Smith Stuart MP

General Info

Stuart has been the Member of Parliament for the Kaikoura electorate since 2014. In Parliament Stuart is the Opposition Spokesperson for EQC and Civil Defence. He is also a member of several caucus committees including the Agricultural Caucus Committee, the Regional Development Caucus Committee, GLOBE, and the Rural Broadband Initiative working group. Stuart is also the National party spokesperson for Viticulture. Having grown up on a Mid-Canterbury sheep farm, Stuart has been involved in primary industry his whole life. He was a sheep and deer farmer before relocating to Marlborough and moving into grape-growing, later setting up his own wine-making business. Subsequently he was Chair of New Zealand Winegrowers, inducted as a Fellow for services to the wine industry, President of the New Zealand Grape Growers Council, and Chair of Wine Marlborough Ltd. Stuart has been involved in many community initiatives. He was Chair of the Marlborough Water Augmentation Project, and also Chair of the Southern Valleys Irrigation Scheme Marlborough District Council sub-committee. Stuart was a founding member and co-spokesperson for Save Our Services, a group which successfully advocated for the retention of 24/7 acute surgical and orthopaedic services at Wairau Hospital. He lives in Blenheim with his wife Julie and their three children. 'Funded by Parliamentary Service'