Tangi Utikere
JP MP
Member of the New Zealand Parliament
for Palmerston North
Assumed office
17 October 2020
Preceded byIain Lees-Galloway
5th Deputy Mayor of Palmerston North
In office
26 October 2016 – 18 October 2020
MayorGrant Smith
Preceded byDuncan McCann
Succeeded byAleisha Rutherford
Palmerston North City Councillor
In office
9 October 2010 – 18 October 2020
Preceded byMulti-member district
Succeeded byOrphée Mickalad
Personal details
Born1979 or 1980 (age 43–44)
Palmerston North, New Zealand
Political partyLabour

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]

Early life and professional career

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

New Zealand Parliament
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.[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

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

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]

  • "Photo of Utikere waiting for official election results, 2023". Stuff (Fairfax). 2023.

References

  1. ↑ "Tangi Utikere – Palmerston North Deputy Mayor". Palmerston North City Council. Archived from the original on 21 September 2020. Retrieved 17 November 2018.
  2. ↑ "Utikere becomes Palmerston North's deputy mayor". Stuff. Archived from the original on 17 November 2018. Retrieved 17 November 2018.
  3. 1 2 "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.
  4. ↑ "Parliamentary Youth MPs". Archived from the original on 16 July 1997.
  5. ↑ "Criminal Cases Review Commission Board Appointments Announced". Scoop. 2 June 2020. Archived from the original on 1 July 2020. Retrieved 12 June 2020.
  6. ↑ 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.
  7. ↑ "Electorate chairman joins Labour race". Manawatu Standard. Stuff. 18 February 2009. Archived from the original on 22 July 2020. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
  8. ↑ "Palmerston North Preliminary Election Results". Scoop. 13 October 2013. Archived from the original on 12 June 2020. Retrieved 12 June 2020.
  9. ↑ "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.
  10. ↑ "Palmerston North City Council elections". Scoop. 8 October 2016. Archived from the original on 12 June 2020. Retrieved 12 June 2020.
  11. ↑ "Palmerston North keeps Grant Smith as mayor". Stuff. 12 October 2019. Archived from the original on 26 July 2020. Retrieved 12 June 2020.
  12. ↑ "Utikere becomes Palmerston North's deputy mayor". Manawatu Standard. Stuff. 26 October 2016. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
  13. ↑ 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.
  14. ↑ "Deputy mayor Labour candidate Tangi Utikere returns his salary back to ratepayers". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  15. ↑ "Palmerston North – Official Result". Electoral Commission. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  16. ↑ "Palmerston North – Official Result". Electoral Commission. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  17. ↑ "By-election 2021: Final results". www.pncc.govt.nz.
  18. ↑ "More transparency needed in local government, says MP". Stuff. 4 July 2021. Retrieved 29 December 2021.
  19. ↑ "Local Government (Pecuniary Interests Register) Amendment Bill – New Zealand Parliament". www.parliament.nz. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  20. ↑ "Utikere, Tangi – New Zealand Parliament". www.parliament.nz. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  21. ↑ Rankin, Janine (31 January 2023). "Palmerston North's Tangi Utikere becomes chief whip". Stuff. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  22. ↑ "Palmerston North - Official Result". Electoral Commission. 3 November 2023. Archived from the original on 23 November 2023. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
  23. ↑ "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.
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