Kieran McAnulty is a 7th-generation proud son of the Wairarapa who’s served the electorate, which includes Tararua District, Central Hawke’s Bay and the newly added Ashhurst, as an electorate and list MP since 2017.

As electorate MP from 2020-23, Kieran was appointed Deputy Leader of the House and held the portfolios of Minister for Rural Communities, Regional Development, Local Government, Racing and Emergency Management. While in Cabinet he led the response to Cyclone Gabrielle and brought public housing back to Wairarapa and Tararua District for the first time in decades.

Kieran also delivered crucial infrastructure improvements across his electorate, including new roundabouts for State Highway 2, safety upgrades to Route 52 and new trains for the busy Wairarapa rail line.

In Opposition, Kieran has fought for funding to the Wairarapa Hospital, cut red tape for local hospitality businesses and stood alongside the community to fight the Government’s plan to toll the Manawatū-Tararua highway.

Kieran attended school in Carterton and Masterton, and holds a Master of Arts in Politics from Otago University. After playing rugby in Ireland, he returned home to Wairarapa to live and work. He’s been an economic development manager for the Masterton District Council, a Work and Income case manager, a bookie at the TAB and a volunteer firefighter. He lives in Masterton, and is a life-long Wairarapa-Bush supporter.