the unregistered Yes Aotearoa and Rock The Vote NZ parties.

References

  1. ↑ "Roll of members of the New Zealand House of Representatives, 1854 onwards" (PDF). New Zealand Parliament. 24 May 2019. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
  2. 1 2 "National selects Christopher Penk as Kelston candidate". 2 August 2014.
  3. ↑ "Graduate Search". University of Auckland . Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  4. 1 2 3 "Former Navy officer Chris Penk chosen as National candidate to replace John Key in Helensville". Stuff . Archived from the original on 29 April 2019.
  5. ↑ "Third law graduate in family". University of Auckland Law School. Archived from the original on 5 February 2020.
  6. ↑ "Newshub Nation: National MP Chris Penk shares his Backstory and talks about struggles of politics, Twitter". Newshub. 19 August 2023. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  7. ↑ "Official Count Results – Kelston". Electoral Commission. 4 October 2014. Archived from the original on 21 January 2020. Retrieved 4 October 2014.
  8. ↑ "Helensville – Official Result". Electoral Commission. Archived from the original on 17 January 2020. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  9. 1 2 "Penk, Chris – New Zealand Parliament". www.parliament.nz. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  10. ↑ "Kaipara ki Mahurangi – Official Result". Electoral Commission . Retrieved 9 November 2020.
  11. ↑ Manch, Thomas (22 June 2021). "National MP Chris Penk told to delete tweet attacking Winston Peters by office of party leader Judith Collins". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
  12. ↑ Satherley, Dan (22 June 2021). "National MP Chris Penk admits tweet calling Winston Peters a 's*x maniac' who 'can f**k a whole country at once' was 'a bit out there'". Newshub . Retrieved 23 June 2021.
  13. ↑ Cheng, Derek (22 June 2021). "Judith Collins responds to Winston Peters' 'sex maniacs' barb". NZ Herald. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
  14. ↑ Cooke, Henry (7 December 2021). "National elects Chris Penk senior whip, Maureen Pugh to keep junior role". Stuff . Retrieved 7 December 2021.
  15. ↑ "Christopher Luxon addresses National MP Chris Penk's tweet about Tova O'Brien, Today FM going off air". The New Zealand Herald . 12 August 2023.
  16. ↑ "Blue wave over Auckland, Act's van Velden wins Tāmaki". The New Zealand Herald . 15 October 2023. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  17. ↑ "Kaipara ki Mahurangi – Official Result". Electoral Commission. 3 November 2023. Archived from the original on 23 November 2023. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  18. ↑ "Cabinet lineup for new government unveiled – who gets what?". Radio New Zealand . 24 November 2023. Archived from the original on 4 December 2023. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
  19. ↑ "Building consent inspections to be virtual by default, government says". RNZ . 9 July 2024. Archived from the original on 9 July 2024. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
  20. ↑ "Dismay at plan to revert to less strict insulation standards". RNZ . 17 July 2024. Archived from the original on 17 July 2024. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
  21. 1 2 "Candace Owens allowed into New Zealand after visa U-turn". Stuff . 12 December 2024. Archived from the original on 13 December 2024. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
  22. ↑ "Australia rejects visa application by rightwing US pundit Candace Owens". The Guardian . 27 October 2024. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
  23. ↑ "The Post". The Post. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
  24. 1 2 "The Sure Things: Chris Penk". Newsroom. 23 June 2017. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  25. ↑ "End of Life Choice Bill – New Zealand Parliament". www.parliament.nz. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  26. ↑ "Abortion Legislation Bill – New Zealand Parliament". www.parliament.nz. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  27. ↑ "Politicians react as bill to ban conversion therapy passes". Radio New Zealand . 15 February 2022. Archived from the original on 18 February 2022. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
  28. ↑ Clent, Danielle (24 September 2017). "National's Chris Penk is the new MP for Helensville". Stuff. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
New Zealand Parliament
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Helensville
2017–2020		Constituency abolished
New constituency Member of Parliament for Kaipara ki Mahurangi
2020–present		Incumbent
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.