Jamie Strange, Hamilton East MP, is retiring from Parliament to devote more time to his family.
Strange is one of the six Labour MPs/ministers who will be retiring from Parliament and not contesting the general elections, 2023.
Hamilton East MP has attributed the decision to lack of time he is able to get to spend with his family because of his responsibilities as an MP that involves being away from his wife, Angela and four children.
Talking to Gurbir Singh of NewsViews this morning from his home where Jamie Strange is recovering from a knee surgery due to a snapped ligament, he denied his decision was linked to the outcome of the Hamilton West by-election that went in favour of National.
“No, no, this was a personal decision that was made as a family. I’ve been thinking about this for few months now and having this conversation with my family. (So) I’ve decided the time is right for me to spend more time with my family as my job was taking me away to Wellington almost every week,” he said.
Stressing on the support required by family, he said “With me travelling so much, has put a strain on the family, particularly on our children as I’ve not been able to be there for them at various events, milestones in their lives, And as all four of them move to their teenage years, I am making it a priority to be there for them.”
Outlining some of the key roles in which he was actively involved, “I’ve been very proud to what I was able to achieve over the past five years for Hamilton, including some of the key projects like $200m for the Peacocke development that was signed off when I was the MP, completion of the Ring Road project, School link cycleway, Ruakura Superhub, Te Huia passenger rail service to name a few.”
Strange believes that time was probably right for his to leave having served the community well over the years he was representing them in Parliament.
“That’s what you can ask, you have served the people well, and make their lives better, I believe I’ve done that.”
Strange is still undecided about his future plans.
“I’ll wait and see. As on now, I would be working through to the next election. There is still some more work to do serving the people of Hamilton, and let’s see what arises in the future.”
Local government politics is one option as he has been approached for that. “But for now, I’m keeping an open mind.”
Jamie Strange was non-committal as to who would be replacing him as a candidate in the next election.
“It has not been decided yet.There will be a selection process that will take place early next year for the Hamilton East electorate.”
Refusing to name who would be the front runners, Strange said there would no out be a lot of interest in the position, but will have to wait and see.
“I’ve really enjoyed my time and appreciated being a strong advocate for the city and being a leader, and helped them. I feel like I’v contributed to the economic success of the city.”
Jamie Strange won the Hamilton East seat in 2020 from the then sitting National MP, David Bennett who also recently announced his retirement from Parliament. Strange was first elected to Parliament in 2017 on the Labour Party List.
Others whose retirement was announced this morning by the Prime Minister, Jacinta Arden are Ministers Poto Williams, Aupito William Sio and David Clark, along with MPs Maria Lubeck and Paul Eagle.
“I want to thank them personally for their work and for being part of our team. They have all made an important contribution to Government and the lives of New Zealanders,” Jacinda Arden said.
“To each I want to say thank you…Maria, Paul and Jamie have been such passionate advocates for their communities and are valued members of our team,” PM said.
Jamie Strange is a former school teacher and church minister. As an MP, he chairs the Economic and Development Select Committee at Parliament.
Among his significant contributions that attracted government funding were the Waikato Regional Theatre, Ruakura Superhub, Te Huia passenger rail service, Pan Pacific Hub, and rebuild of the Henry Rongomau Bennett mental health facility.
As a local MP, Jamie Strange has always been supportive of NewsViews being an objective community-focused news portal and contributed frequently to the opinion column, ViewPoint reach the community.
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– from NewsViews
…Most fondly remembered for his Grow Hamilton events at Wintec, hosting business leaders from across the region, Jamie Strange has surprisingly succeeded in restoring Ham. East as a potential “soft-Labour” option for moderate National supporters. A solid advocate for Hamilton City in Wellington, Jamie Strange has avoided the controversies associated with the Jacinda Ardern led Government, such as Three Waters and has retained the respect of the rural community as a result(abridged).