“I’ve got really deep roots in this amazing region. My family’s been here for nearly 180 years and that’s why I feel so honoured to represent in Parliament the wide variety of people who call it home. It is truly the greatest privilege of my life.”

Kieran has been a Labour List MP based in Wairarapa which also includes the Tararua and Central Hawke’s Bay districts since 2017, and served as the local MP from 2020 to 2023. Kieran previously held the portfolios of Minister for Rural Communities, Regional Development, Racing, Local Government and Emergency Management as well as Deputy Leader of the House. 

Kieran did his schooling in Carterton and Masterton and, after studies at Otago University and playing some rugby in Ireland, returned home to Wairarapa to live and work in 2008. He’s been a local Work and Income case manager, a bookie at the TAB and economic development manager for the Masterton district. He lives in Masterton and is a life-long mad keen Wairarapa-Bush supporter.

I’m proud to be a Labour MP because Labour is committed to the success of regional and rural New Zealand. Labour backs these communities to grow and thrive in an ever changing climate. When the Prime Minister says he has the aspiration for New Zealand to be the best little trading nation in the world this speaks volumes about Labour’s support for our primary industries that produce much of the tradable goods and services our prosperity is built on. We’re accessing new markets and working with producers to meet the changing demands of our customers.

I sincerely believe that it is of great benefit to the region to have someone like me, who is so passionate about our region, to provide that voice at the Cabinet table.

Kieran has a record of delivery for the electorate – securing funding for the upgrade of the Wairarapa rail line and new trains for the region; the replacement of the Manawatu Gorge road, the upgrade of Route 52 in Central Hawke’s Bay and the Tararua District; bringing Kainga Ora public housing back to Wairarapa and Tararua District for the first time since 1999, and the roundabouts at the Ngaumutawa Road and Norfolk Road intersections.