Mr Armstrong retired as the chief political correspondent for the New Zealand Herald in 2015. Based in the Press Gallery at Parliament in Wellington, of which he is a Life Member, he worked for the New Zealand Herald from 1987. Over the course of his career he has covered 10 general elections and 28 Budgets. He was named Best Columnist at the 2013 Canon Media Awards and was a previous winner of Qantas media awards as best political columnist. Prior to joining the Herald, he worked at Parliament for the New Zealand Press Association. A graduate of Canterbury University's journalism school, Mr Armstrong began his career in journalism in 1981 with the Christchurch Star.