Election 2023 Wairarapa results: Mike Butterick shares beer with Kieran McAnulty on election night

New MP Mike Butterick (left) with National's deputy leader Nicola Willis (centre) and a voter says he's ready to be contribute to the team on behalf of the Wairarapa electorate. Photo / Dave Murdoch

Some electorate evenings are high-tension, some have devastating oustings, some have powerful speeches, some have grandiose performances, and some are Wairarapa.

Incoming new National MP Mike Butterick told Hawke’s Bay Today that he decided to celebrate his victory over Labour MP Kieran McAnulty by inviting him around for a drink.

“Kieran came around last night and had a beer with us. He’s worked hard as an MP for the electorate and you’ve got to respect him for that.”

Butterick snatched 17,908 votes to McAnulty’s 15,427, with a solid 2481-vote margin after the preliminary votes were counted. He was beaten by McAnulty in 2020 by 6545 votes but the tide turned, even as McAnulty’s star in Wellington has risen.

“At the end of the day, we’re just a couple of guys trying to do the right thing for the people we live with,” Butterick said.

The Masterton-based sheep and beef farmer began his farming career shepherding in Canterbury before moving to Wairarapa more than 30 years ago.

He said the region, which includes Tararua and big parts of Central Hawke’s Bay, was incredibly connected and he would work “as hard as he possibly could” to represent its views.

Butterick said his focus moving forward would be getting established and then working on National’s 100-day plan from a ground level.

The plan includes issues that would likely affect the electorate, such a repeal of Labour’s Three Waters legislation as well as repealing Labour’s RMA 2.0 laws.

“Fundamentally, there’s a lot of things to fix. We’ve got the 100-day plan so we will be very busy getting that implemented,” Butterick said.

“Obviously there’s the cyclone-affected communities as well. We’ll make sure the work for that carries on.”

While many of Butterick’s children were out of the country, he said they all got in touch to congratulate him on the win. His wife and one of his children were there by his side during the race.

McAnulty is guaranteed a seat in Parliament, considering his spot at number 16 on Labour’s list.

After Cyclone Gabrielle, he was often the public face of the disaster response, stepping into the role of lead recovery minister after two short-lived tenures by his predecessors Stuart Nash and Meka Whaitiri.

Wairarapa - Preliminary results

BUTTERICK, Mike (National) - 17,908

McANULTY, Kieran (Labour) - 15,427

CASEY, Simon Francis (Act) - 1566

ARNOTT, Pete (NZ Loyal) - 1439

WADE-BROWN, Celia (Green Party) - 1361

WAIKARE, Te Whakapono (Te Pāti Māori) - 351

GARDNER, Jared Warren (Independent) - 191

Mitchell Hageman joined Hawke’s Bay Today in late January. From his Napier base, he writes regularly on social issues, arts and culture, and the community.