Chris Hipkins says he considered stepping down in last 24 hours

Wednesday, 18 March 2026

Labour leader Chris Hipkins says he considered stepping down in the last 24 hours, in the wake of a Facebook post from his ex-wife making a series of unsubstantiated claims about their relationship.

Hipkins rejected the claims, which are not criminal allegations, but declined to litigate the matters in the public eye.

Herald Now host Ryan Bridge asked him on Tuesday morning if he had considered stepping down in the last 24 hours.

Hipkins confirmed he had: “I have a job to do, and yes, of course, but I'm committed to doing my job.”

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Bridge followed up to ask: “You decided to stay?” and Hipkins replied: “Yes”.

He later told RNZ it had naturally come up in the past few days but he was committed to doing his job.

“It would be untrue to say that those thoughts hadn't crossed my mind in the last 48 hours, but everybody in their lives at some point goes through rough patches, and you just have to keep getting out of bed every day. I love my job and and I'm absolutely committed to continuing to do it,” Hipkins said.

Hipkins became tearful at a media conference addressing the matter on Tuesday evening, when asked about how his kids were.

“My kids, my kids are with her. So I don’t know.”

He reiterated that, “I have made a very conscious effort to keep my private life private and to keep my family out of the spotlight.

“You won’t find photos of my kids anywhere on social media. You won’t find me talking about them beyond generic references to being a parent anywhere in public.”

Jade Paul and Hipkins married at Premier House in 2020 after about six years together. Then-Finance Minister Grant Robertson was best man and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern also attended the garden wedding.

In January 2023, just days after taking office following the resignation of Ardern, Hipkins confirmed the couple had split a year earlier.