NZ Government: National’s Christopher Bishop named Minister for Sport and Recreation

Self-described cricket tragic and Lower Hutt MP Christopher Bishop has been named as the Minister for Sport and Recreation in the new National-lead coalition Government with Act and New Zealand First.

The Cabinet lineup for the new Government was announced yesterday and is highlighted by Winston Peters and David Seymour sharing the role of deputy prime minister for half of the parliamentary term each. The Cabinet of the usual 20 ministers will have 14 from National, and three each from ACT and NZ First. National will have five Ministers outside Cabinet, with two from ACT and one from New Zealand First.

Bishop, who is entering his fourth term as a Member of Parliament, is the co-captain of the Parliamentary cricket team and alongside his sports portfolio is also the Leader of the House, the Housing Minister, Infrastructure Minister, Minister for RMA Reform, and Associate Finance Minister. He was National’s chair for the 2023 Election Campaign.

In the recent election, Bishop won the Hutt South seat with 19,144 votes ahead of Labour’s Ginny Anderson with 17,812. He had been a List MP based in Hutt South during the Labour-led Government and between 2017 and 2020 was the MP for Hutt South, the first time National had ever held the seat.

Born and raised in Lower Hutt, Bishop attended Eastern Hutt School, Hutt Intermediate and Hutt International Boys’ School. He has a first-class Honours degree in Law and a Bachelor of Arts from Victoria University of Wellington and has been admitted to the Bar as a barrister and solicitor.

Before serving as an MP, he worked in behind-the-scenes roles at Parliament, as a researcher for the National Party in opposition, and as an advisor to ministers in the John Key-led Government. He also worked as a corporate affairs manager for Philip Morris New Zealand.

National Party MP Chris Bishop arriving at the Cordis Hotel for coalition talks. Photo / Dean Purcell

Since National went into Opposition in 2017, Bishop served at various times as National’s spokesperson for Transport, Regional Development, Police, and Youth and was the Shadow Leader of the House from 2020-2023. He has served on a variety of select committees, including Finance and Expenditure, Health, Justice, Regulations Review and Transport and Infrastructure. He chaired the Finance and Expenditure Committee from February to September 2017.

Before entering Parliament, he was a champion university debater and mooter, winning tournaments around the world including at the Cambridge Union, the University of Sydney, as well as in New Zealand. He was the 2006 Young Wellingtonian of the Year.

Bishop and wife Jenna have a son, Jeremy.

Other than cricket, the other great loves of his life are good coffee, good BBQ brisket, red wine, and rock music.

New Zealand Cabinet ministers

National:

• Christopher Luxon: Prime Minister, Minister for National Security and Intelligence, Minister Responsible for Ministerial Services
• Nicola Willis: Finance Minister, Public Service Minister, Minister for Social Investment, Associate Minister of Climate Change
• Chris Bishop: Housing Minister, Infrastructure Minister, Minister for RMA Reform, Minister for Sport and Recreation, Leader of the House, Associate Finance Minister
• Shane Reti: Health Minister, Pacific Peoples Minister
• Simeon Brown: Minister for Energy, Local Government, Transport, Auckland, Deputy leader of the House
• Erica Stanford: Minister of Education, Immigration
• Paul Goldsmith: Minister of Arts, Culture and Heritage, Justice, State-owned Enterprises, Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations
• Louise Upston: Minister for Community and Voluntary Sector, Social Development and Employment, Child Poverty Reduction
• Judith Collins: Attorney-General, Minister of Defence, Digitising Government, the GCSB and NZSIS, Science, Innovation and Technology, Space, and lead coordination Minister for the Government’s response to the Royal Commission’s Report into the Terrorist Attack on the Christchurch Mosques
• Mark Mitchell: Minister of Correction, Emergency Management and Recovery, Police
• Todd McClay: Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, Hunting and Fishing, Trade and Associate Minister of Foreign Affairs
• Tama Potaka: Minister of Conservation, Māori-Crown relations, Māori Development, Whānau Ora, Associate Minister of Housing
• Matt Doocey: Minister for ACC, Mental Health, Tourism and Hospitality, Youth, Associate Minister of health and Transport
• Melissa Lee: Minister for Economic Development, Ethnic Communities, Media and Communications, Associate ACC Minister

ACT:

• David Seymour: Deputy Prime Minister from 31 May 2025, Minister for Regulation, Associate Minister of Education (partnership schools), Finance and Health (Pharmac)
• Brooke van Velden: Minister of Internal Affairs, Workplace Relations and Safety
• Nicole McKee: Minister for Courts, Associate Minister of Justice (Firearms)

NZ First:

• Winston Peters: Deputy Prime Minister (until 31 May 2025), Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister for Racing
• Shane Jones: Minister for Oceans and Fisheries, regional Development, Resources, Associate Minister of Finance, Energy
• Casey Costello: Minister of Customs, Seniors, Associate Minister of Health, Immigration, and Police

Outside Cabinet:

National:

• Simon Watts: Minister of Climate Change, Revenue
• Penny Simmonds: Minister for Disability issues, the Environment, Tertiary Education and Skills, Associate Minister for Social Development and Employment
• Chris Penk: Minister for Building and Construction, Land Information, Veterans, Associate Minister of Defence, Associate Minister of Immigration
• Nicola Grigg: Minister of State for trade, Minister for Women, Associate Minister of Agriculture (horticulture)
• Andrew Bayly: Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Small Business and Manufacturing, Statistics

ACT:

• Andrew Hoggard: Minister for Biosecurity, Food Safety, Associate Minister of Agriculture (Animal Welfare, Skills), Associate Environment
• Karen Chhour: Minister for Children, Minister for the Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence
• Simon Court: Parliamentary Under-Secretary for the Minister for Infrastructure, and RMA Reform

NZ First:

• Mark Patterson: Minister for Rural Communities, Associate Minister of Agriculture
• Jenny Marcroft: Parliamentary Under-Secretary to the Minister for Media and Communications

Luke Kirkness is an Online Sports Editor for the NZ Herald. He previously covered consumer affairs for the Herald and was an assistant news director in the Bay of Plenty. He won Student Journalist of the Year in 2019.