New MP Butterick celebrates poll victory with opponent McAnulty
Mutual respect over an ale on election night for local MPs
Some electorate evenings are high-tension, some have devastating oustings, some have powerful speeches, and some feature Wairarapa-style hospitality.
Incoming National MP Mike Butterick told Hawke’s Bay Today he decided to celebrate his victory over Labour MP Kieran McAnulty by inviting him around for a drink.
“Kieran came around last night and had a beer with us,” Butterick said on Sunday.
“He’s worked hard as an MP for the electorate and you’ve got to respect him for that.”
Butterick had garnered 17,908 votes to McAnulty’s 15,427, for a solid 2481-vote margin, in the preliminary result on election night.
He was beaten by McAnulty in 2020 by 6545 votes but the tide turned, even as McAnulty’s star in Wellington rose.
“At the end of the day, we’re just a couple of guys trying to do the right thing for the people we live with,” Butterick said.
The Masterton-based sheep and
beef farmer began his farming career shepherding in Canterbury before moving to Wairarapa more than 30 years ago.
He said the region, which includes Tararua and big parts of Central Hawke’s Bay, was incredibly connected
and he would work “as hard as he possibly could” to represent its views.
Butterick said his focus would be working on National’s 100-day plan from ground level.
The plan includes issues that
would likely affect the electorate, such a repeal of Labour’s water reforms legislation as well as repealing Labour’s RMA 2.0 laws.
“Fundamentally, there’s a lot of things to fix. We’ve got the 100-day plan so we will be very busy getting that implemented,” Butterick said.
McAnulty, the minister who led the cyclone response, is guaranteed a seat in Parliament, considering his spot at number 16 on Labour’s list.
In a big shake-up for Hawke’s Bay politics, all four electorates across the region welcomed a new MP, with three of those electorates being flipped from Labour to National (Napier, Tukituki and Wairarapa).
National’s Katie Nimon, now the youngest MP in Hawke’s Bay at the age of 32, will take the reins from three-term Napier Labour MP Stuart Nash.
With all votes from Saturday counted, excluding special votes, the preliminary result had Nimon on 18,793 votes compared to 10,693 votes for her closest rival, Labour candidate Mark Hutchinson.
She said she was surprised by the margin.
“I did not think that kind of result was possible.
“It just goes to show that people like what it is I am there to deliver, and I will just keep going on that same theme.”
She said waking up on Sunday as the electorate’s new representative felt “pretty cool“.
“For me, it’s [been about] being myself and working really hard and throwing myself into the communities and taking the high road,” she said of her campaign.
“And it paid off, and that is what people elected me on, and that is the way I wish to continue.”
She thanked everyone who had voted for her.
“I just want to say thank you, and thanks for the support, and know that I am going to work really, really hard for Napier.
“And when I say Napier, I mean the entire electorate, not just the city — all the rural communities as well. We have a lot to get done, and we will get cracking.”