New MP Catherine Wedd says she is going to go to bat for farmers and growers in Hawke's Bay. Photo / Paul Taylor
New MP Catherine Wedd says she is going to go to bat for farmers and growers in Hawke's Bay. Photo / Paul Taylor
As a raucous election-night crowd of family and friends surrounded new Tukituki MP Catherine Wedd, she thought of one of them looking down from above.
Because Saturday is not the first time the Wedd family has claimed a general election win.
Her late grandfather Bill Tollhurst won the Whanganui seat for National in 1969.
“I know that he would be looking down and be so proud to see another family member going to Parliament,” she told her supporters on Saturday as the votes very quickly showed the night would go in her favour.
Just like the Napier electorate, and further south in Wairarapa, Tukituki returned to blue, the first-time candidate snatching the seat from Labour incumbent Anna Lorck.
Wedd, a former BBC and TVNZ journalist-turned-horticulture marketing executive, said she was always optimistic about her chances of winning given the feedback she’d received from “thousands” of door-knocks she did across the electorate.
But after all of the 34,955 preliminary votes were counted, Wedd had secured an 8978-vote margin, with just special votes to come.
“We were absolutely overwhelmed by a huge sweep of the blue wave across Hawke’s Bay. To almost get a 9000 majority in Tukituki and turn the 1500 majority from last time was absolutely incredible.”
She was essentially guaranteed a seat in Parliament anyway, ranked number 23 on the National Party list, but voters decided to give her the electorate seat too.
Speaking to Hawke’s Bay Today on Sunday, she said to keep her election promises, she would need to advocate for farmers and growers across Hawke’s Bay.
“I ran a campaign based on being very aspirational for a food-producing region. I think as a food-producing sector, we need to be more aspirational for our producers, including our farmers and our growers.
“I will make sure I’m a really strong advocate, making sure we are getting rid of a lot of the red tape and regulation while supporting our Hawke’s Bay food producers.”
She believed her diverse background, which includes trade exporting, law and media, would help get Hawke’s Bay back on the international stage after Covid.
“We need to open up more market access. We need to be more aspirational for our exporters and for the produce we export. That’s an area [where] I feel I can add some really good value.”
Crime was also front of mind for her. In line with National Party rhetoric, she vowed to crack down on gang membership numbers in Hawke’s Bay.
“People will be wanting to see that, so we will certainly be carrying that through.”
Working with flood-hit communities is something she said she would also continue to do, as parts of the region are still reeling from the effects of Cyclone Gabrielle.
The campaign was a family affair from the start. Wedd said her husband Henry and four children had been heavily involved and would continue to support her in Parliament.
Wedd said she’d had a quick text exchange about the result between herself and Lorck on the night.
Lorck, whose tenacity drove her to an against-the-odds victory in 2020, told Hawke’s Bay Today it was a “privilege and honour” to serve the people of Tukituki, and congratulated Wedd and Napier electorate winner Katie Nimon.
“It’s been a huge 10 years of hard work and relentless advocacy to earn and be Tukituki’s local MP, and I’ve loved being able to do as much as I can for Hawke’s Bay.
“What I’ve learned over the years and through many elections is that as one door closes another always opens, and I will always give everything I do 100 per cent.”
She also thanked her volunteers and family for their support, especially her five daughters, who “lived the journey and job” with her.
Wedd said she wouldn’t change anything about her campaign, and also wanted to thank her supporters and volunteers for what was an “amazing” weekend for Hawke’s Bay.
