Born just after the 1981 Springbok tour, Gareth Hughes is Parliament’s youngest MP.

Gareth brings with him a fine pedigree of environmental activism to complement his fellow Green Party parliamentary colleagues.

Gareth has been a crew member of the Rainbow Warrior, enjoyed public transport - courtesy of the constabulary – during a successful campaign to eliminate McDonald's use of GE chicken feed, and protested in Tiananmen Square to hi-light New Zealand coal exports to China.

Gareth grew up in Gisborne loving in equal parts rugby and cars. While completing a degree in Religious Studies, History and Politics at Victoria University, Gareth developed a passion for environmental campaigning.

He has worked off and on for Greenpeace since 2000. During that time, he has been an activist on the Climbing Action Team and the Boat Action Team. Over 2009 Gareth co-ordinated Greenpeace's Sign On campaign where over 200,000 Kiwis ‘Signed On’ to protest government inaction on Climate Change.

Gareth’s full CV includes working in a fish and chip store, a supermarket, as a radio DJ, a telemarketer, a pamphlet deliverer, a hospital orderly, a barman, and a fundraiser. Gareth is married to Meghan and they have a two-year-old son, Arlo.

Green Party spokesperson for: Transport, Housing, ICT, Climate Change (reducing emissions and climate justice), Food (Assoc), Youth, Tertiary Ed (Assoc – students), Oceans (Marine conservation and Fisheries), Libraries and Archives. View all MPs' portfolios.