9 December 2007

Hipkins wins Labour nomination for Rimutaka

Chris Hipkins is thrilled to have been selected as Labour's candidate for Rimutaka at next year's general election.

"It is a great honour and privilege to have been selected to represent Labour in this electorate. I'm really looking forward to the challenge and will work hard not only to win the seat for Labour, but also to increase Labour's share of the Party Vote so that Helen Clark can go on to lead a fourth term Labour government," Mr Hipkins said.

Mr Hipkins, who is 29, was brought up in the Hutt Valley and attended Waterloo Primary School, Hutt Intermediate, and Hutt Valley Memorial College. He obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree majoring in Political Science and Criminology at Victoria University, where he also served two terms as President of the Students' Association.

Mr Hipkins worked as a Senior Advisor to Hon Trevor Mallard, working particularly on education policy, and has also worked in the industry training sector, mainly in the oil and gas industry. Mr Hipkins has recently returned from London, where he worked for the Health Professions Council.

Current Rimutaka MP Paul Swain said he is particularly pleased with the selection.

"Chris is the face of modern Labour. He has energy, enthusiasm and is passionate about promoting Labour's achievements. Chris grew up in the Hutt Valley and is a very popular choice among local Labour Party members. He represents the rejuvenation that Prime Minister Helen Clark as been calling for," Mr Swain said.

"The local Labour Party and I are determined to work hard to ensure that Chris wins Rimutaka for Labour and that Helen Clark can lead another government after the next election," Mr Swain said.

Chris Hipkins said he knows there will be a lot of hard work required over the coming months but is confident he can gather a good team around him to campaign in the electorate.

"The hard work starts now. We will run a very visible and active campaign in Rimutaka. Over the next few months I will be meeting as many community, business and local authority leaders as possible to introduce myself and talk about the importance of Labour being able to continue its work in the interests of all New Zealanders," Mr Hipkins said.

 
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