Attorney General Judith Collins is a major power player in the Luxon Cabinet, holding two law degrees and with a legal career spanning four decades.
We outlined Collins’ background in this article, demonstrating her chameleon-like ability to recreate her political and legal careers at different times and she has continued to present the face of an accomplished battler, who has also held presidencies in both the Auckland District and New Zealand Law Societies.
As we reported, Judith Collins obtained first an LLB and then a LLM (Hons) and later a Master of Taxation Studies (MTaxS) from Auckland University before working as a solicitor for four different firms between 1981 and 1990, and then became principal of her own firm, Judith Collins & Associates in the decade up until 2000.
She later became a special counsel to Minter Ellison Rudd Watts for the two years up until she entered parliament in 2002.
The Easily Overlooked Legal Power Player
But the lawyer who has shown a meteoric rise from law school to top dog in the Cabinet is Chris Bishop.
Bishop is both Leader of the House and also holds portfolios for Housing, Infrastructure, RMA reform, Sports and Recreation, as well as being Associate Finance Minister.
He has been a Member of Parliament (MP) from the National Party list since 2014, exemplifies this connection.
Bishop, with a first-class Honours degree in Law and a Bachelor of Arts in History/Politics from Victoria University of Wellington, is a Barrister and Solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand. His upbringing, surrounded by the political journalism of his father, John Bishop, fueled his interest in politics, especially during the dynamic era of Prime Ministers Sir Robert Muldoon and David Lange in the 1980s.
Reflecting on his time at law school, Bishop emphasizes the rare privilege for students at Victoria University, being in such close proximity to Parliament. He recalls attending Question Time and the engagement of MPs in lectures at the law school, an experience he encourages.
As a Deputy-Chair of the Finance and Expenditure Committee and a member of the Regulations Review Committee, Bishop acknowledges the practical application of his law degree in parliamentary activities, describing Parliament as public law in action.
While initially considering a career in law and having summer clerked at major law firms, Bishop diverted to work as a Researcher for the National Party. This led to diverse roles, including Ministerial Advisor and Corporate Affairs Manager for Philip Morris in Auckland, before returning to the Beehive as a Senior Advisor.
His journey from law to politics reveals the multifaceted nature of his advisory role, having involved media, speech-writing, policy development, parliamentary questions, and political advice. He attributes his success in public speaking and debating, honed during school and university, as valuable skills in his parliamentary role.
But his reputation as a key operator really developed with his running of the National Party political campaign in the 2023 election, which toppled a disintegrating Labour regime plagued by policy failures and delivery malfunctions.
Beyond politics, Bishop’s connections to law run in the family, with his mother being an environmental lawyer.
While at law school, he met his partner, Jenna Raeburn, through the debating society. Reflecting on his experience, Bishop describes Parliament as an exhilarating and exhausting workplace, where decisions shape the country’s future. Many of his peers from law school and the debating society have also found their way to Parliament, contributing to the dynamic and impactful nature of their work.
. . And Another Key Legal Player
Simeon Brown is another highly-rated Cabinet player and very much a right-hand-man to Christopher Luxon, along with Nicola Willis.
Brown is an Auckland University law and commerce graduate, who worked at the Bank of New Zealand and so never practised law. A Deputy Leader of the House to Chris Bishop he also holds the key roles as Minister of Transport, Local Government and Auckland.
Not Forgetting . .
Chris Penk, an Auckland University alumna, practiced law before entering politics. He joined the Navy and also served as a sub-mariner with the Australian Defence Force before establishing his own law firm in Auckland, Ong & Peng, now Ong Partners.
Nicola Willis, although not a lawyer, grew up in a legal household, her father James Willis being a former Bell Gully partner in Wellington and her brother a corporate lawyer in Auckland.
