Todd Stephenson

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Todd Stephenson
MP
Stephenson in 2023
Member of the New Zealand Parliament
for ACT party list
Assumed office
14 October 2023
Personal details
Born
Todd Michael Stephenson[1]

Lumsden, New Zealand
Political partyACT New Zealand
SpouseAlex

Todd Michael Stephenson is a New Zealand lawyer and politician, representing ACT New Zealand as a Member of Parliament since the 2023 New Zealand general election. He has worked mainly in the pharmaceutical industry.

Early life[edit]

Stephenson was born in Lumsden and educated in Invercargill, attending James Hargest College and later gaining a law degree from the University of Otago.[2][3] He worked in the pharmaceutical industry for the 17 years, including for the company Vertex Pharmaceuticals, which makes cystic fibrosis drug Trikafta.[4][5]

Political career[edit]

New Zealand Parliament
Years Term Electorate List Party
2023–present 54th List 4 ACT

Stephenson has been a member of ACT for nearly 30 years, since its formation, and formerly worked for ACT's former president Catherine Isaac.[6] He was attracted to the party by its focus on "private enterprise and individual freedom".[6] He campaigned for the party four times between 1996 and 2005, and was employed by the party from 1997 to 2000.[7] He has been elected to the ACT party board twice.[3]

Stephenson contested Southland in the 2023 election. He was fourth on the national list.[8] At the time of his selection he was living in Sydney, Australia.[9] He subsequently moved to a house he already owned and rented out in Queenstown.[3] During the campaign, Stephenson was interviewed by Jack Tame on Q+A on ACT's policy of an independent review of medicine-buying agency Pharmac. Stephenson said Pharmac needed to do a better job engaging with its stakeholders, and raised the possibility that treatment decisions should be made with a productivity focus in mind.[10] Stephenson identified the cost of living as a particular issue for his electorate, with rents for workers in Queenstown being unaffordable.[3]

On election night, Stephenson received 2,807 votes in Southland, coming fourth behind National's Joseph Mooney, Labour's Simon McCallum and the Green's Dave Kennedy.[11][12] He was however elected to Parliament on the ACT party list.[13]

Personal life[edit]

Stephenson lives in Queenstown with his partner Alex, who is Australian.[6] Stephenson identifies as gay and was founder of the J&J Open and Out Employee Resource Network in Australia, which aims to make sure company policies use language that "reflect[s] a diverse workforce".[14]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Le Quesne, Karl (16 November 2023). "2023 General Election – Election of List Candidates". Wellington: New Zealand Gazette. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
  2. ^ Houlahan, Mike (17 July 2023). "Southland candidate fourth on Act's list". Otago Daily Times.
  3. ^ a b c d Bowden, Kim (14 August 2023). "Twice the voice in Wellington as probable ACT MP moves to Queenstown". Crux. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
  4. ^ Kelly, Rachael (19 October 2023). "New ACT MP Todd Stephenson happy to be in Wellington". Stuff. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
  5. ^ Campbell, Gordon (28 July 2023). "On ACT's Links To Big Pharma | Scoop News". www.scoop.co.nz. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
  6. ^ a b c RNZ (12 August 2023). "ACT's top candidates: The faces and aspirations aiming for government". Crux.
  7. ^ Kelly, Rachael (14 October 2023). "Queenstown's Todd Stephenson likely to head to Parliament as fourth on the ACT Party list". Stuff. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
  8. ^ McGregor, Catherine (17 July 2023). "It's mottoes vs potholes as campaign heats up". The Spinoff.
  9. ^ Kelly, Rachael (25 July 2023). "ACT's newest-to-be MP Todd Stephenson looking forward to the challenge of politics". Stuff.
  10. ^ "ACT calls for "productivity focus" for Pharmac". 1 News. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
  11. ^ "Mooney wins Southland (Queenstown)". Lakes Weekly Bulletin. 15 October 2023. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
  12. ^ "Southland - Official Result". Electoral Commission. 3 November 2023. Archived from the original on 23 November 2023. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
  13. ^ "2023 General Election - Successful Candidates". Electoral Commission. 3 November 2023. Archived from the original on 22 November 2023. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
  14. ^ Brodie, Megan (13 December 2022). "Todd Stephenson, the great connector". MedNews. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
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