Tangi UtikereJP MP | |
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Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Palmerston North | |
Incumbent | |
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 44–45) Palmerston North, New Zealand |
Political party | Labour |
Tangi William Edward Utikere (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.
Early life and professional career
Utikere was born and educated in Palmerston North and is of Cook Islands descent. In 1997 he was a member of the New Zealand Youth Parliament, selected to represent List MP Jill White. In 2002, he completed a Bachelor of Arts with a double major in Politics and Social Policy at Massey University. The following year, Utikere attained a Graduate Diploma in Teaching (Secondary). He later taught at Freyberg High School as a history teacher, and is also a Justice of the peace and marriage celebrant. On 2 June 2020, Utikere was appointed as a member of the New Zealand Criminal Cases Review Commission.
Political career
Years | Term | Electorate | List | Party | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2020–2023 | 53rd | Palmerston North | none | Labour | |
2023–present | 54th | Palmerston North | 25 | Labour |
Early political career
Utikere unsuccessfully contested the Labour nomination for the Palmerston North electorate following the retirement of Steve Maharey in 2008, losing to Iain Lees-Galloway.
He was first elected to the Palmerston North City Council in 2010, and was re-elected in 2013. In 2015 he unsuccessfully ran for Mayor, coming second behind Grant Smith. He was re-elected to the City Council in 2016 and in 2019 was re-elected as the city's highest polling city councillor. In 2016 he was appointed as deputy mayor.
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. During the election campaign he donated his deputy mayor's salary to the city's Mayoral Relief Fund.
First term, 2020–2023
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.
In February 2021 a by-election was held to fill his vacant seat on the city council, it was won by Orphée Mickalad.
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. It was passed into law by Parliament in May 2022.
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. In a January 2023 Cabinet reshuffle, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins appointed Utikere as Chief Government Whip.
Second term, 2023–present
During the 2023 New Zealand general election, Utikere retained the Palmerston North electorate by a margin of 3,087 votes. He became Chief Whip, spokesperson for transport, oceans and fisheries, and associate spokesperson for education (Pacific) in the Shadow Cabinet of Chris Hipkins. Following Grant Robertson's announcement that he was retiring from politics Utikere picked up the Racing portfolio.
External links
- "Photo of Utikere waiting for official election results, 2023". Stuff (Fairfax). 2023.
References
- "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.
- ^ "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.
- "Massey University graduates database search". www.massey.ac.nz. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
- "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.
New Zealand Parliament | ||
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Preceded byIain Lees-Galloway | Member of Parliament for Palmerston North 2020–present |
Incumbent |
Political offices | ||
Preceded byDuncan McCann | Deputy Mayor of Palmerston North 2016–2020 |
Succeeded byAleisha Rutherford |
Party political offices | ||
Preceded byDuncan Webb | Senior Whip of the Labour Party 2023–present |
Incumbent |
New Zealand Labour Party | |||||||||||||
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Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives | |||||||||||||
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Presiding officer: Speaker Gerry Brownlee | |||||||||||||
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2023 general election |
- Living people
- 21st-century New Zealand politicians
- People from Palmerston North
- New Zealand people of Cook Island descent
- New Zealand justices of the peace
- New Zealand Labour Party politicians
- Palmerston North City Councillors
- Deputy mayors of places in New Zealand
- Candidates in the 2020 New Zealand general election
- Candidates in the 2023 New Zealand general election
- New Zealand Labour Party MPs
- Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives
- New Zealand MPs for North Island electorates
- LGBTQ members of the Parliament of New Zealand
- New Zealand Youth MPs