Chris was born in Upper Hutt and is a fifth generation Kiwi. He lives in Mt Eden, Auckland with his wife Tomoko and their two children.

He has a Master’s degree, BA and teacher’s qualifications. He has worked in the domains of intellectual property, inventing, education, engineering, construction, railways, seafood, timber, tourism, real estate, aquaculture, and water treatment industries. He led a team that designed and built NZ’s first tyre pyrolysis plant. He has an impressive 25 years international experience, working in teaching, sales, project management, market intelligence and research. He has lived in the USA, Australia, Japan, UK, and Ecuador.