MP out for family, farming
‘‘I’m looking forward to having a young family and building a different life.’’
A new baby girl born on the first Matariki public holiday last month and the Waikato Expressway’s Hamilton bypass recent opening are two key events influencing Hamilton-based list MP David Bennett’s decision to retire at next year’s election.
His announcement, being made officially today, comes after 15 years as the National MP for Hamilton East between 2005 and 2020, and having been a list MP based in the city since then.
Asked how much the birth of his first child, Julia Elizabeth Bennett, influenced his decision to go, 51-year-old Bennett said: ‘‘A huge influence. Always promised myself that I wouldn’t do this job if I had a family.
‘‘It’s a wonderful opportunity to be a father and to move on, so I’m looking forward to that next chapter in my life,’’ he said, with Julia and his fiancee, Nicky Preston, in attendance.
‘‘I’m looking forward to having a young family and building a different life.’’
The opening this month of the bypass after his long advocacy for the Waikato Expressway is a second event giving him a sense of achievement.
‘‘To see that finish, it’s a bit of a point in making this decision as well.’’
Having done nearly two decades of service is another reason to go, he said.
Since being elected to Parliament, Bennett has held ministerial roles in the food safety, racing and veterans’ affairs portfolios and has been associate transport minister. He is National’s economic and regional development spokesperson and has held finance, primary production and transport select committee roles.
After leaving Parliament, he will maintain ongoing interests in agriculture and horticulture. ‘‘That’s something that’s a passion for me.’’
On whether Hamilton and Waikato might suffer from losing an experienced MP acting on its behalf, he said the city was ‘‘bigger than anybody’’ and that he intended to maintain an interest in regional affairs from the sidelines.
His biggest contribution to Hamilton’s development?
‘‘In practical terms, the Waikato Expressway is the biggest thing. That’s a game-changer for the next generation of this region,’’ Bennett said.
It had helped to get more head offices established in the city, and facilitated Ruakura developments and growth in Hamilton’s north, for example.
‘‘It’s kick-started a lot of business,’’ Bennett said.
He’s clearly proud of his role in National’s roads of national significance policy, which ultimately led to the Waikato Expressway getting funded.
‘‘I was a big advocate to make sure that happened.’’
The low point of his time at Parliament was National losing the 2017 election, but he wasn’t surprised at losing his electorate seat: ‘‘You sort of knew that would happen under that polling system.’’
His favourite National Party leader during his time?
‘‘They’re all different,’’ is his diplomatic answer, although he notes Sir John Key was ‘‘an exceptional leader of the country at that time’’ and that current leader Christopher Luxon is ‘‘a very kind individual but also very driven’’.
However, Bennett highlights his strong working relationship with former National minister Steven Joyce, who he says delivered for Hamilton and whose contribution to New Zealand was ‘‘somewhat undervalued’’.
On the rigours of politics, Bennett says ‘‘it’s a very difficult business to be in’’ but ‘‘you’ve got to be able to [roll] with the punches’’.
Parliament had definitely become more ‘‘corporate’’.
‘‘You see a lot more people at the gym.’’
With Julia born on Matariki, what are Bennett’s thoughts on the likes of race relations, cogovernance and Māori and Pā kehā working together better?
‘‘I actually think we have got a very positive future,’’ he said, but more work was required to get the right ‘‘equilibrium’’.
‘‘It’s not going to be tomorrow, and it’s a constant thing we will work on as a people and as a country. But I’m very confident that we have got a very positive future in that regard ahead of us.’’