He has an honours degree in public policy from Victoria University of Wellington, where he was a contemporary of a future prime minister, Chris Hipkins – they served together on the executive of the Victoria University of Wellington Students' Association (VUWSA) in 1999.
[1] After abandoning a journalism course at Auckland University of Technology, Nippert won a Fulbright Scholarship in 2005 and gained a Master of Science degree (graduating with honours) from Columbia School of Journalism.
[5] Nippert began his career writing general interest feature stories with a preference for the arts.
The series was credited in parliamentary speeches for igniting pressure for corporate tax reform and was excerpted in A Moral Truth: 150 Years of Investigative Journalism in New Zealand, edited by James Hollings.
[3] Hollings opined that "Nippert is helping cement the role of investigative journalism as a core part of New Zealand public life".