Maligning Mr Hipkins

When social media rants become dirty politics.

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Hey, little sister, what have you done?
Hey, little sister, who's the only one?
Hey, little sister, who's your Superman?
Hey, little sister, who's the one you want?
Hey, little sister, shotgun

Songwriter: Billy Idol.

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Second chances.

A failed first marriage that results in two much-loved children, and then, after a time, a second partner to whom you’re better suited and many years of happiness. Sound familiar?

That’s not just Chris Hipkins, that was me too, the difference being that for Chris, these events are a few years past, for me, they are decades, and that is important.

For many years, my first wife and I have had a good relationship, but things weren’t always that way. Back in the first few years after the split, there was enormous hurt and angry words; I don’t think either of us would have been rushing to use the other as a reference.

But you live and learn, and things that seemed so significant fade in time as you focus on the important things that bind you forever, which are your children. Gradually, over time, respect and trust are rebuilt until you’re able to smile at the good times that were had and appreciate that both of you are in better places.

But gee, those early years are tough.

Chris Hipkins front-footed it and told us his marriage had ended when he became the PM in 2023, saying they had split the previous year. I thought it was refreshingly honest, and I know it can’t have been easy.

Then, on the night of the last election, we learned that Chippy had a new partner, Toni, and they looked very happy. It was a delight to see, but I don’t imagine it made for easy viewing by Chris’ ex-wife Jade.

She kept a low profile, and I assumed she had gotten on with her life, which hopefully would become easier as time passed.

And then yesterday we saw the headlines.

The headlines.

Jade went on Social Media on Sunday night and had a rant on her personal page about her ex-husband, and by Monday afternoon, it was all over the media.

My first thought was that there are two sides to every story, and I didn’t need to know the details of someone else’s past relationship. Unless someone has broken the law, which the articles indicated was not the case, then I have no interest in the private lives of politicians; there are far more important things to worry about.

What I was interested in was how a private post on social media found its way to the front pages of our media, going from rumour to smear, and why on earth they ran it.

I posted:

Do you remember when the media had standards? Shame on NZME, Stuff, and TVNZ for running headlines about negative social media comments made by Chris Hipkins’ ex-wife.

We’ve got people without proper shelter, those who can’t access necessary medical treatments, families struggling to afford food, and an oil crisis about to send the economy into turmoil, yet they’re focusing on this crap?

Chippy deserves better than that, and so do you.

Some said this was expected; it turns out the usual right-wing trolls in the independent media had been gloating about there being bad news for Hipkins about to break.

Marcela wrote, “I hope Chippy takes these people to court for defamation; it has all the fingerprints of the right wing. So after 4 years, she decided to COMPLAIN ON FACEBOOK?”

Irene said, “I concur, nothing like innuendo and gossip, to grab some clickbait. The Right are definitely on the back foot.”

Alana commented, “Chippy’s kids deserve better. And they wonder why there’s no faith in the media.”

There were quite a few people concerned about the kids, as was I.

When I sat down to write this, I thought, I don’t want to paint the ex-wife negatively, I don’t know the details of other people’s lives, but what I would say is that for the sake of the children, I don’t think it is fair to have the details play out in social media which then hits the front pages.

Kids go through enough in a breakup, even if it is for the best, without having that heaped on them and the resulting bullying that will no doubt occur at school.

I certainly didn’t want to paint it as a hell hath no fury thing. Jade’s actions may have been inadvisable, but we’ve all posted things we regretted without the same level of fallout. Keep in mind, this was before I had read the post.

The first post.

I’ve now read the post. I’m not going to share it, but you can find it easily enough in the cesspool that is Twitter. My take is somewhat different.

As you may have read in the mainstream media, the post from Sunday questioned Chippy’s conduct in the areas they are electioneering on, namely, “health, houses and jobs”. Jade covers all three areas in her post.

Her comments on the second two topics are damaging and unflattering to Hipkins, though they reek of being a one-sided story. The section on health is disturbing, and if it were to gain traction in the public’s mind, it would probably be the end of Chippy’s career.

Having said that, again I question what the other side of the story is, because despite my intention not to tell this as a tale of a vindictive ex looking to damage the person they are no longer with, that is how it reads, and I have no idea whether it is true.

Mind you, with everything I know about Chippy, I simply don’t believe the events described happened as she has written.

As some of you know, I have had a few reservations about Hipkins and whether he is too moderate or too reluctant to set his stall out in terms of their policy platform, but I came to the conclusion that he was still the best option, and I believe he will be an excellent PM that we can be proud of.

More than that, you can hear in his words such compassion and caring that it makes it simply impossible for me to believe such vile claims without a shred of evidence, or for Hipkins to have a chance to defend himself.

The second post.

Apparently not content with the damage she had caused, Chris’s ex-wife Jade has now made a second post, which reads:

“So many women are hurt by high-profile men who just do what they want with no consequences. We get told all of the time that if we speak out, then our lives will be ruined, our kids will be impacted.

“We get labelled as ‘crazy’ or defamatory when we tell the truth. Today, I have had enough.”

Jade might feel there is an unfair expectation placed on her, but the consequences for Chippy are significant. Whatever her reason for speaking out, the reality is that by portraying the Labour leader so negatively, it could potentially decide the outcome of the next election, and is that really what we want?

So who is undertaking the dirty politics, and why is our media so compliant?

I asked AI to tell me who Jade worked for, and this was the response:

“Jade Paul works as a Ministerial Advisor in the office of Hon Casey Costello, who is an Associate Health Minister and NZ First MP. Sources describe her role as an advisor in Casey Costello’s Ministerial office (related to Customs & Associate Health portfolios), with some noting she previously worked briefly in another ministerial office before moving to a public health sector role, though the advisor position in Costello’s office appears current based on available info as of mid-March 2026.”

The timing with Christopher Luxon flailing and the coalition heading into rough waters is perfect for Chippy’s opponents to shift attention from themselves

There is nothing good here, not for Chippy or his ex-wife and certainly not their children; the only people to benefit are the coalition, and I’d love to know who brought it to the media, although I could probably hazard a guess, and what their political associations and motivations are.

My advice to you - don’t trust the hype, trust your gut. My take on things is that the bitterness that can accompany the end of a relationship and the dreams dashed has spilt over into the public arena, and I suspect Jade is being used by those who can get mileage out of her words.

Have a good Tuesday, folks, and take care.

Ngā mihi,
Nick.

To end today, here’s Billy Idol with White Wedding.