Chris serves as the Leader of the New Zealand Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition.

Born in the Hutt Valley, he completed a Bachelor of Arts in political science and criminology at Victoria University of Wellington.

Before entering politics, he worked as a policy advisor for the Industry Training Federation and a training manager for Todd Energy, as well as serving as a parliamentary advisor to Trevor Mallard and Helen Clark.

He became the leader of the Labour Party in January 2023 and has served as Leader of the Opposition since November 2023.