Labour leader Hipkins pledges Palestine recognition, halts job cuts, backs FBI in NZ

Labour leader Chris Hipkins addressed roughly 85 attendees at Porirua’s Northern United Football Rugby Club, fielding queries on a range of issues. He committed Labour to recognising Palestine as a state and to condemning Israel’s actions, while promising to halt the proposed 100-job cut at Archives New Zealand once the party releases its public-service plan after the pre-election Economic and Fiscal Update. Hipkins defended the FBI office in Wellington as valuable for New Zealand’s security and clarified that there is no CIA presence.

He also spoke on tax fairness, climate-friendly economics, and education reform, noting an independent curriculum centre. The event featured former ministers Marian Hobbs and Trevor Mallard, and Labour finance spokeswoman Barbara Edmonds introduced the leader. Hipkins concluded by noting larger crowds are expected in Auckland and expressed interest in investigative journalist Nicky Hager’s upcoming book.