Summary
Tangi William Edward Utikere JP MP (born c. 1980) is a New Zealand politician, and Member of Parliament for Palmerston North since 2020. He was the deputy mayor of Palmerston North from 2016 to 2020, being the first non-European to serve in that role.[1][2]
Tangi Utikere | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Palmerston North | |
| Assumed office 17 October 2020 | |
| Preceded by | Iain Lees-Galloway |
| 5th Deputy Mayor of Palmerston North | |
| In office 26 October 2016 – 18 October 2020 | |
| Mayor | Grant Smith |
| Preceded by | Duncan McCann |
| Succeeded by | Aleisha Rutherford |
| Palmerston North City Councillor | |
| In office 9 October 2010 – 18 October 2020 | |
| Preceded by | Multi-member district |
| Succeeded by | Orphée Mickalad |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1979 or 1980 (age 43–44) Palmerston North, New Zealand |
| Political party | Labour |
Early life and professional career edit
Utikere was born and educated in Palmerston North and is of Cook Islands descent.[3] In 1997 he was a member of the New Zealand Youth Parliament, selected to represent List MP Jill White.[4] He studied and later taught at Freyberg High School as a history teacher, and is also a Justice of the peace and marriage celebrant.[3] On 2 June 2020, Utikere was appointed as a member of the New Zealand Criminal Cases Review Commission.[5][6]
Political career edit
| Years | Term | Electorate | List | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020–2023 | 53rd | Palmerston North | none | Labour | |
| 2023–present | 54th | Palmerston North | 25 | Labour | |
Early political career edit
Utikere unsuccessfully contested the Labour nomination for the Palmerston North electorate following the retirement of Steve Maharey in 2008, losing to Iain Lees-Galloway.[7]
He was first elected to the Palmerston North City Council in 2010, and was re-elected in 2013.[8] In 2015 he unsuccessfully ran for Mayor, coming second behind Grant Smith.[9] He was re-elected to the City Council in 2016[10] and in 2019 was re-elected as the city's highest polling city councillor.[11] In 2016 he was appointed as deputy mayor.[12]
On 26 July 2020 Utikere was selected as Labour's candidate for the Palmerston North electorate following the announcement that Iain Lees-Galloway would not be standing.[13] During the election campaign he donated his deputy mayor's salary to the city's Mayoral Relief Fund.[14]
First term, 2020–2023 edit
During the 2020 New Zealand general election held on 17 October, Utikere won the Palmerston North seat, retaining it for Labour by a margin of 12,508 votes and nearly doubling Lees-Galloway's lead during the 2017 New Zealand general election.[15][16]
In February 2021 a by-election was held to fill his vacant seat on the city council, it was won by Orphée Mickalad.[17]
In July 2021, his Member's Bill requiring all local council elected members to publicly declare their pecuniary interests on a Register, was drawn from the ballot.[18] It was passed into law by Parliament in May 2022.[19]
Having served on Parliament's Governance and Administration and Environment select committees, Utikere became the Chairperson of the Health Select Committee on 4th May 2022.[20] In a January 2023 Cabinet reshuffle, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins appointed Utikere as Chief Government Whip.[21]
Second term, 2023–present edit
During the 2023 New Zealand general election, Utikere retained the Palmerston North electorate by a margin of 3,087 votes.[22] He became Chief Whip, spokesperson for transport, oceans and fisheries, and associate spokesperson for education (Pacific) in the Shadow Cabinet of Chris Hipkins.[23] Following Grant Robertson's announcement that he was retiring from politics Utikere picked up the Racing portfolio.[24]
External links edit
- "Photo of Utikere waiting for official election results, 2023". Stuff (Fairfax). 2023.
References edit
- ^ "Tangi Utikere – Palmerston North Deputy Mayor". Palmerston North City Council. Archived from the original on 21 September 2020. Retrieved 17 November 2018.
- ^ "Utikere becomes Palmerston North's deputy mayor". Stuff. Archived from the original on 17 November 2018. Retrieved 17 November 2018.
- ^ a b "Mayoral hopeful Tangi Utikere pitches values over promises". Manawatu Standard. Stuff. 31 December 2014. Archived from the original on 12 June 2020. Retrieved 12 June 2020.
- ^ "Parliamentary Youth MPs". Archived from the original on 16 July 1997.
- ^ "Criminal Cases Review Commission Board Appointments Announced". Scoop. 2 June 2020. Archived from the original on 1 July 2020. Retrieved 12 June 2020.
- ^ Jimmy Ellingham (24 July 2020). "Palmerston North deputy mayor relishes new justice role". Stuff. Archived from the original on 27 July 2020. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
- ^ "Electorate chairman joins Labour race". Manawatu Standard. Stuff. 18 February 2009. Archived from the original on 22 July 2020. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
- ^ "Palmerston North Preliminary Election Results". Scoop. 13 October 2013. Archived from the original on 12 June 2020. Retrieved 12 June 2020.
- ^ "Grant Smith elected mayor of Palmerston North". Manawatu Standard. Stuff. 10 February 2015. Archived from the original on 12 June 2020. Retrieved 12 June 2020.
- ^ "Palmerston North City Council elections". Scoop. 8 October 2016. Archived from the original on 12 June 2020. Retrieved 12 June 2020.
- ^ "Palmerston North keeps Grant Smith as mayor". Stuff. 12 October 2019. Archived from the original on 26 July 2020. Retrieved 12 June 2020.
- ^ "Utikere becomes Palmerston North's deputy mayor". Manawatu Standard. Stuff. 26 October 2016. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
- ^ Walls, Jason (26 July 2020). "Labour selects new Palmerston North candidate after Iain Lees-Galloway's sacking by Ardern". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 20 August 2020. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
- ^ "Deputy mayor Labour candidate Tangi Utikere returns his salary back to ratepayers". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
- ^ "Palmerston North – Official Result". Electoral Commission. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
- ^ "Palmerston North – Official Result". Electoral Commission. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
- ^ "By-election 2021: Final results". www.pncc.govt.nz.
- ^ "More transparency needed in local government, says MP". Stuff. 4 July 2021. Retrieved 29 December 2021.
- ^ "Local Government (Pecuniary Interests Register) Amendment Bill – New Zealand Parliament". www.parliament.nz. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
- ^ "Utikere, Tangi – New Zealand Parliament". www.parliament.nz. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
- ^ Rankin, Janine (31 January 2023). "Palmerston North's Tangi Utikere becomes chief whip". Stuff. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
- ^ "Palmerston North - Official Result". Electoral Commission. 3 November 2023. Archived from the original on 23 November 2023. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
- ^ "Labour Party leader Chris Hipkins reveals new shadow Cabinet". Radio New Zealand. 30 November 2023. Archived from the original on 11 December 2023. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
- ^ "Labour reshuffle: Edmonds moves up as Finance spokesperson". RNZ. 20 February 2024. Retrieved 26 February 2024.