November 10, 2008 1:16pm by David Farrar

The new MPs

So who are the new MPs?

National

Steven Joyce – List – likely to be the Honourable Steven Joyce shortly
Sam Lotu-liga – Maungakiekie – hugely respected and over-turned a huge majority. One day will be National’s first Pacific Minister.
Hekia Parata -very very well connected in Maoridom. Not going to be a Minister straight away but will be talking to the Maori Party a lot.
Melissa Lee – already highprofile as the host of Asian downunder.
Kanwal JS Bakshi – needs to convince everyone that the immigration issues raised before the election are not going to be a problem. Adds diversity as New Zealand’s first Sikh MP.
Paul Quinn – Paul will be a good parliamentary brawler in the debating chamber and also be a most welcome addition to the Parliamentary Debating Team. Hekia will beat him into Cabinet, but not by much I reckon.
Michael Woodhouse -Dunedin’s new National’s List MP. His private sector health background will see him on Tony Ryall’s speed dial.
Simon Bridges – Tauranga – the giant killer. Simon will be the most popular MP in Parliament (including with Labour MPs) for killing Winston off in Tauranga.
Amy Adams – Selwyn – the selection battle was harder than the general election battle. Well thought of by those who have dealt with her professionally.
Louise Upston – Taupo. Achieved a huge majority and should keep the seat for the foreseeable future.
Todd McClay – Rotorua. Also achieved a good majority but not as safe as Taupo so will focus on his seat. Can now bring his father out of protective custody 🙂
Tim Macindoe – Hamilton West. This was Tim’s third go at Parliament and would have been his last if he had not made it – but he did. Will be very focused on Hamilton issues.
Aaron Gilmore – List – didn’t win Christchurch East but with a likely Dalziel retirement in 2011, will go all out to snatch it next time.
Nikki Kaye – Auckland Central. Arguably the most popular victory in the country, after Tauranga. I had one former Clark staffer say something along the lines of “Thank God for that” when it was confirmed Nikki had won AUckland Central. Auckland Central remains a red/green seat and Nikki will be very focused on being an outstanding local MP to retain it in 2011.
Cam Calder – List – will have a nervous ten days waiting to find out if he keeps his list place or not.
Jonathan Young – New Plymouth – one of the biggest surprises was his defeat of Harry Duynhoven. A very genial and dedicated worker who put in the hard yards.

Labour

Rajen Prasad – List- may have been a Minister if they had won but now is just going to be a wasted figure in Opposition as his age suggests he is here for one or two terms only. Helped Labour with the Indian vote.
Jacinda Ardern – List- highly respected and regarded and will be a very effective Opposition MP. A near cert for Cabinet once Labour gets back in. Has international responsibilities so may have a lower domestic profile initially.
Raymond Huo – List – a very good fundraiser for Labour. Don’t know enough on whether he will suit the parliamentary environment.
Phil Twyford – List- already a seasoned politician and another future Minister. He will rise quickly.
Carol Beaumont – lost what was an ultra safe seat for Labour. Mixed views on her tenure with the CTU. Will perform better than some of the other unionists turned MPs though.
Kelvin Davis – List – Labour have lost Mahara Okeroa and gained Kelvin Davis. That is a good exchange.
Carmel Sepuloni – a lot of people are excited about her. Young, female, Pacific and a bit dynamic I hear.
Stuart Nash – like Twyford, very likely to rise through the ranks. Has some real charisma.
Clare Curran – Dunedin South. CHallenge for her is to establish herself an an excellent MP and disassociate herself from previous controversy.
Grant Robertson – Wellington Central – Grant will be one of the strongest Opposition MPs in attacking the Government. 100% political. Likely unoffical ringleader of the 2008 intake.
Chris Hipkins – Rimutaka. Like Grant, also a 9th floor staffer. He won Rimutaka narrowly and will be focused on building up that majority.
Iain Lees-Galloway – Palmerston North. Did well to beat Malcolm Plimmer who was ahead in a newspaper poll and had high name awareness having stood previously. The only seat Labour won which surprised me. Don’t know much about him.
Brendon Burns – Christchurch Central. Very talented, but not universally popular. Main focus will be on building up his majority, but likely to have a backroom role in Labour communications despite being a new MP.

Green

Kevin Hague – former CEO of a District Health Board. A strong performer who should do well and may even appeal to some non Greens voters.
Catherine Delahunty – well liked within Greens, but opponents will enjoy citing some of her radical previous statements.

ACT

Roger Douglas – needs no introduction from me. Key challenge for Key and Hide is to find him something useful to do.
John Boscawen – will be prominent over repealing the Electoral Finance Act.
David Garrett – will not be a minister but may end up having some influence on Government’s law and order policies

Maori