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- By Andrew Bayly, MP for Port Waikato
By now, you will have seen that I will not be seeking the nomination to be the National Party candidate for the Port Waikato electorate at the general election in November.
I first entered politics in 2014 after the then MP for Hunua, Dr Paul Hutchison, announced he was standing down. It was considered a safe seat, and lots of people were keen to be the candidate. I was lucky enough to be selected and subsequently won the seat at the general election to become the MP for Hunua.
Twelve years is a long time in Parliament. National was in Government when I entered, but subsequently lost in 2017 and again in 2020, and returned in 2023. During that time, the Hunua electorate boundaries were redrawn, and we became the Port Waikato electorate in 2020, losing much of what is currently the eastern Franklin district and instead taking in a good deal of North Waikato.
My approach to being an electorate MP has never wavered, and that is to provide advice and support for the people who live here, present their views in Parliament, and maintain strong connections with local communities.
It has been very fulfilling to work alongside local organisations and community leaders to help residents. The issues we have addressed have been vast, including loss of productive growing land to housing, the development of wind and solar farms, and new schools and medical facilities. And then there were the Covid years, which were extremely challenging, with all the lockdowns, the constantly changing alert levels, and the border splitting our communities apart.
It has been an immense privilege to serve the people of the Hunua and Port Waikato electorates.
I have knocked on thousands of doors, replied to hundreds of emails each day, and taken phone calls at all hours of the day and night. I have met some wonderful people – many of whom have become lifelong friends – and have hundreds of fond memories (and some sad ones too). I am so grateful for the trust that people have placed in me.
I will continue to serve the Port Waikato electorate as the MP until the general election on
November 7. I’ll still be out and about, and my office will still be open, so do please say hello or contact me by email.
For electorate issues, contact me at andrew@baylymp.co.nz
