Miles John Anderson (born 1968 or 1969) is a New Zealand farmer and politician. He was elected as a Member of the New Zealand House of Representatives for Waitaki, representing the National Party, in the 2023 New Zealand general election. From a farming background, he was with Federated Farmers, chaired one of their national bodies, and was on their national board.
Miles Anderson | |
---|---|
Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Waitaki | |
Assumed office 14 October 2023 | |
Preceded by | Jacqui Dean |
Personal details | |
Born | Miles John Anderson 1968 or 1969 (age 55–56) |
Political party | National |
Anderson was born in 1968 or 1969,[1] and grew up in Southburn, a locality in the Waimate district.[2] His family had farmed in the area for generations.[2] He was educated at Southburn School, followed by St Kevin's College in Oamaru as a boarder.[3] He went on to study at Massey University, from where he graduated with a Bachelor of Agriculture degree in 1992.[2][4]
After university, Anderson joined other farmers in 1992 to set up a livestock ultrasound scanning service. Initially servicing the central South Island, the company expanded into South Australia.[3] Anderson was involved in that company for 20 years.[2] He took over a 220-hectare (540-acre) farm from his father in 2004; he mainly runs sheep.[3]
Anderson was the chair of Federated Farmers' South Canterbury Meat and Fibre in 2016.[5] He was then the national chair of the group from 2017 to 2020, and had it renamed to Meat & Wool so that wool would get more prominence.[3][6] He was spokesperson for Federated Farmers on rural security.[7] In this role, he supported the Sixth Labour Government's gun reform following the Christchurch mosque shootings that resulted in the Arms (Prohibited Firearms, Magazines, and Parts) Amendment Act 2019,[8] but criticised the lack of an exemption for semi-automatic rifles for pest control.[9]
Upon his election to parliament, Anderson leased out his farm.[10]
Years | Term | Electorate | List | Party | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2023–present | 54th | Waitaki | 59 | National |
Anderson was selected by the National Party to contest the safe electorate of Waitaki at the 2023 election, succeeding Jacqui Dean who had held the seat since the 2008 election.[11] He was 59th on the 2023 party list.[12]
The election night results showed Anderson had been elected with a 10,359-vote majority over Labour's Ethan Reille.[6] Following the release of the final results on 3 November 2023, Anderson's margin increased to 12,151.[13]