Chris Penk

 

Penk was born in West Auckland. He attended Kelston Boys' High School and graduated from the University of Auckland with a Bachelor of Arts in 1999 and a Bachelor of Laws with Honours in 2010. He joined the Royal New Zealand Navy, serving as an officer on HMNZS Te Kaha. He was an aide-de-camp for Governor-General Silvia Cartwright, before joining the Australian Defence Force for four years.

After his military career, Penk became a property lawyer. His father, Stephen, is an Associate Dean at the University of Auckland's Law School and his brother Alex is also a lawyer. Penk's mother, Debra, was a teacher.

In August 2014, Penk was selected to contest the Kelston electorate in the general election after the resignation of Claudette Hauiti. He placed second behind Carmel Sepuloni. Penk was ranked 68th on the National Party's party list and was not elected to Parliament.

Member of Parliament

In Opposition, 2017–2023

 

Penk won selection as National's Helensville candidate for the 2017 election, replacing former prime minister John Key. He won Helensville, defeating Labour's candidate Kurt Taogaga by margin of 14,608 votes. 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.

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. 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.

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."

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.

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.

In Government, 2023–present

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

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).

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

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.

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