Mike Butterick
{{Short description|New Zealand politician}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2024}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|honorific-prefix =
|name = Mike Butterick
|honorific-suffix = MP
|image = BUTTERICK, Mike - Wairarapa (cropped).png
|caption = Butterick in 2023
|constituency_MP2 = {{NZ electorate link|Wairarapa}}
|term_start2 = 14 October 2023
|term_end2 =
|parliament2 = New Zealand
|predecessor2 = Kieran McAnulty
|successor2 =
|office3 =
|term_start3 =
|predecessor3 =
|successor3 =
|party = National
|birth_date =
|birth_place =
|death_date =
|death_place =
|spouse = Rachel
|relations =
|children = 4
|residence =
|profession = Farmer
|alma_mater =
|religion =
|website =
}}
Michael David Butterick is a New Zealand farmer and politician. He was elected as a Member of the New Zealand House of Representatives for Wairarapa, representing the National Party, in the 2023 New Zealand general election.
Biography
Butterick grew up in mid-Canterbury, and began his agricultural career as a shepherd in Canterbury. He moved to the Wairarapa region in 1990 and bought a property there in 1995, where he farms sheep and beef. He is the Meat and Wool Chair of the Wairarapa branch of Federated Farmers, and is also a director of Wings over Wairarapa.{{Cite news |last=Staff Reporters |first= |date=20 March 2023 |title=Another farmer wins a National ticket |language=en-gb |website=www.ruralnewsgroup.co.nz |url= https://www.ruralnewsgroup.co.nz/rural-news/rural-general-news/another-farmer-wins-a-national-ticket |access-date=20 October 2023}} Butterick has been a spokesperson for the rural lobby group Fifty Shades of Green, which campaigns against the conversion of sheep farms to forestry. He says the group are concerned about the social, environmental and economic effects on rural communities of increased forestry.{{Cite news |last=Bilton |first=Jan |date=6 August 2019 |title=Citrus comforts: Recipe for success |website=Hawkes Bay Today |url=https://www.pressreader.com/new-zealand/hawkes-bay-today/20190806/page/2 |access-date=20 October 2023}} Butterick tried to convert a farm he owned in Te Wharau to a national park, but when that failed and it did not sell as a farm, he sold it to a forestry company.
=Political career=
{{NZ parlbox header|align=left}}
{{NZ parlbox
|term=54th
|start={{NZ election link year|2023}}
|end=present
|list=61
|party=New Zealand National Party
|electorate={{NZ electorate link|Wairarapa}}
}}
{{End}}
Butterick was selected as the National Party candidate for the Wairarapa electorate in May 2020, following incumbent MP Alastair Scott's decision to retire.{{cite web |title=Mike Butterick National's New Candidate in Wairarapa |url= https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA2005/S00251/mike-butterick-nationals-new-candidate-in-wairarapa.htm |website=Scoop |accessdate=30 May 2020}} He got 34.42% of the vote and was defeated by Kieran McAnulty.{{cite web |title=Wairarapa – Official Result |url= https://electionresults.govt.nz/electionresults_2020/electorate-details-58.html |publisher=Electoral Commission |date=6 November 2020 |access-date=19 November 2020 }} Ranked 58th on National's list in 2020, he did not enter Parliament.{{cite web |title=National releases 2020 Party List |url= https://www.national.org.nz/national-releases-2020-party-list |access-date=8 August 2020 |date=8 August 2020 |archive-date=24 September 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200924124223/https://www.national.org.nz/national-releases-2020-party-list |url-status=live }}
On 18 March 2023, Butterick was selected to contest Wairarapa again for the {{NZ election link|2023}}.{{cite web |title=Mike Butterick Selected As National's Candidate In Wairarapa |url= https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA2303/S00158/mike-butterick-selected-as-nationals-candidate-in-wairarapa.htm |website=Scoop.co.nz |date=18 March 2023}}{{cite news |last1=Hageman |first1=Mitchell |title=Wairarapa election 2023 results: Mike Butterick well ahead of Kieran McAnulty as Wairarapa vote nears later stage |url= https://www.nzherald.co.nz/hawkes-bay-today/news/election-2023-results-the-race-for-wairarapa/IY7MO5JWLBBYPKUOL35RVBBO2U/ |access-date=14 October 2023 |work=The New Zealand Herald |date=14 October 2023 |language=en-NZ}} He was placed in 61st position on the 2023 party list.{{cite news |url= https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/election-2023-christopher-luxon-unveils-list/GL4GFUFMIRHYLISNHYCZS2OPFM/ |title=Election 2023: Christopher Luxon unveils list, senior MP withdraws |date=19 August 2023 |work=The New Zealand Herald |first=Thomas |last=Coughlan |access-date=15 October 2023}} On election night he defeated incumbent McAnulty by a margin of 2,816 votes.{{Cite news |last=Mitchell Hageman |date=20 October 2023|title=Wairarapa hospitality: Mike Butterick and Kieran McAnulty share a beer as results come in |work=The New Zealand Herald |url= https://www.nzherald.co.nz/hawkes-bay-today/news/wairarapa-election-2023-results-mike-butterick-shares-beer-with-kieran-mcanulty-on-election-night/ABNFLLK63RG3ZKTPEMXLEGEJCA/ |access-date=20 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231022053923/https://www.nzherald.co.nz/hawkes-bay-today/news/wairarapa-election-2023-results-mike-butterick-shares-beer-with-kieran-mcanulty-on-election-night/ABNFLLK63RG3ZKTPEMXLEGEJCA/|archive-date=22 October 2023|url-status=live}}{{cite web |title=Wairarapa - Official Result |url=https://archive.electionresults.govt.nz/electionresults_2023/electorate-details-58.html |publisher=Electoral Commission |access-date=16 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231208213152/https://archive.electionresults.govt.nz/electionresults_2023/electorate-details-58.html |archive-date=8 December 2023 |date=3 November 2023|url-status=live}}
Personal life
References
{{reflist}}
External link
{{subject bar|auto=y|d=y|Politics|New Zealand}}
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{{s-par|nz}}
{{bef|before=Kieran McAnulty}}
{{s-ttl|title=Member of Parliament for Wairarapa|years=2023–present}}
{{s-inc}}
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{{NZ National Party}}
{{Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Butterick, Mike}}
Category:New Zealand National Party MPs
Category:New Zealand MPs for North Island electorates
Category:Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives
Category:Unsuccessful candidates in the 2020 New Zealand general election
Category:Candidates in the 2023 New Zealand general election