Labour leader Chris Hipkins has showed off his impressive carpentry skills, crafting a TV cabinet from scratch.
Hipkins, widely known as Chippie, took to Facebook on Sunday to reveal the finished product of a project he had been working on for over two months.
“Last school holidays I started a little woodworking project – a new TV cabinet from scratch,” the post read.
“It’s taken a while to finish but I’m pretty happy with the result.”
Photos accompanying the post show the former Prime Minister on the tools in his garage and the finished product painted in black.
It’s not the first time Hipkins has spoken out about his love for DIY projects, however. Speaking to Woman’s Weekly at his home last year, Hipkins happily pointed out the various pieces of furniture he crafted himself.
“When I bought my first house, it was more expensive than I could afford, so I made all the furniture myself,” he said. “They’re looking a bit battered, but all of these wooden shelves and things, I made myself – not from kitsets, from scratch.”
Hipkins said his ability to knock furniture together in his spare time comes from his dad, Doug Hipkins, who taught him never to pay someone for a job you can do yourself.
“Towards the end of his working life, he was at this correspondence school, making woodworking kits and sending them out. He had this big workshop and I used to go there. He had all the tools that you could ever want, so it was great and I used to make stuff.”
Hipkins told Woman’s Weekly he would do more if he had the time.
“My intention is to make a proper cabinet with some cupboards and drawers. I’ve never done something with drawers, so my goal is to try and do something new that I haven’t done. It’s good to have a goal.”
The Rotorua law student who authored it says the support was 'overwhelming but inspiring'.