Chris Hipkins' ex-wife makes series of unsubstantiated claims about him

Labour leader Chris Hipkins is seeking legal advice about a series of unsubstantiated claims made by his ex-wife on social media, RNZ understands.

The allegations - which do not relate to any unlawful activity - were posted on Jade Paul's private Facebook page on Sunday evening but have since been removed.

In a brief statement on Monday, Hipkins said: "I reject the allegations entirely and don't intend to make any further comment."

In response to questions from RNZ, Paul said she stood by her comments.

Addressing reporters at Parliament, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said she had not seen the direct allegations or spoken to Hipkins since their publication.

She said Hipkins continued to have the confidence of his caucus.

"Marriage breakups are hard, especially when you have children involved in it. So Chris will talk to his statement, or Chris will provide whatever comment he wants to provide, but ultimately, for a lot of us, it's to make sure that their children are okay."

Edmonds said the saga was "unhelpful" for all politics and she hoped New Zealand would not go further down the route of "deeply personal" attacks.

Hipkins and Paul married at Premier House in early 2020 and separated in 2022. They have two children.

Hipkins publicly confirmed the split in January 2023, shortly after becoming prime minister, saying they had made the decision in the best interest of their family.

Later that year, Hipkins revealed during his election night concession speech that he had a new partner, Toni Grace.

Hipkins proposed to Grace in November.

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