On either side of a tapa cloth in the meeting room of Tangi Utikere’s Palmerston North electorate office hang two signed and framed documents.
On the left is a copy of the Local Government (Pecuniary Interests Register) Amendment Act 2022 with Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro’s signature giving it royal assent.
It was a member’s bill Utikere put forward to make local government elected members’ financial interests publicly accessible. The first declarations had to be made in February.
“I was keen to see a level of transparency across the country when it came to pecuniary interests. So my bill was drawn, which is a complete lottery, let’s be honest, a school child who was visiting pulled the number out of the biscuit tin.”
The Labour MP is proud he was able to introduce the bill into Parliament in his first term and take it through the select committee process.
He says it was satisfying the bill passed its final hurdle with an overwhelming majority with only Act voting against it.
“It’s not one that is then subject to a new Parliament ‘oh we’re going to repeal that’. It has some sense of longevity with it.”
Utikere says he hasn’t had any negative feedback about the act, which provides a “transparency lens”. “I haven’t had a lot of feedback, which is good because it means that there hasn’t been a bit of an uproar.”
On the other side of the tapa cloth is a signed copy of former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s valedictory. Utikere has added a photo of Ardern delivering her last speech that includes him in the shot.
They are two of the milestone moments in his political year, but the biggie of course was October’s general election.
The result meant he went from being in government to being in opposition - “a slight change” for him.
He retains his “dream job” of MP for Palmerston North. It is one he has aspired to for years.
He unsuccessfully contested the Labour nomination for Palmerston North following the retirement of Steve Maharey in 2008, losing to Iain Lees-Galloway.
At the start of the year, Utikere took over as Labour’s chief whip. He retains that role, yes with a smaller caucus, but the responsibilities are similar.
“It’s my responsibility to cast all the party votes on behalf of parliamentarians in the Labour Party. It’s my job to approve the leave, it’s my job to make sure that our select committees have MPs on and that we progress what we need to progress, so that’s no different.”
Utikere is now also Labour’s spokesman for transport, oceans and fisheries, and associate education (Pacific).
Labour leader Chris Hipkins told media he wanted to give Utikere the opportunity to get his teeth into a big portfolio.
“He’s backing me to also hold the incoming Government to account for the promises that they have made.”
Wikipedia isn’t sure how old Utikere is, saying he was born circa 1980. He is 43 and will turn 44 in April.
Palmerston North born and raised, Utikere is the eldest of four but growing up it was just him and his sister Rachel. There is a 12-year age gap to their next sibling and then another 12 years to the youngest Utikere.
Tangi was named by his paternal grandparents but his mother wanted to call him Josh.
He went to Parkland School, then had one year each at Ross Intermediate School and Palmerston North Intermediate Normal School, before attending Freyberg High School. He later returned to Freyberg to teach.
He was first elected to Palmerston North City Council in 2010, becoming deputy mayor in 2016.
“I’d like to think that I’m known in this local community for being accessible and visible, going to events, being available to people. Sometimes we disagree on things but I still think it’s important if you are my constituent you should have access to your local MP.”
He believes there is a personal element of support for him and the work he has proven he can do and deliver.
The hardest thing about being an MP is time. Utikere says he receives so many invitations and requests and tries to accommodate all of them.
“But let’s also be very clear, people have elected me to represent their interests where these decisions are being made and those decisions are being made down in Wellington. And so it does mean that I have to be there to be able to be their voice at the decision-making table.”
In his last year at Freyberg High School, Tangi Utikere went to Washington DC for a national young leaders conference. While there, he stayed with then-New Zealand ambassador Jim Bolger.
