Louise Upston, centre, had plenty to smile about on Saturday night as the general election results rolled in. It was consistently good news for her and fellow Waipā MPs Barbara Kuriger and Tim van de Molen as they retained their seats – Taupō, Taranaki-King Country and Waikato respectively. The News camera was at Hidden Lake Hotel in Cambridge where Upston and her supporters had gathered. Photo: Mary Anne Gill.
Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke
National Party MPs Louise Upston, Barbara Kuriger and Tim van de Molen have all been re-elected with increased majorities.
Taupō, Taranaki-King Country and Waikato electorates are all in The News’ circulation area.
The sitting trio were joined by a raft of new MPs as voters across the country turned away from Labour to the benefit of Te Pati Māori and parties both left and right.
In the Hauraki-Waikato Māori seat, which also covers Waipā, voters ousted veteran Labour politician Nanaia Mahuta in favour of Te Pāti Māori’s Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke, who turned 21 last month.
Barbara Kuriger
She is not only the youngest MP elected but also the youngest in 170 years. James Stuart-Wortley was 20 years and seven months when elected as MP for Christchurch Country in the first general election in 1853.
Maipi-Clarke (Waikato, Ngā Puhi, Ngāti Porou, Te Atiawa, Ngāi Tahu), took the seat from Mahuta, who has held it since 1996 – but voters were strongly in favour of Labour when using their party vote.
Because Mahuta did not put her name forward on the list, the former Foreign and Local Government minister is gone from Parliament.
Tim van de Molen
Taranaki based Angela Roberts, a Labour list MP who covered Taranaki-King Country during the last term, is 35 on the Labour list, and appears to have no chance of returning to Parliament. Labour’s MP numbers will drop from 65 to the mid-thirties.
The News was at the Hidden Lake Hotel on Saturday night when Upston, 52, joined her supporters and family – partner Hamish Craig, sister Rebecca Gibson from Te Awamutu, brother Matthew McGill, children Hamish, Mac and Jessica – to celebrate her election for a sixth term.
Louise Upston
Prior to entering Parliament in 2008, Upston was self-employed as a project management consultant.
She is sixth on National’s party list and expected to return to Cabinet, probably with the Social Development and Employment portfolios.
Kuriger, 62, an MP since 2014, was 36th on the list, and van de Molen, 38, and in for a third term, 58th.
Both have a bit of work to do to get back in National’s good books.
Kuriger stood down from her roles as National’s agriculture spokesperson last year due to what was called a “significant conflict of interest” relating to her son’s animal welfare prosecution and her ongoing correspondence with the Ministry of Primary Industries.
Van de Molen was censured earlier this year for threatening behaviour directed towards a Labour MP.
National also won neighbouring Hamilton East and West seats. City councillor Ryan Hamilton, in the east, held out Labour’s Georgie Dansey, who at 31 on the party’s list is another too far down to head to Parliament. Sitting MP, Labour’s MP Jamie Strange, announced last December he would not seek re-election.
Across the river Tama Potaka retained his seat, beating Labour’s Myra Williamson.
See: Newbie beats veteran; Upston in for sixth term
l–r Hamish Upston, Kirsty McGill, Roger Gordon and Louise Upston on Election night 2023
Louise Upston with her step mother Kirsty McGill. Election night 2023
L-r Louise Upston, partner Hamish Craig and sister Rebecca Gibson on Election night 2023.
Campaign manager Janine Berry hugs Louise Upston.
Louise Upston arrives at the Cambridge function for her supporters on Election night 2023.
