She was a member of parliament from 1996 to 1999, representing the New Zealand First party.
She was first elected to Parliament in the 1996 election as a list MP,[1] and was appointed as Minister of Consumer Affairs and Minister for Senior Citizens.
When New Zealand First splintered, she was one of the MPs who remained with the party core.
In the 1999 election, she was ranked in 20th place on the New Zealand First party list, and was not returned to Parliament.
She more recently worked as the National Chief Executive for the RNZSPCA and is known as Robyn Kippenberger.