Chris Penk is the Minister for Building and Construction, Minister for Land Information, Minister for Veterans, Associate Minister of Defence and Associate Minister of Immigration. He is also local MP for the Kaipara ki Mahurangi electorate in Auckland’s rural north and northwest. Chris studied at the University of Auckland, gaining a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Laws (Honours). After his initial studies, he joined the Royal New Zealand Navy, serving on frigate HMNZS Te Kaha, and then the submarine squadron of Australia’s Navy. After practising law for a number of years, including in a firm he co-founded, Chris entered Parliament in 2017 to represent the then-Helensville electorate.