Tuesday, 02 June 2020 10:29

Farmer picked for National in Wairarapa

Written by Peter Burke

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Mike Butterick.

The man who led the Fifty Shades of Green campaign is now going to be advocating for the one shade of blue – the National Party.

Mike Butterick, a Wairarapa sheep and beef farmer and Feds Meat and Fibre chair in the region, has been selected as the National candidate for the region. He beat off two other nominees including Mark Bridges, the brother of former leader Simon Bridges.

Butterick has been a vocal critic of plans to convert livestock farms to forestry and was one of the leaders of a protest at parliament on this subject last year. He replaces Alastair Scott who has held the seat since 2014 and is standing down at the election.

He began his career shepherding in Canterbury before moving to the Wairarapa in 1990 and bought a farm in 1995, along with his wife Rachel.

“Wairarapa, alongside the rest of the country, is heading into some very uncertain times and it needs a strong National Government to help guide us out of this economic crisis.”

Butterick says he’s looking forward to campaigning and earning Wairarapa’s trust to win support and join the National Party team.

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Dreams aren't plans

OPINION: Milking It reckons if you're National, looking at recent polls, the dream scenario is that the elusive economic recovery finally roars to life.

If voters see some growth and wages rising faster than prices, the government could say they've "fixed" things as they ride into the next election.

Back here on Earth though, the economy they inherited is a basket case, and the long-term headwinds are fierce.

Political commentator Liam Hehir says, "dreams are not plans" and if the turnaround doesn't come in time, National may have no choice but to go negative.

"Everybody wants to fight on the economy if they can. But when neither side has a compelling story, the contest shifts to other issues. That's not new. In fact, it's the stuff of politics everywhere, always."