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Chris Bishop

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The Honourable
Chris Bishop
MP
Bishop in 2023
13th Leader of the House
Incumbent
Assumed office
27 November 2023
Prime MinisterChristopher Luxon
Preceded byGrant Robertson
6th Minister for Housing
Incumbent
Assumed office
27 November 2023
Prime MinisterChristopher Luxon
Preceded byMegan Woods
29th Minister for Infrastructure
Incumbent
Assumed office
27 November 2023
Prime MinisterChristopher Luxon
Preceded byMegan Woods
1st Minister Responsible for RMA Reform
Incumbent
Assumed office
27 November 2023
Prime MinisterChristopher Luxon
Preceded byOffice established
12th Minister for Sport and Recreation
Incumbent
Assumed office
27 November 2023
Prime MinisterChristopher Luxon
Preceded byGrant Robertson
11th Shadow Leader of the House
In office
6 December 2021 – 19 January 2023
LeaderChristopher Luxon
Preceded byMichael Woodhouse
Succeeded byMichael Woodhouse
In office
16 July 2020 – 27 August 2021
LeaderJudith Collins
Preceded byGerry Brownlee
Succeeded byMichael Woodhouse
Member of the New Zealand Parliament
Incumbent
Assumed office
20 September 2014
ConstituencyList (2014–17)
Hutt South (2017–2020)
List (2020–2023)
Hutt South (2023–present)
Personal details
Born (1983-09-04) 4 September 1983 (age 41)
Lower Hutt, New Zealand
Political partyNational
SpouseJenna Raeburn
Children1
ResidenceDays Bay[1]
Alma materVictoria University of Wellington
ProfessionManager, Tobacco Lobbyist

Christopher Bishop (born 4 September 1983)[2] is a New Zealand politician for the National Party. He was first elected to the New Zealand House of Representatives in 2014 as a list MP. Bishop won the Hutt South electorate in 2017 but lost the seat in 2020. He returned to Parliament as a National list MP and served as National spokesperson for Housing and Infrastructure and was the Shadow Leader of the House. He was the Chairperson of National's 2023 Election Campaign. He is the current MP for Hutt South. He is a former lobbyist for tobacco company Phillip Morris.

Early life

[edit]

Bishop grew up in Lower Hutt and attended Hutt Intermediate School and Hutt International Boys' School in Upper Hutt.[3][4] His father, John Bishop, was a political journalist and founder of the Atlas Network affiliated New Zealand Taxpayers' Union. His mother, Rosemary Dixon, is an environmental lawyer.[5][6][7] In 2000 he was a member of the New Zealand Youth Parliament, selected to represent List MP Muriel Newman.[8] He graduated Victoria University of Wellington with first-class honours in Law and a Bachelor of Arts in History and Politics.[9] He claims to have won 10 intervarsity debating tournaments, including at the Cambridge Union and Sydney Union, and a range of awards for legal argument and oratory. He met his partner, Jenna Raeburn, through the Victoria University Debating Society. Bishop worked as a summer clerk at Russell McVeagh and Crown Law while at university.[5] While at university he had a part-time position at the Ministry of Education to draft letters for the then Minister of Education, Trevor Mallard.[10]

After the 2008 general election, he worked as a ministerial advisor for Gerry Brownlee for 2 years 7 months. Then he worked as a Corporate Affairs Manager for the tobacco company Philip Morris, claiming to be a member of the NZ Management Team despite only being less than 3 years out of University. Then worked as a staffer to Steven Joyce.[11][unreliable source] Bishop is a former tobacco lobbyist for Phillip Morris.[12]

Political career

[edit]
New Zealand Parliament
Years Term Electorate List Party
2014–2017 51st List 49 National
2017–2020 52nd Hutt South 40 National
2020–2023 53rd List 7 National
2023–present 54th Hutt South 3 National

Bishop's work for Philip Morris attracted headlines and comments when he stood for parliament for the National Party, given he worked against the party's plans to increase tobacco excise and introduce plain packaging. On the day of his selection as a candidate he announced that he supported both policies.[13]

First term: 2014–2017

[edit]

He contested the Hutt South electorate at the 2014 election, where he placed second behind incumbent Labour MP Trevor Mallard but entered Parliament as a list MP for the 2014–2017 term. Redistribution of electorate boundaries prior to the election saw Hutt South lose the Labour-leaning suburb of Naenae for the National-leaning western hill suburbs, helping Bishop cut Mallard's majority from 4,825 to 709.[14]

Let me just say finally that I come to this House with the desire to serve, to represent the people of the Hutt Valley, to apply my mind to the challenges facing New Zealand now and in the future, and to work hard each and every day for and on behalf of New Zealanders. Much faith has been placed in me by many people. I intend to work hard to repay that faith.

— Bishop in his maiden speech, 21 October 2014

Bishop served on the Finance and Expenditure, Justice and Electoral, and Regulations Review select committees. Bishop was also part of a cross-party group initiated by Jan Logie to look at and advocate for LGBTI rights.[15] A member's bill in Bishop's name, the Compensation for Live Organ Donors’ Act 2016, passed the house unanimously.[16] The bill aims to remove a financial deterrent to the donation of organs by live donors.

Second term: 2017–2020

[edit]
Bishop and Chlöe Swarbrick at Victoria University of Wellington, 2018

Bishop won the Hutt South electorate at the 2017 New Zealand general election. Long-serving Member of Parliament for Hutt South Trevor Mallard did not contest the election, instead choosing to only appear on the Labour list to become Speaker of the House. Ginny Andersen stood as the Labour candidate. Bishop defeated her by a margin of 1,530 votes. In doing so, Bishop became the first-ever National MP for the seat. This result was credited to a 4-year campaign in the area that donned him the title "Mr Everywhere Man".[17]

The formation of the Sixth Labour Government saw Bishop serve in Opposition. Following Bill English's resignation in February 2018, Bishop publicly endorsed Amy Adams for Leader of the National Party.[18] Adams represented the more liberal wing of the National Party.[19] Adams lost the leadership vote to Simon Bridges.[20] Bridges promoted Bishop into his shadow cabinet in June 2019, allocating him the portfolios of Transport and Regional Development.[21]

In February 2018 it was disclosed that Bishop was using the social media platform Snapchat to communicate with his constituents including teenage girls.[22][23] Parents of the affected stated that his intentions appeared misguided and not malicious.[24] Bishop has since stated that he was running the Snapchat account to help young people become interested in politics and has changed his account so to only allow for communication with his close friends.[24][25] ACT party leader David Seymour has stated his backing for Bishop, saying that "an MP's job is to engage with the young, which is what Bishop was doing".[26]

In March 2020 Bishop went into voluntary isolation for the COVID-19 virus after visiting Australia.[27]

Bishop played a significant role in the May 2020 leadership coup that saw Simon Bridges removed as leader and replaced by Todd Muller,[28] acting as Muller's "numbers man" alongside Nicola Willis.[29] He was subsequently promoted to 12th in caucus with the portfolios of Transport and Infrastructure.[30][31] Muller resigned after 55 days becoming the shortest serving leader of any political party represented in Parliament in New Zealand's history,[32] being replaced by Judith Collins.[33] Bishop was promoted to the front bench as 7th in caucus, retaining his portfolios and gaining "Shadow Leader of the House".[34] With Muller's backers Bishop and Willis rising under Collins, political commentators speculated that "potential dissenters are being kept busy with big new portfolios".[35]

In June 2020, claims were made by Health Minister David Clark that Bishop lobbied for the early release from the quarantine of two sisters who later tested positive for COVID-19. Bishop later stated that he only forwarded their concern through the appropriate channels. He also stated they should have been tested before being released.[36]

Third term: 2020–2023

[edit]

Bishop again contested the Hutt South electorate in the 2020 New Zealand general election. He lost the seat to Labour MP Ginny Andersen by a final margin of 3,777 votes.[37][38] Despite this loss, Bishop was re-elected to Parliament on the National Party list.[39]

On 28 August 2021, Bishop was stripped by party leader Collins of his Shadow Leader of the House portfolio during a reshuffle of her shadow cabinet. Collins claimed that Bishop was stepping down from the portfolio to focus on his role as the National Party's COVID-19 spokesperson. According to Stuff, Bishop had disagreed with the Party's stance on conversion therapy and pushed for a conscience vote on the proposed Conversion Practices Prohibition Legislation Bill.[40] On 30 August, Collins denied losing her temper at Bishop and fellow National MP Erica Stanford for publicly suggesting that they disagreed with the Party's stance on the conversion therapy legislation.[41]

After Collins was deposed as National leader in November 2021, and Christopher Luxon was elected in her place, Bishop was promoted to 4th in the National line up, retaining his COVID-19 Response portfolio in Luxon's Shadow Cabinet, and being reappointed Shadow Leader of the House.[42] In March 2022 he was promoted to third rank in the National line-up and took on the Housing and Infrastructure portfolios.[43] In September 2022 he was appointed as the Chairperson of National's 2023 Election Campaign, and gave up the COVID-19 Response portfolio.[44]

On 19 January 2023, Bishop became the National Party's urban development and Resource Management Act (RMA) Reform spokesperson following a reshuffle of Luxon's Shadow Cabinet.[45]

Fourth term: 2023–present

[edit]

During the 2023 New Zealand general election held on 14 October, Bishop defeated Labour incumbent Ginny Andersen to reclaim Hutt South for the National Party by an election night margin of 1,332 votes.[46]

In early November 2023, Bishop attracted media attention after emailing a forceful email condemning Hamas' actions during the 2023 Israel–Hamas war. Luxon subsequently spoke to Bishop about the email, stating that the "strong language" was "also representative of strong emotions on all sides of this debate."[47]

Following the formation of the National-led coalition government in late November 2023, Bishop became Minister of Housing, Minister for Infrastructure, Minister responsible for RMA Reform, Minister for Sport and Recreation, Leader of the House, and Associate Minister of Finance.[48]

On 15 March 2024 Bishop, as Leader of the House, expressed disagreement with the New Zealand Free Speech Union's (FSU) criticism of the National-led Government's repeated use of "urgency" in passing legislation during its first 100 days in power. The Government had passed 14 laws under urgency over a period of 17 weeks compared with average of 10 across a whole term. The FSU expressed concern that bills passed under urgency received less scrutiny from MPs and the public, and could become law without going through the full Select Committee process. They also wrote that the Government was not mandated explicitly to pass legislation which was not included in the policy manifestos of any of the three governing parties. In response, Bishop rejected the FSU's assertion that the frequent use of parliamentary urgency amounted to a free speech issue and cancelled his FSU membership.[49]

On 20 March 2024, Housing Minister Bishop and Finance Minister Nicola Willis ordered state housing provider Kāinga Ora to end the previous Labour Government's "Sustainable Tenancies Framework" and take disciplinary action against tenants with behavioural issues and persistent rent arrears.[50] While the Government's new housing policy was criticised by the opposition Green and Labour parties' housing spokespersons Tamatha Paul and Kieran McAnulty as vindictive, ACT Party leader David Seymour and Manurewa-Papakura Ward Councillor Daniel Newman welcomed the eviction of unruly state housing tenants.[51] By mid-July 2024, 14 state housing tenancies had been revoked in the past three months due to behavioural issues or persistent rent arrears. In addition, 80 Section 55A formal warning notices had been issued to tenants for disruptive behaviour over the past three months, compared to 13 warnings for the same period in 2023. Housing Minister Bishop praised the increase in disciplinary actions against unruly tenants, saying that "the message to Kāinga Ora tenants is clear: if your actions are causing your neighbours to live in fear and misery, your time is up. Change your behaviour now or face the consequences…" Bishop also said that the Government would prioritise families on the social housing wait list and those living in emergency housing motels.[52]

On 23 April 2024, Bishop as RMA Reform Minister announced that the Government would scrap or ease several farming, mining, environmental and other industrial regulations as part of its planned overhaul of the Resource Management Act 1991.[53] On 20 September, Bishop announced that the Resource Management Act 1991 would be replaced by two laws: the first would address the environmental impact of building and development activities while the second would enable urban development and infrastructure.[54]

On 11 June 2024, Bishop as Housing Minister announced that the Government would introduce legislation to amend the Overseas Amendment Act 2005 to support the Government's "Build to Rent" housing development programme.[55]

On 9 October 2024 Bishop, in his capacity as Sport and Recreation Minister, directed national sporting body Sport New Zealand to revise its 2022 Guiding Principles for the Inclusion of Transgender People in Community Sport. He said that the Guiding Principles were supposed to be voluntary rather than mandatory in accordance with a provision in the National-NZ First coalition agreement which "committed the Government to ensuring that publicly funded sporting bodies support fair competition that is not compromised by rules relating to gender."[56]

Personal life

[edit]

Bishop has a son born in June 2022 with his wife, Jenna Raeburn.[57][58]

In 2020, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand, and following the lowering of COVID-19 alert levels, Bishop appeared in parliament with a mullet, nicknamed the 'Bishmullet'. He states he did it to raise money for a local charity Good Bitches Baking, raising $10,000 for the charity through online donations.[59][60][61]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "About Chris". New Zealand National Party. 18 May 2024. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  2. ^ "About Me". Cjsbstaging.wordpress.com. 11 April 2014. Archived from the original on 26 August 2018. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  3. ^ "Nats select Bishop". Hutt News. 27 May 2014. Archived from the original on 30 April 2018. Retrieved 23 September 2014.
  4. ^ Wenman, Eleanor (28 August 2017). "Hutt students want answers on why their mate was rejected for residency". Stuff. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
  5. ^ a b "Christopher Bishop". Victoria.ac.nz. Faculty of Law, Victoria University of Wellington. Archived from the original on 5 December 2021. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
  6. ^ "Barrie Saunders new Chair of Taxpayers' Union" (Press release). New Zealand Taxpayers' Union. Scoop. 15 December 2017. Archived from the original on 17 December 2021. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  7. ^ Brad Lips (31 January 2020). "The Freedom Movement: Its Past, Present, and Future" (PDF). Atlas Network. p. 38. Archived (PDF) from the original on 6 December 2023. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  8. ^ Harré, Laila (6 July 2000). "Youth Parliament to debate decriminalisation". beehive.govt.nz. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
  9. ^ "MPS Qualifications.XLSX". Archived from the original on 7 August 2020. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
  10. ^ Sowman-Lund, Stewart (14 March 2023). "What jobs did our MPs do before they were in parliament?". Stuff. Archived from the original on 14 March 2023. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
  11. ^ "About Me". Cjsbstaging.wordpress.com. 11 April 2014. Archived from the original on 26 August 2018. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  12. ^ Rutherford, Hamish (21 May 2014). "National picks another tobacco man". Stuff. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
  13. ^ Rutherford, Hamish (23 May 2014). "Hutt South candidate downplays his tobacco past". Stuff. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
  14. ^ Cheng, Derek (5 September 2014). "Boundary changes put Mallard in danger". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 11 September 2014. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  15. ^ Jones, Nicholas (23 May 2015). "MPs' group to focus on LGBTI people's rights". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 4 December 2015.
  16. ^ "Compensation for Live Organ Donors Act 2016". New Zealand Legislation. Archived from the original on 8 August 2020. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
  17. ^ Grant, Damien (30 September 2017). "Insight: How did Chris Bishop snatch Hutt South from Labour's perennial grasp?". stuff.co.nz.
  18. ^ Chang, Derek (14 February 2018). "Amy Adams announces bid for National leadership". The New Zealand Herald.
  19. ^ Hehir, Liam (19 July 2020). "The National Party is not an ideological movement". The Spinoff. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
  20. ^ "New National leader Simon Bridges: 'A great privilege'". Radio New Zealand. 27 February 2018. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
  21. ^ Chang, Derek (25 June 2019). "Simon Bridges says reshuffle not a demotion to Judith Collins". The New Zealand Herald.
  22. ^ Steenkamp, Jacques (11 February 2018). "National MP Confronted About his Social Media Messages to Teenagers". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
  23. ^ Cheng, Derek (11 February 2018). "National MP Chris Bishop changed Snapchat settings after learning of concerned parents". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
  24. ^ a b "Chris Bishop's use of snapchat causes problems". The Standard. 11 February 2018. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  25. ^ "National MP stops communicating with youth on Snapchat". RNZ. 11 February 2018. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  26. ^ "David Seymour: Attacking Chris Bishop over Snapchats is 'man-bashing'". Spreaker. Archived from the original on 20 June 2020. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  27. ^ "National MP Chris Bishop self-isolates after Australia trip". Stuff/Fairfax. 1 March 2020. Archived from the original on 16 March 2020. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
  28. ^ Trevett, Claire (20 May 2020). "National Party leader Simon Bridges expected to face no-confidence vote, how the week will shake down". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 3 June 2020. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  29. ^ Trevett, Claire (24 May 2020). "Anatomy of a coup: How Todd Muller felled Simon Bridges and who helped him". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 24 May 2020. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  30. ^ Small, Zane (25 May 2020). "National's Shadow Cabinet: Paula Bennett pushed down ranks, no sign of Simon Bridges". Newshub.
  31. ^ Gillespie, Kiri (26 May 2020). "'Once a peacock, now a feather duster': Ousted National leader Simon Bridges reveals plans and disappointment". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 2 June 2020. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  32. ^ "New Zealand politics' shortest leaderships". Radio NZ. 14 July 2020. Archived from the original on 14 July 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  33. ^ Sadler, Rachel (14 July 2020). "Judith Collins announced as new National Party leader". Newshub. Archived from the original on 15 July 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  34. ^ Small, Zane (16 July 2020). "Simon Bridges given senior roles on National's frontbench". Newshub.
  35. ^ Bracewell-Worrall, Anna (16 July 2020). "NZ election 2020: The biggest winners and losers from Judith Collins' National caucus reshuffle". Newshub.
  36. ^ Manch, Thomas. "'A desperate, disgraceful smear': Bishop defends lobbying for Covid pair's exemption". Newstalk ZB. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  37. ^ "Hutt South – Official Result". Electoral Commission. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
  38. ^ Whyte, Anna (18 October 2020). "Analysis: The winners, losers, new faces and goodbyes of election 2020". 1 News. Archived from the original on 22 October 2020. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  39. ^ "2020 General Election and Referendums – Official Result Successful Candidates". Electoral Commission. Archived from the original on 7 November 2020. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
  40. ^ Cooke, Henry (28 August 2021). "National Party reshuffle: Judith Collins strips Chris Bishop of key portfolio". Stuff. Archived from the original on 28 August 2021. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  41. ^ Small, Zane (30 August 2021). "Judith Collins denies rumblings in National Party caucus, going 'ballistic' at Chris Bishop". Newshub. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  42. ^ "National Party leader Christopher Luxon reveals new caucus lineup". Radio New Zealand. 6 December 2021.
  43. ^ "National MP Nicola Willis named finance spokesperson after Simon Bridges announced retirement". Radio New Zealand. 16 March 2022. Archived from the original on 15 March 2022. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  44. ^ Trevett, Claire (15 September 2022). "National appoints Chris Bishop as 2023 campaign chair". Newstalk ZB. NZME. Archived from the original on 24 September 2022. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  45. ^ "National reshuffle: Luxon promotes former leaders Judith Collins, Todd Muller". The New Zealand Herald. 19 January 2023. Archived from the original on 19 January 2023. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  46. ^ "Hutt South - Official Result". Electoral Commission. 3 November 2023. Archived from the original on 8 November 2023. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  47. ^ "Chris Bishop spoken to by Christopher Luxon on 'strongly worded' email comparing Hamas attack to Holocaust". Radio New Zealand. 1 November 2023. Archived from the original on 7 November 2023. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  48. ^ "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.
  49. ^ Doyle, Trent. "National's Chris Bishop blasts letter from Free Speech Union, asks to 'cancel my membership'". Newshub. Archived from the original on 15 March 2024. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
  50. ^ Desmarais, Felix (18 March 2024). "Harder line on unruly Kāinga Ora tenants, overdue rent - government". 1 News. TVNZ. Archived from the original on 20 March 2024. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
  51. ^ "Kāinga Ora crackdown: Government's move cruel, Greens say". Radio New Zealand. 18 March 2024. Archived from the original on 18 March 2024. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
  52. ^ "Kāinga Ora evictions rise in crackdown on unruly tenants". RNZ. 14 July 2024. Archived from the original on 13 July 2024. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
  53. ^ "Govt reveals first changes to Resource Management Act". 1 News. 23 April 2024. Archived from the original on 23 April 2024. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
  54. ^ Martin, Robin (20 September 2024). "Resource Management Act to be replaced by two new laws". RNZ. Archived from the original on 20 September 2024. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
  55. ^ "NZ's largest Build to Rent development opens its doors". Inside Government. JSL Media. 11 June 2024. Archived from the original on 17 June 2024. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
  56. ^ Bishop, Chris (9 October 2024). "Sport NZ asked to update Transgender Inclusion Guiding Principles". Beehive.govt.nz. New Zealand Government. Archived from the original on 9 October 2024. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
  57. ^ @cjsbishop (27 June 2022). "My wife was giving birth to my son so forgive me" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  58. ^ "National MP Chris Bishop schools Twitter troll with news of son's birth". NZ Herald. 29 June 2022. Archived from the original on 28 June 2022. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
  59. ^ "National MP Chris Bishop rocks new mullet look for charity". NZ Herald. 15 May 2020. ISSN 1170-0777. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  60. ^ "Covid 19 coronavirus: MP commits to horror hairdo for charity". NZ Herald. 14 May 2020. ISSN 1170-0777. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  61. ^ "Bishmullet for Good Bitches Baking". Givealittle. Retrieved 3 July 2020..
Political offices
Preceded by Shadow Leader of the House
2020–2021
2021–2023 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
Michael Woodhouse
 Succeeded by
Michael Woodhouse
New Zealand Parliament
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Hutt South
2017–2020
2023–present 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
Ginny Andersen
 Incumbent
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