Rangitīkei MP Suze Redmayne: ‘Sustainable farming is not an oxymoron’

National MP Suze Redmayne delivered her maiden speech just before Christmas. Photo / Marty Melville

“In Rangitīkei, show ponies wear a saddle.”

So said Rangitīkei MP Suze Redmayne in her maiden speech to Parliament.

Rangitīkei has been her home for 26 years, it’s her tūrangawaewae and where she has found a real sense of purpose in rural New Zealand. Rangitīkei people are modest and humble and it’s about “we, not me”.

The National Party junior whip gave her maiden speech on December 19.

Redmayne said the electorate represents quintessential heartland rural and provincial New Zealand at its best.

“It’s where community is not just a word, it’s who we are, it’s how we are.”

Redmayne said sustainable farming is not an oxymoron, it’s what most farmers and all good farmers do.

“We can’t make a living from the land without kaitiakitanga, without caring for the land and the soil, embracing biodiversity.”

Farming needs a regulatory framework that is built from the bottom up.

Catchment groups are doing a great job and should be used to drive water reforms and keep it local.

“Our farmers need to be empowered, New Zealand’s economic recovery starts in rural New Zealand.”

She worked with two of Rangitīkei’s previous MPs. Simon Power was a great mentor with an astute strategic political mind.

Asked when he retired what he thought the greatest quality required of an MP is, Power said empathy. Redmayne agrees.

She said her predecessor Ian McKelvie reinforced her belief that above all politics is about service.

“It’s about being part of the communities you represent. I will be forever grateful for his selfless commitment to helping others be the best version of themselves and I won’t forget what it looks like either.”

Working in the electorate office for 20 years gave her a unique insight into the social, environmental and economic fabric of the region.

“I’ve walked many miles in others’ shoes. I’m genuinely motivated by helping people and, stripped back, I believe that’s the fundamental role of an electorate MP.”

The electorate covers 12,500sq km from Taumarunui in the north to Shannon in the south.

Whangaehu River forms the western boundary and the Ruahine and Tararua Ranges the eastern boundary.

The electorate encircles Palmerston North and includes Summerhill and Aotaukere.

Redmayne said Rangitīkei translates as the day to take great strides. It has five mayors and no traffic lights but residents love a good roundabout.

It is a centre of gravity for the New Zealand Defence Force with the greatest military presence of any region - Ōhakea, Linton and Waiōuru.

Born and raised in Wellington, after graduating from the University of Otago with a Bachelor of Arts, Redmayne worked at ACC.

After a six-year adventure spanning three continents, she returned to New Zealand and married Turakina farmer Richard Redmayne.

The couple have three adult children.

“Mr Speaker, this city girl found herself in the country and so it was Rangitīkei that would eventually bring me back to Wellington and to Parliament with a proud resolve to celebrate who we are and what we have and equally to be a voice for what needs fixing.”

Suze Redmayne in 1999, when she was the campaign manager for Simon Power's successful bid to be MP for Rangitīkei. Photo / NZME

Feilding, a town of 18,000 people, no longer has a 24-hour police presence and boy racers, among others, exploit it, she said.

“I will work hard to ensure our businesses and farms can grow, and our towns and communities and way of life can thrive. I will work hard to ensure no one is left behind and those who need it get a hand up.”

Parliament resumes sitting on Tuesday.

Judith Lacy has been the editor of the Manawatū Guardian since December 2020. She graduated from journalism school in 2001 and this is her second role editing a community paper.