Chris Penk


Christopher Aidan Penk is a New Zealand politician and Member of Parliament in the House of Representatives for the National Party.

Personal life

Penk graduated from the University of Auckland in 1999 and 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.

Political career

At the 2014 election, Penk stood in the Kelston electorate, placing second behind Carmel Sepuloni. Penk was ranked 68th on the National Party's party list and was not elected to parliament.

Member of parliament

Penk won selection as National's Helensville candidate for the 2017 election, replacing former prime minister John Key.