My blogs

Blogs I follow

Gender	Male
Industry	Agriculture
Occupation	Politician
Location	North Canterbury, New Zealand
Introduction	David was appointed Minister for Primary Industries following the 2011 General Election and Minister of Local Government in early 2012. He was first elected to Parliament in 1994, was the Junior Government Whip in 1996, before being promoted to a Minister outside Cabinet in 1998. Following the 2008 General Election, David’s Ministerial responsibilities included Minister of Agriculture, Minister for Biosecurity and Minister of Forestry. David attended St Bede's College in Christchurch and graduated with a Bachelor of Agricultural Science degree from Lincoln University before embarking on a farming and business career. David’s interest in local government stems from a long family history in local body politics, with his father serving on the Christchurch City Council for nearly 40 years. David currently farms sheep and beef properties on Banks Peninsula and at Cheviot in North Canterbury.