David is the MP for Hamilton East, winning seat in 2008 with an increased majority of 8820.

David is focused on serving the constituents of Hamilton East. He is always ready to learn about their individual needs and enjoys getting out and meeting members of his community.

David was born in Hamilton and attended St John’s College in Hamilton. David studied at Victoria University of Wellington, graduating with a Bachelor of Laws with Honours and a Bachelor of Commerce and Administration. He then worked for an international accountancy firm, KPMG, in Auckland and then undertook a successful career in the dairy industry.

On a personal level, David is a keen soccer player, squash player and tennis player and spends time with his family and friends.

One of David’s main concerns as the local MP for Hamilton East is transport, and he is the Chair of the Transport and Industrial Relations Select Committee. He campaigned strongly for the Waikato Expressway and it was endorsed at the last election, with a promise that it would be completed within 10 years.

David believes in the strong prospects for growth in Hamilton in the future. The government is supporting this growth through the provision of infrastructure and the recent announcements of Hamilton as one of the first cities to benefit from the broadband rollout in New Zealand.

David is also focused on education, economic issues and immigration. Hamilton is a rapidly growing city and faces the challenges of a major metropolitan area. David is a strong advocate for the city and its people and enjoys the many and diverse groups in Hamilton East. He very much supports the migrant communities in his area and sees continued growth in these communities in the future.

Top 5 Issues

1. Building a stronger economy
   • Balance the books sooner.
   • Borrow less so we can have lower interest rates for longer.
   • Keep personal taxes lower to encourage hard work.
   • Make New Zealand more competitive so our exporters can sell more overseas and create more real jobs.
   • Encourage savings and investments.
   • Use the mixed-Ownership model to fund infrastructure to help us grow faster.
   • Invest in skills training and tertiary education that gets results.
   
2. Building world-class infrastructure
   • Ultra-fast broadband for greater innovation.
   • More, and better, roads to ease congestion.
   • Investing in more rail and public transport
   
3. Building a safer New Zealand
   • Staying strong on crime – tougher sentencing, stronger bail laws, and a focus on victims.
   • Keep working to lower the crime rate further so our families are safer.
   • Making our roads safer, so we can keep the road toll lower.
   
4. Rebuilding Christchurch
   • $5.5 billion recovery fund
   • Re-establishing essential infrastructure
   • More construction-related training
   
5. Building better public services
   • Better Schools – identifying and helping children falling behind, school reports in plain English.
   • World-class healthcare –more doctors and nurses, more operations, shorter waiting times.
   • Effective welfare- more people back into work, more incentives to work, payment cards for teens on benefits.
   

Personal Profile