Nimon proud to be representing southern Gisborne

District’s Third MP REady to serve: New National MP Katie Nimon has ended nine years of Labour rule in the electorate of Napier. Despite the name of the electorate, its north-eastern boundary extends almost to the outskirts of Gisborne and inland as far as Matawai.Picture by Liam Clayton

The Herald’s Wynsley Wrigley finds out about newly elected Napier MP Katie Nimon and learns about her connection to Gisborne.

It is often forgotten that Gisborne has three MPs.

The region’s newly elected third MP is Katie Nimon.

Thanks to the geographically huge electorates that exist in rural New Zealand because of MMP, the third electorate, Napier, extends almost into the outskirts of Gisborne with polling booths at Rere School, Muriwai School, Tiniroto Community Hall and Waerenga-O-Kuri School.

National, riding the 2023 “blue wave”, has again captured the once Labour stronghold with 32-year-old Nimon taking the seat vacated by the retiring Labour MP and former cabinet minister Stuart Nash.

The new MP, who married late last year, has strong name recognition in Hawke’s Bay and among some Gisborne people.

Her family owned the prominent Nimon bus company operating buses (green) and luxurious tourist coaches (mustard) for 116 years.

It was only in 2021 that the family reluctantly sold their 130 vehicles and other assets.

She was the fifth generation of the family to work for the bus company and originally become involved as a part-timer, aged just 14.

Later she served as brand manager and marketing manager before becoming the general manager in 2018.

Three years later she left the bus company to take a role as Hawke’s Bay Regional Council’s new transport manager.

Ms Nimon has an Executive MBA and a Bachelor’s Degree in Design from Massey University, and a Diploma in Performance from Trinity College London.

She has volunteered as a mentor for young women through the Shine Programme, and previously served on the advisory panel for EIT’s School of Hospitality and Tourism.

Ms Nimon, who contested the Napier seat during the 2020 Covid-19 landslide victory for Labour, turned a 5856-vote deficit into a majority of 8100 this year.

On election night 2020, she had vouched that she would contest the Napier seat “again”.

“You’re not getting rid of me,” she said.

Even during the Covid-Jacinda Ardern landslide of 2020, she had reduced Labour’s majority proving she was a candidate to persevere with.

Only days before the 2023 election, Ms Nimon told Public Interest Journalism, she was a connected and committed person.

“I will be a connected and committed MP.

“And so, for me, it’s just making sure that the community has someone that they know they can go to, someone that is accessible and approachable and wants to know every person and their issues and doesn’t want to hide from it.

“I want to be a part of it.

“I think that that’s what people need.

“And going through what we’re going through with cyclone recovery, people need someone they can have on speed dial, that they can take their issues to, to make sure that no one is out of touch with reality, that we’re in it with them.

“So that’s what I want to be, and I know that people will appreciate that.”

She described her first campaign of 2020 as “laying the foundations”.

“In the second one I’ve been able to build off the connections that I’ve got, and build off the way I know the electorate.”

Ms Nimon said she wanted to reflect National Party values and policies.

“I want to be a strong MP in a National Government.

“And it’s really clear, and I make that clear every single time I talk, because that’s the party I believe in, and that’s the government I want to represent.”

Ms Nimon was high on the National Party list at 22 and could have gone to parliament as a List MP, but very much wanted to win the electorate of Napier.

Her election campaign has involved 26,000 kilometres of travel over the widespread electorate.

She said there had been a lot of hard work, team work, doors knocked on, letters delivered, signs waved, hoardings put up, hoardings taken down, hands shaken, horns tooted and pavements pounded.

“All this so I could earn the right to represent Napier — that includes you, rural and northern Hawke’s Bay, and southern Gisborne district.

“I’m proud to be able to call myself your representative.”

The “blue wave” result of 2023 means, like the Labour landslide of 2020, that one party dominates in the wider region although Labour does retain Ikaroa-Rāwhiti.

Ms Nimon has two neighbouring fellow first-time National MPs in Catherine Wedd of Tukituki and Dana Kirkpatrick in East Coast.

“It’s exciting to be able to work with Catherine and Dana to deliver for our shared regions, especially after Cyclone Gabrielle.”

The three MPs have been in Wellington this week with other new National MPs undergoing a “rigorous induction process” and meeting the remainder of the National Party caucus.

“We are currently down in Wellington, and we’re all chomping at the bit to be sworn in so we can get stuck in,” she said.