Councillor Jamie Arbuckle throws hat back in the ring for New Zealand First

A five-term Marlborough councillor has announced he will run a third time for New Zealand First in this year’s election.

About 400 people turned up to a public meeting with New Zealand First leader Winston Peters in Blenheim on Sunday.

Councillor Jamie Arbuckle was confirmed as the party’s candidate for the Kaikōura electorate at the Marlborough Events Centre.

New Zealand First were aiming for a comeback at the 2023 election on October 14.

Jamie, who came runner-up in Marlborough's mayoral race in 2010, 2013 and 2019, stood for NZ First in the 2017 and 2020 general election.

This year he has been in the thick of New Zealand First’s campaign.

“I bring a lot of experience, and a lot of people have supported me at local government level.

“I just hope that they see the confidence and trust to support me as well in this campaign,” he says.

While he hoped people would vote for him as their preferred Kaikōura MP, he said getting New Zealand First back into Parliament, which would require a party vote result of over 5 per cent, was “extremely important”.

“I do feel that there is a good opportunity being the candidate that we can pick up a lot of recognition through that as well.”

"Personally, I do want to poll really well as the candidate as well, because I think in the future there could be a potential to take the seat.”

Jamie said he thought he was “perfectly poised” to represent Marlborough given his experience in local government as a councillor.

“I think some of our other candidates are very one-dimensional in the way they think.”

Jamie told the audience New Zealand First strongly supported the provinces and primary industries.

“We are sometimes classed as a handbrake for bad decisions, and gosh we needed a handbrake in this last term of government.”

Winston took aim at the number of immigrants entering the country, te reo usage, vaccine mandates for healthcare workers, and Government spending.

“It is one of the reasons why New Zealand has fallen so far from its once privileged position as a world leading economy, once the envy of nearly every country on earth.”

Other candidates announced for the upcoming election included Blenheim woman Emma Dewhirst, named as the Labour Party’s Kaikōura candidate.

Kaikōura’s current MP, National Party’s Stuart Smith had also confirmed he would stand for the region for a fourth time.

Dr Alexander (Alec) McNeil, the Marlborough’s District Council’s solid waste manager, would stand for the Green Party.

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