From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
New Zealand politician
James Rawiri Meager
[1]
(born 1986 or 1987) is a New Zealand politician and
Member of Parliament
in the
House of Representatives
for the
National Party
in the electorate of
Rangitata
.
Early life and career
[
edit
]
Born in
Timaru
in 1986 or 1987, Meager is of
Ng?i Tahu
descent.
[2]
He grew up in Timaru, where he lived in state housing.
[3]
Meager attended
Timaru Boys' High School
, where he was head boy and
dux
.
[4]
He gained
Bachelor of Laws
and
Bachelor of Arts
degrees from the
University of Otago
, although he had originally intended to become a doctor.
[5]
[6]
He describes himself as "loud-mouthed, obnoxious and opinionated" while at university, and ascribes his bad behaviour partly to alcohol use.
[6]
While at university, Meager helped on National Party list MP
Michael Woodhouse
's 2011 campaign, and went on to run the 2014 campaign.
[6]
Prior to being elected to Parliament, Meager worked as a senior
solicitor
for
Simpson Grierson
,
[7]
[8]
and ran a
consultancy firm
. He has also worked as a
press secretary
to
Paula Bennett
, as a staffer for
Chris Bishop
's parliamentary office, and an advisor to
Bill English
and
Simon Bridges
.
[9]
Political career
[
edit
]
Meager was selected as National's candidate for the formerly safe seat of
Rangitata
on 18 September 2022. It was a close contest with one other competitor vying for the nomination.
[2]
On election night, Meager received 22,792 votes, beating incumbent Labour Party MP
Jo Luxton
by 10,846 votes.
[10]
[11]
Meager said his first priority as a member of parliament would be to ensure the building of a second bridge for Ashburton happened according to the planned timeframes.
[4]
The bridge was announced by the Labour government in August 2023, with construction due to start in 2024 and take two years. Meager was concerned that timeframes might change, but promised to begin construction in the first parliamentary term.
[4]
Meager was the first new MP to give his maiden speech in the
54th Parliament
. His contribution, which discussed his upbringing as a "part M?ori boy raised in a state house by a single parent on the benefit" and the "walking contradiction" of that boy becoming a National Party MP was praised by commentators, who described Meager as "assured and confident" and a possible future prime minister.
[12]
[13]
[14]
References
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]