Nick Smith (New Zealand politician)
Nicolas Rex Smith[1] (born 24 December 1964)[2] is a New Zealand politician who served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for the National Party from 1990 to 2021. He served as a Cabinet minister, holding various posts including Minister for Building and Housing, Minister for the Environment, Minister for Climate Change Issues, and Minister of Local Government.[3] For a brief time between October and November 2003 he was the deputy leader of the National Party, then in opposition under Don Brash.
Nick Smith
Himself (as Minister of Housing and Minister of Building & Construction)
Himself (as Minister for Building & Construction)
Constituency abolished
Engineer
Smith represented the Nelson electorate from 1996 to 2020 and, before that, was the member for Tasman from 1990 to 1996.[3] Following his defeat in the Nelson electorate in the 2020 election, he served as a list MP for less than a year before retiring from parliament on 10 June 2021 after multiple allegations of bullying were made against him.[4][5] Smith was elected Mayor of Nelson in the October 2022 New Zealand local elections.[6]
Education and early career[edit]
Smith was born in Rangiora,Canterbury, in 1964, the son of John Smith and Anne Smith. His father was born in New South Wales and came to New Zealand to start a contracting business, building drains and bridges. He has seven siblings; three sisters and four brothers. His father and two brothers all own independent construction crane hire businesses.[7]
Smith was educated at Rangiora High School and was an AFS Scholar to the U.S.[8] He studied at the University of Canterbury where he earned a Bachelor of Engineering degree with first-class honours in civil engineering, and a PhD with a thesis titled The Residual Strength of Soils and Landslide Stability.[9]
Before entering parliament, he worked as an engineer for the Rangiora County Council, and as director of his family construction company. He also served on the Rangiora District Council, unsuccessfully standing while still at secondary school in 1983, and successfully standing again in 1986 aged 21.[10]
Mayor of Nelson[edit]
On 8 October 2022, Nick Smith was elected as Mayor of Nelson during the 2022 New Zealand local elections, succeeding the outgoing incumbent Mayor Rachel Reese. Smith defeated second highest polling candidate Matt Lawrey by a margin of 9,302 votes.[6][76] During the mayoral race, Smith campaigned against the Government's Three Waters reform programme. Following his election as Mayor, Smith stated that the Nelson City Council would focus on recovering from the August 2022 storms that damaged the city, and boosting the local economy.[76]
In early April 2024, Smith opposed calls to ban alcohol advertising at sports games, telling AM "that the economic benefits for the region outweigh the "minor issue" of concerns about social harm."[77]
In early May 2024, Smith stated that he had been reassured by Crown agency Te Whatu Ora (Health New Zealand) that changes to the long-awaited rebuild of Nelson Hospital would address the shortage of beds and seismic issues at the facility.[78]
Political views[edit]
In 2003 Smith voted against the Death with Dignity Bill, a bill aiming to legalise euthanasia in New Zealand.[79]
In 2004 Smith voted against the Civil Union Act 2004 and the Relationships (Statutory References) Act.[80] Smith also voted for the Marriage (Gender Clarification) Amendment Bill, which would have amended the Marriage Act to define marriage as only between a man and woman.[81]
In 2012 Smith voted against the Marriage (Definition of Marriage) Amendment Bill, a bill allowing same-sex couples to marry in New Zealand.[82] In his valedictory speech in 2021 he said that this vote was “an issue I got wrong,” a change of view that he credited in part to family circumstances, and he apologised "to New Zealand's LGBT+ community."[83]
In 2018, Smith vocalised support for human and civil rights as enshrined in the Bill of Rights 1689, during a debate on the Electoral (Integrity) Amendment Bill.[84]