Dr Reti was the eldest of five children growing up in a Mormon household in Hamilton.
He studied medicine at Auckland Medical School and worked in general practice in Whangarei for 20 years, and was a member of the Northland District Health Board for seven years.
In 2007 Dr Reti was awarded a Harkness Fellowship to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre in Boston, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School.
While working in a senior management role, he completed a second Master's degree at Harvard and was promoted to Assistant Professor in 2012. Much of his work was in economic development and involved travel to the Middle East.
In April last year Dr Reti was called on by the NZ Embassy in Boston to visit the city's hospitals with the honorary consul, to establish if any if the dead or injured from the Boston Marathon terror blasts were Australasians.
During his six years in Boston he would return to Whangarei every three months or so to treat patients and see family, and made the move back full-time late last year to seek the National Party nomination.
Dr Reti and his wife have three children aged in their 20s. He said while he did not attend church every week the core principals with the Mormon faith reflected his own.
Before he moved overseas, Dr Reti completed the first comprehensive study of Northland's health status after spending two years interviewing almost 300 Northlanders.
That research and his help for the community's poor saw him receive a Queen's Service Medal for public services in 2005.
The honours process revealed community support that was previously anonymous, including Dr Reti and his wife paying the examination fees of Whangarei Boys' High School students who could not pay themselves.
Dr Reti told the Herald he believed in a social safety net, but also in reward for work.
His first priorities as an MP would be to boost economic development in the region, including an extension of the Puhoi to Wellsford Roads of National Significance project further north.
Asked about his future ambitions in politics, Dr Reti said he "I have trust that those more experienced than me will see the skills that I bring to the table".
"I come to the table fully-tooled and fully-armed. Before I left here, I had national creds [credentials], I have now cut my teeth on the international stage, and I bring all that home to serve."
*Grew up in a state house in Hamilton and raised a Mormon. Says the church's core principals reflect his own.
*Spent a number of years working for Harvard Medical School, much of it in economic development.
Todd Barclay, National candidate for Clutha
It was the articulate citing of financial numbers by Bill English that first ignited political ambitions for Todd Barclay, the fresh-faced new MP for Clutha-Southland.
"I just couldn't get over the amount of information and statistics he'd recall. I was impressed, intrigued and I wanted to find out more."
The commerce student, then 18, emailed Mr English and cheekily asked for a job, sparking dreams of one day becoming an MP.
Todd Barclay.
The Southland Times once mused that the seat could be won by a gumboot - as long as it were blue. On Saturday Mr Barclay coasted to victory with a majority of 13,583 - though this is about 2500 fewer votes than Mr English, his predecessor.
He is seen as hard-working, covering a lot of ground and winning over many delegates to claim the competitive selection. But questions remain about his youth, and he was left red-faced after scoring only five out of 10 in a quiz on local issues from the Queenstown Mountain Scene.
Critics gleefully point out Mr Barclay's former job in corporate affairs for Philip Morris. It's not something he considers morally indefensible.
"I did it to get experience. I wasn't involved in the sale of tobacco. It doesn't define who I am. We could have been selling anything. We could have been selling milk powder."
Where does he draw the line? What if they were selling something using child labour?
"Look, I don't know what the composition of the workforce is internationally. We certainly didn't have child labourers in the Auckland office where I was working."
Mr Barclay was raised in Dipton - he went to kindergarten with one of Mr English's children - and in Gore, in a home that he describes as not political, but which always voted National.
His parents' families hail from farming backgrounds, but they owned local businesses, including the local Four Square in Dipton and the Mail Run, and half-owned the Mitre 10 in Gore.
He was deputy head boy at Gore High School, and then majored in commercial law at Victoria University.
After a stint volunteering for Mr English, he moved to Gerry Brownlee's office, sifting through correspondence, before landing an advisor's role with Hekia Parata.
The three ministers are his political heroes, particularly Ms Parata, for fronting up to unpopular education policies in Christchurch.
He adds: "Margaret Thatcher, a pretty impressive part of history, the policies that she led around the union workforce."
He sees youth as an advantage.
"I'm not in my 50s and going to Parliament with a firm view on where things sit. I'm open to listening to people and their ideas."
Older people can also be open-minded, he adds.
"But experience isn't always what it's made out to be. You might have 50 years' experience in a particular sector and go to Parliament, that really means nothing because you're dealing with a whole new set of circumstances."
He sums up his politics as free enterprise, choice and personal responsibility, and describes National as a broad church when it is suggested that he could stand for the Act Party. His liberal shades contrast to Mr English, who is socially conservative.
Mr Barclay already has his sights on Cabinet. His portfolio interests mirror electorate issues: water quality and agriculture, trade, and skills and training.
"Obviously I'm ambitious. You're effective for your electorate as an MP, but you're a hell of a lot more effective if you're sitting at the round table."
Who?
- Todd Barclay, National candidate for Clutha-Southland
- 24, used to work for tobacco giant Philip Morris.
Does he smoke?
- No, though he's had one or two. Has tried cannabis, but can't remember if he inhaled
Political philosophy: Personal responsibility, free enterprise, and choice
Political heroes: Bill English, Gerry Brownlee, Hekia Parata, Margaret Thatcher
For: Gay adoption, gay marriage, abortion (status quo)
Against: Euthanasia, decriminalising cannabis, death penalty
