After leaving school she renounced her Catholic beliefs, later becoming a Quaker. At university she was a student radical and joined the Communist Party. Hobbs marched with HART in the 1981 Springbok tour to oppose Apartheid. After the tour she developed a strong interest in Māori issues and became fluent in the language. In May, 1996, she was offered the position of principal of Wellington Girls' College, but never ended up taking the job, instead moving into Parliament on the Labour list.