Another young Diptonite for Clutha-Southland

National has announced:

Todd Barclay has been selected as the National Party candidate for Clutha-Southland at the September 20 General Election.

 Regional Chair Ele Ludemann congratulated Mr Barclay on his selection.

“Todd is an outstanding choice for Clutha-Southland,” said Mrs Ludemann. …

Todd Barclay was raised in Dipton and Gore, and at just 24 years old has established a strong mix of public and private sector experience in the public relations industry.

Working in Wellington and then Auckland, Todd worked for Bill English and cabinet ministers Hekia Parata and Gerry Brownlee. He left Parliament to work for one of New Zealand’s leading public relations consultancies, before taking on a role as Corporate Affairs Manager for Philip Morris.

Todd went to Gore High School, and studied at Victoria University of Wellington. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Commercial Law.

It was a strongly contested field, and says much about Todd that he managed to win the selection despite his relative youth. Todd was also a very young basketball referee in 2008.

Clutha-Southland was won by Bill English in 2011 with a majority of 16,188, so it is fair to say that Todd is likely to be an MP after the election.

This leaves Bay of Plenty as the sole remaining contested selection for a National held seat.