Election 2026: Labour leader Chris Hipkins unaware top cop candidate sits on charter school board despite pledge to axe them
New Zealand Labour leader Chris Hipkins was unaware that his candidate, former police Superintendent Rakesh Naidoo, serves on a charter school board, despite Labour's pledge to abolish charter schools if elected. Hipkins stated Naidoo would need to resign from the board if he becomes an MP.
Why it matters
This incident exposes a potential internal inconsistency or oversight within the Labour party regarding a key education policy, which could affect public trust and the party's image ahead of the 2026 election.
Labour's Chris Hipkins speaks with candidate Rakesh Naidoo. Photo / Jamie Ensor
Labour leader Chris Hipkins was unaware his high-ranking former top cop candidate Rakesh Naidoo sits on a charter school board despite the party’s pledge to scrap charter schools if elected.
Hipkins said Naidoo would need to resign from the board of the New Zealand Performance Academy if he becomes an MP.
Naidoo, a former police Superintendent, is ranked 13th on Labour’s list.
Hipkins told media he was not aware Naidoo was a board member and he would “certainly” need to stand down if he became an MP.
The Labour leader said during Tuesday’s night leaders’ debate, moderated by Jack Tame, that he would scrap charter schools if Labour was elected on November 7.
Speaking earlier today, he argued charter schools were not “adding anything” to the country’s education system and were less accountable than public schools.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in