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Jamie Arbuckle

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Jamie Arbuckle
Arbuckle in 2024
Member of the New Zealand Parliament
for New Zealand First party list
Assumed office
14 October 2023
Member of the Marlborough District Council
Assumed office
2010
ConstituencyBlenheim Ward
Personal details
Born1978 or 1979 (age 45–46)
Political partyNew Zealand First
SpouseSally
Children4
ProfessionOrchardist

Jamie Arthur Arbuckle[1] (born 1978 or 1979) is a New Zealand politician.

Arbuckle has been a Marlborough district councillor since the 2010 local elections. In the 2023 New Zealand general election, he was also elected as a Member of Parliament in the New Zealand House of Representatives for the New Zealand First party; he continues to also be a district councillor.

Early life and family

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Born in 1978 or 1979,[2] Arbuckle grew up in Rapaura on an apple and cherry orchard.[3] He did not know his father.[4] Despite "not [being] academic" at school, Arbuckle went on to earn a diploma in management from Nelson Polytechnic (now the Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology).[2]

In 2009 Arbuckle applied to the Marlborough Farmers' Market to set up a stall selling asparagus, but questions were raised about whether he grew it himself, and his application was subsequently turned down. Arbuckle then led a group of stallholders to set up a competing market in Redwoodtown.[2]

He is married to Sally, and they have four children.[3] He trains racehorses as a hobby.[2]

Political career

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New Zealand Parliament
Years Term Electorate List Party
2023–present 54th List 6 NZ First

At the 2010 local elections, Arbuckle was elected to the Marlborough District Council. He was re-elected in the 2013 elections and again in the 2016 elections where he won the highest number of votes in the Blenheim Ward each time.[5] At the 2010, 2013 and 2019 elections he also ran for mayor as well as the council but was defeated, placing second on each occasion.[6] His wife Sally also stood for Marlborough District Council in 2019 but was unsuccessful.[7][8] Both of them were elected in the 2022 local elections.[9] He served as chair of the economic, finance and community committee at the council.[10]

Arbuckle entered national politics when he was selected by the New Zealand First party to contest the Kaikōura electorate at the 2017 election where he finished third.[11] He stood again in the seat at the 2020 election, finishing fourth.[12] After this loss he joined the New Zealand First board.[13] Selected to run a third time in Kaikōura at the 2023 general election, he was ranked 6th on the 2023 party list.[14] Arbuckle finished in third place in the Kaikōura electorate, with 4,347 votes, but entered Parliament as one of eight New Zealand First list MPs.[15][16]

Arbuckle sits on the finance and expenditure committee and is deputy chair of the justice committee. He is also the New Zealand First whip.[17]

Arbuckle refused to resign his position as councillor in order to avoid causing a by-election; he intends to remain on council until October 2024 when a by-election would not longer be necessary to fill any vacancy he creates.[18][19] When he was elected to parliament, he said he would return his council remuneration until his eventual resignation, but later changed his mind and on 6 May 2024 said he would keep it.[20] The next day he changed his mind after being criticised for "double dipping" and said he would donate the council salary to charity.[21]

References

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  1. ^ "Members Sworn". New Zealand Parliament. 5 December 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d Heide, Maike van der (11 October 2010). "Stallholder 'the voice of the people'". Stuff. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  3. ^ a b "Jamie Arbuckle". Stuff. 3 September 2010. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  4. ^ "Arbuckle, Jamie – Maiden Statements". New Zealand Parliament. 12 December 2023. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  5. ^ McPhee, Elena (8 October 2016). "Jamie Arbuckle the top pick in Marlborough's Blenheim Ward – again". Stuff. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  6. ^ Ranford, Chloe (28 October 2019). "'Always the bridesmaid' Jamie Arbuckle makes general election vow". Stuff. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  7. ^ Ranford, Chloe (4 August 2019). "Husband and wife to stand in elections". Marlborough Express. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  8. ^ Heiford, Dean (15 October 2019). "2019 Council Election : Marlborough District Council". Marlborough District Council. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  9. ^ Hart, Maia (14 October 2022). "Final election declaration sees two changes to preliminary result in Marlborough". Radio New Zealand. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  10. ^ Allen, Ian (22 August 2023). "Jamie Arbuckle not fifth on NZ First list. His picture is just fifth down". Stuff. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  11. ^ "Official Count Results – Kaikōura (2017)". Electoral Commission. 7 October 2017. Retrieved 12 October 2017.
  12. ^ "Official Count Results – Kaikōura (2020)". Electoral Commission. 6 November 2020. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  13. ^ Reporter, Maia Hart Local Democracy (28 May 2023). "Councillor Jamie Arbuckle throws hat back in the ring for New Zealand First". Stuff. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  14. ^ "Election 2023: New Zealand First releases party list". Radio New Zealand. 16 September 2023.
  15. ^ "2023 General Election: Successful candidates". Electoral Commission. 3 November 2023. Archived from the original on 17 November 2023. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
  16. ^ "Official count – Overall Results". Electoral Commission. 3 November 2023. Archived from the original on 7 November 2023. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
  17. ^ "Arbuckle, Jamie – New Zealand Parliament". www.parliament.nz. 7 February 2024. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  18. ^ Reporter, Maia Hart Local Democracy (14 October 2023). "Stuart Smith to represent Kaikōura electorate for a fourth term". Stuff. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  19. ^ Kirkby-McLeod, Libby (27 October 2023). "Councillors elected as MPs looking for ways to avoid by-elections". RNZ. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
  20. ^ Hart, Maia (6 May 2024). "MP Jamie Arbuckle to keep two jobs". RNZ. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  21. ^ "NZ First MP Jamie Arbuckle to donate council salary to charity". NZ Herald. 6 May 2024. Retrieved 7 May 2024.