Chris Hipkins
The Diplomat
People, composure and the difficult conversation held well.
Chris Hipkins is the Prime Minister of New Zealand, navigating the challenges of leadership during an election campaign. This interview reveals his focus on coalition-building and the need for resilience in politics, highlighting his diplomatic approach to governance.
“I think in New Zealand we have two extremes. We have a very centralised system of central government and then a very fragmented local government that is probably far too fragmented for a country of only 5 million people. And so our experience of localization is a pretty patchy one.”
“I do have my extended family. I'm very fortunate that my parents continue to help a lot with the raising of my own children given the prolonged absences that I have. And I've got some extended family, my brother and sister-in-law and their kids are great.”
“I think it was certainly very brutal for Jacinda in the sense that as a young charismatic, articulate woman. Were a number of people who struggled with that concept, and she was subject to. Far more scrutiny, far more vitriol than I've ever seen a male politician subjected to.”
“With a photograph of me and spread your legs, not the virus, I think was the phrase that she put on it. And so I went down to one of those one o'clock briefings a week later and I took the mug with me and I drunk water from it in the middle of the press conference.”
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