National MP Maureen Pugh spoke to Political reporter Jason Walls at a short lunch at the iconic Wellington Back Bencher pub. Photo / Jason Walls
She's an MP who, unfortunately for her, was briefly thrust into the headlines for being called "useless" by her leader in a leaked taped. Political reporter Jason Walls sits down with Maureen Pugh for a short lunch to find out a bit more about the West Coaster.
Maureen Pugh has a strange claim to fame when it comes to New Zealand politics – and no, it's not being called "useless" by her leader in a leaked tape.
The born and bred West Coaster has been "unelected" from Parliament twice in just five years.
Or at least that's what she calls it.
In 2014, she snuck into Parliament at the tail end of National's list, only to be thwarted by the special votes that saw the Greens win another seat.
She headed back home from Wellington to Turiahate, close to Kumara.
She was back again two years later after list MP Tim Groser resigned – but it was only a few months until the election.
Then, on election night 2017, National had enough votes for her to be back as a list MP.
But for Maureen, it was deja vu.
Once the special votes were counted, she was again forced to pack her bags and head back home.
This time, however, it was less of a surprise.
"I had learned not to count my chickens," she says, over a plate of chicken sausages and gravy at the Backbencher pub in Wellington.
Celebrating today on completing 3 years as an MP. It might have taken me nearly 5 years but I have now done the equivalent of one full term! @NZNationalParty pic.twitter.com/g5rhtrlRzY
— Maureen Pugh (@MaureenPughNat) July 30, 2019
After former Prime Minister, and National Leader, Bill English resigned in early 2018 she was back in the Beehive for the third time.
It's just after midday on a Thursday afternoon; the MPs are on lunch break before the House resumes at 2pm.
The lunch is a good chance to get to know Maureen who, if it hadn't been for Jami-Lee Ross leaking a tape conversation with Simon Bridges, would have been one of the least known MPs in Parliament.
She comes from, as she puts it, "humble beginnings".
Born and raised in the North Shore of Greymouth – in a town called Cobden – she had more than a few jobs when she was young.
Her first was at a dairy her parents owned when she was 9; she worked on the weekends.
Some years later, when she was a teenager, she worked at a pub – also owned by her parents.
For a period of time, she also crewed on her father's crayfish boat, where she baited the pots.
Maureen married and her first child at 16, then another just a year later – she has three kids and six grandchildren now.
Aside from a brief stint in Christchurch, she spent most of her life in the West Coast.
After a number of other jobs, which included being a secretary at her kids' local school and working at a petrol station, she felt the allure of local politics.
She was elected as a Westland District Council in 1998, a position she held for six years.
She was then elected Mayor in 2004 and stayed in the job for nine years.
But after 15 years of local politics, she thought it was time to try her luck in Wellington.
Then came the fame.
In October last year, Ross leaked a taped conversation between him and Simon Bridges, in which Bridges said Pugh was "f**king useless".
At the time, Maureen said it was "pretty devastating" to hear those comments.
Eight months later, she says the whole saga is a bit of a blur.
But it's not something she says she dwells on a lot.
"I've always had this view that other people's opinions of me aren't any of my business.
"Someone may have that opinion, but it's what I think about myself that is the only thing that matters – I can take or leave what other people say, that doesn't matter."
She says if the comments Bridges made in the tape were true, "I wouldn't be doing what I'm doing."
Although she was quite diplomatic about the incident in public, her mother did not hold back.
Soon after the tape was publicly released, June Brigg told Newshub Bridges was a "dumb arse" and to call her daughter useless was "insulting and a lie".
"As far as I'm concerned, he can go suck eggs and he'll never get our vote as long as he's in power."
Maureen, however, was hardly surprised about her mother's comments.
"If you knew my mum, you would know why she flared up the way she did."
The 81-year-old is a keen clay target shooter and her goal is to be the oldest person to compete in the Oceana games.
June is still "livid" about what happened, Maureen said.
"They picked on her daughter. So she reared up, took aim and fired."
But Maureen does not appear to be quite as upset as her mother.
If you can't deal with the criticism, "you shouldn't be in the game".
"It's my opinion of myself that's the only one that matters."
Since that incident, things have been relatively quiet for Maureen.
For the most part, she enjoys politics but not entirely.
"Some of it gets disrespectful," she says.
"I have always tried my whole life to respect people, but I find myself becoming more and more frustrated with the people who push a political view who have no idea about what impact they are having."
Maureen speaks relatively favourably about Labour's Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta, for example.
But there is one MP that she clearly does not see eye-to-eye with – Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage.
Asked if she was a fan of Sage, Pugh responds quickly and firmly – "No. Not at all."
During lunch, she brings up Sage a number of times and knocks her anti-mining stance.
She says Sage makes miners look like the bad guys.
But that was not often the case and mining on the West Coast was quite sustainable, she said.
That a view she's hoping to share with as many National MPs as she possibly can.
She's on a mission to bring all her colleagues to the West Coast to see the part of the country for themselves.
So far it's going well she said.
Of National's 55 MPs, she's managed to bring 24 down to the West Coast for a tour.
She's currently trying to court list MP Parmjeet Parmar to come down next, followed by National's climate change spokesman, Todd Muller.
Once Maureen has finished her sausages, it is time for a few quick-fire questions.
What TV show are you watching? Game of Thrones. She's up to season two.
What book are you reading? Just finished a series of books by Diana Gablegone – the Outlander series.
Who is NZ's best PM? John Key.
What would you change about NZ, of you could change one thing? I would like to make sure NZ never loses its number 8 wire mentality.
Will you ever be Prime Minister? Nope.
If you were to have a dish named after you, what would it be? Some sort of beef and lamb meal.
What Back Bencher menu item did you order? The David Parker chicken sausages.
One fun fact ... She does not do karaoke, but she is a Hot Rod enthusiast – she has two at home. A 1930 Model A roadster and a 1937 Chev Coupe.
OPINION: We know what happens when people lose capacity for critical thought.