Miles John Anderson (born 1968 or 1969) is a New Zealand farmer and politician. He was elected as a Member of the New Zealand House of Representatives for Waitaki, representing the National Party, in the 2023 New Zealand general election. From a farming background, he was with Federated Farmers, chaired one of their national bodies, and was on their national board.
Miles Anderson | |
|---|---|
.png) Anderson in 2023 | |
| Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Waitaki | |
| Assumed office 14 October 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Jacqui Dean |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Miles John Anderson 1968 or 1969 (age 55–56) Timaru[1] |
| Political party | National |
| Spouse | Kim Anderson [1] |
Early life
editAnderson was born in 1968 or 1969,[2] and grew up in Southburn, a locality in the Waimate district.[3] His family had farmed in the area for generations.[3] He was educated at Southburn School, followed by St Kevin's College in Oamaru as a boarder.[4] He went on to study at Massey University, from where he graduated with a Bachelor of Agriculture degree in 1992.[3][5]
Career
editAfter university, Anderson joined other farmers in 1992 to set up a livestock ultrasound scanning service. Initially servicing the central South Island, the company expanded into South Australia.[4] Anderson was involved in that company for 20 years.[3] He took over a 220-hectare (540-acre) farm from his father in 2004; he mainly runs sheep.[4]
Anderson was the chair of Federated Farmers' South Canterbury Meat and Fibre in 2016.[6] He was then the national chair of the group from 2017 to 2020, and had it renamed to Meat & Wool so that wool would get more prominence.[4][7] He was spokesperson for Federated Farmers on rural security.[8] In this role, he supported the Sixth Labour Government's gun reform following the Christchurch mosque shootings that resulted in the Arms (Prohibited Firearms, Magazines, and Parts) Amendment Act 2019,[9] but criticised the lack of an exemption for semi-automatic rifles for pest control.[10]
Upon his election to parliament, Anderson leased out his farm.[11]
Political career
edit| Years | Term | Electorate | List | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023–present | 54th | Waitaki | 59 | National | |
Anderson was selected by the National Party to contest the safe electorate of Waitaki at the 2023 election, succeeding Jacqui Dean who had held the seat since the 2008 election.[12] He was 59th on the 2023 party list.[13]
The election night results showed Anderson had been elected with a 10,359-vote majority over Labour's Ethan Reille.[7] Following the release of the final results on 3 November 2023, Anderson's margin increased to 12,151.[14]
References
edit- ^ a b https://ondemand.parliament.nz/parliament-tv-on-demand/?itemId=237714
- ^ Bowden, Kim (13 April 2023). "School leaver joins farmer in race for Waitaki". Crux. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
- ^ a b c d "Miles Anderson selected as National's candidate in Waitaki" (Press release). New Zealand National Party. Scoop. 19 February 2023. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
- ^ a b c d Argent, Leo (14 March 2023). "Former Fed aims for Parliament". Rural News. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
- ^ "Graduate search". Massey University. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
- ^ Kissun, Sudesh (3 May 2016). "Alliance faces farmer backlash". Rural News. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
- ^ a b Black, Brooke (14 October 2023). "National's Miles Anderson secures Waitaki electorate with solid lead". Stuff. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
- ^ "Farmers seek greater police presence in rural area". Rural News. 28 September 2018. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
- ^ "Farmers back new gun laws". Rural News. 21 March 2019. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
- ^ "Firearm law an issue for pest control — Feds". Rural News. 12 April 2019. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
- ^ McDonald, Liz (16 October 2023). "Voters sweep eager MPs into southern seats". The Press. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
- ^ Duff, Nic (20 October 2023). "It's very real now, says new MP". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
- ^ Radcliffe, Kiah (20 February 2023). "Southburn farmer selected as new National candidate for Waitaki". Stuff. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
- ^ "Waitaki - Official Result". Electoral Commission. 3 November 2023. Archived from the original on 23 November 2023. Retrieved 18 December 2023.