A teary-eyed Chris Hipkins fronted media yesterday to respond to claims made online by his ex-wife Jade Paul. The Labour Party leader denied the allegations – which paint him as an unsupportive partner, but do not suggest any unlawful behaviour – as they spread across social media.

Paul’s post detailing the claims has been deleted, but in a subsequent one she referenced the many women “hurt by high profile men who just do what they want with no consequences”. Hipkins, meanwhile, said he didn’t believe a public back-and-forth over the claims “would be the best thing for anybody involved, but particularly not for my children”.

Made with the support of NZ On Air.