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Nathan Guy

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The Honourable
Nathan Guy
2nd Minister for Primary Industries
In office
28 January 2013 – 26 October 2017
Prime MinisterJohn Key
Bill English
Preceded byDavid Carter
Succeeded byPortfolio Disestablished
54th Minister of Immigration
In office
14 December 2011 – 31 January 2013
Prime MinisterJohn Key
Preceded byJonathan Coleman
Succeeded byMichael Woodhouse
Member of the New Zealand Parliament
for Ōtaki
In office
8 November 2008 – 17 October 2020
Preceded byDarren Hughes
Succeeded byTerisa Ngobi
Majority6,156
Member of the New Zealand Parliament
for National Party List
In office
17 September 2005 – 8 November 2008
Personal details
Born1970 (age 53–54)
NationalityNew Zealander
Political partyNational
RelationsMalcolm Guy (father)

Allen Nathan Guy (born 1970)[1] is a New Zealand former politician of the National Party. He was elected to Parliament in 2005 as a list MP and represented the electorate of Ōtaki after the 2008 election. He served as Minister of Immigration from 2011 to 2013. Guy did not seek re-election at the 2020 election.

Background

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Guy is a farmer from near Levin. He has been involved in various agricultural sector trusts and councils, and studied farming at Massey University. He served eight years on the Horowhenua District Council from 1998 to 2005.[2][3]

Guy's father, grandfather, and great-great-grandfather all had political careers. Guy's great-great-grandfather, Duncan Guy, was a member of the Napier Borough Council; his grandfather (also named Duncan Guy) was chairman of the Horowhenua County Council; his father, Malcolm Guy, also served as chairman of the Horowhenua County Council and was the first mayor of the Horowhenua District from 1989 to 1995.[4][5] His maternal great-grandfather, Fred Nathan, was Mayor of Palmerston North from 1923 to 1927.[4][6]

Guy's great-grandfather was chairman of the Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company when the last spike was driven on the company's line at Otaihanga, an event re-created on 19 February 2011 when Guy drove the last spike at the new Waikanae Railway Station opening ceremony.[7]

Member of Parliament

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New Zealand Parliament
Years Term Electorate List Party
2005–2008 48th List 39 National
2008–2011 49th Ōtaki 18 National
2011–2014 50th Ōtaki 20 National
2014–2017 51st Ōtaki 16 National
2017–2020 52nd Ōtaki 12 National

In the 2005 election, Guy was a candidate for the National Party, standing in the Ōtaki electorate and being ranked 39th on the party list. He narrowly lost the election to Labour's Darren Hughes, by a margin of 1.00% or 382 votes[8] but entered Parliament as a list MP.

In the 2008 election he was again the candidate for Ōtaki, this time defeating Hughes by 1,354 votes.[9] He increased his majority to 5,231 votes at the 2011 general election,[10] and again at the 2014 general election to 7,782.[11] He was re-elected MP for Ōtaki for a fourth and final term in 2017.[12]

Opposition, 2005–2008

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Guy's first three years in Parliament were in Opposition. He was a member of the Primary Production select committee for much of this term, and was a member of the Privileges and Standing Orders committees for about seven months until the 2008 election.[13] When John Key became National leader in 2006, Guy became the party's junior whip and an associate spokesperson for agriculture.[14]

Fifth National Government, 2008–2017

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Guy was promoted to senior whip in November 2008 when National formed a new government. On 15 June 2009 he was selected as the new Minister of Internal Affairs, a position outside of the Cabinet, to replace Richard Worth after the latter resigned following allegations of sexual harassment.[15]

On 14 December 2011, following the 2011 New Zealand general election, Guy was sworn in as the Minister of Immigration, Minister for Racing, Minister for Veterans' Affairs and Associate Minister for Primary Industries. Later that term, in January 2013, he was promoted to the role of Minister for Primary Industries. He held this position until the National government was defeated in 2017.

As Minister of Internal Affairs Guy was involved in the controversy that occurred in 2017 when it was revealed that, in 2011, he had granted New Zealand citizenship to US billionaire Peter Thiel after only 12 days residence (split over 4 trips in 5 years) in New Zealand.[16] The normal residency requirement for a permanent resident to gain citizenship is 1350 days over 5 years. Thiel was granted citizenship by Guy under "exceptional circumstances" despite Thiel not having lived in the country previously and not intending to do so in the future. Thiel is the first adult to be granted New Zealand citizenship without meeting residency requirements.[17]

Opposition, 2017–2020

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After the National Party was not returned to government at the 2017 general election, Guy was initially the party's spokesperson for primary industries.[18] From March 2018 until his announcement on 30 July 2019 that he would not seek re-election in 2020, he was the spokesman for agriculture, biosecurity and food safety.[18][19]

Political views

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Guy typically voted conservatively on social policy. He opposed same-sex marriage in 2005, by voting for the Marriage (Gender Clarification) Amendment Bill, which would have amended the Marriage Act to define marriage as only between a man and a woman,[20] and in 2014, by voting against the Marriage (Definition of Marriage) Amendment Bill, a bill allowing same-sex couples to marry in New Zealand.[21]

Guy also opposed the End of Life Choice Bill in 2019, which regulated assisted suicide in New Zealand, and the Abortion Legislation Bill in 2020, which decriminalised abortion.[22][23]

Post-parliamentary career

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In November 2020, Guy contested but failed to win a seat on the board of New Zealand dairy co-operative Fonterra.[24]

References

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  1. ^ "New Zealand Parliament - Guy, Nathan". Archived from the original on 12 August 2014. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
  2. ^ Guy, Nathan (24 May 2017). "Dad gave me the motivation to take up politics". Kapiti News. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
  3. ^ Galloway, Jill (25 May 2017). "Horowhenua politician, farmer and community man greatly missed". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
  4. ^ a b Guy, Nathan (17 November 2005). "Maiden Speech". Hansard. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
  5. ^ Horowhenua District Council (22 May 2017). "Council pays tribute to Malcolm Guy". Scoop.co.nz. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
  6. ^ "1920s". Palmerston North City Council. Archived from the original on 9 January 2010. Retrieved 23 February 2010.
  7. ^ Kay Blundell (21 February 2011). "Protesters in force as rail opens". The Dominion Post. Retrieved 21 February 2011.
  8. ^ "2005 election results – Otaki". 2005.electionresults.govt.nz. 2005. Archived from the original on 10 December 2008. Retrieved 6 January 2015.
  9. ^ "Official Count Results – Otaki (2008)". Electoral Commission. Archived from the original on 22 January 2020.
  10. ^ "Official Count Results – Ōtaki 2011". Electoral Commission. Archived from the original on 18 January 2020.
  11. ^ "Official Count Results – Ōtaki". Electoral Commission. 2014. Archived from the original on 22 January 2020.
  12. ^ "Ōtaki - Official Result". Electoral Commission. Archived from the original on 17 January 2020. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  13. ^ "Guy, Nathan - New Zealand Parliament". www.parliament.nz. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
  14. ^ "Key announces his shadow cabinet". NZ Herald. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
  15. ^ "Nathan Guy appointed as a Minister". Fairfax New Zealand. 15 June 2009. Archived from the original on 23 February 2013. Retrieved 31 July 2009.
  16. ^ "Controversial billionaire Peter Thiel made a Kiwi after two-week holiday". NZ Herald. 29 June 2017. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  17. ^ "Thiel's NZ citizenship one of a kind". Radio New Zealand. 15 March 2017. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  18. ^ a b "Hon Nathan Guy". New Zealand Parliament. 31 July 2019. Retrieved 31 July 2019.
  19. ^ SKerrett, Angie (30 July 2019). "National party reshuffle after Nathan Guy announces retirement from politics". Newshub. Retrieved 31 July 2019.
  20. ^ "Marriage (Gender Clarification) Amendment Bill – First Reading". New Zealand Parliament. 7 December 2005. Archived from the original on 29 February 2016. Retrieved 18 July 2012.
  21. ^ "How our MPs voted on gay marriage". Manawatu Standard. 30 August 2012. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
  22. ^ "End of Life Choice Bill final reading: How your MP voted". NZ Herald. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
  23. ^ "How MPs voted on abortion law reform". NZ Herald. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
  24. ^ "Nathan Guy misses out on Fonterra board". businessdesk.co.nz. 3 November 2020. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
[edit]
New Zealand Parliament
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Ōtaki
2008–2020 		Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Minister of Internal Affairs
2009–2011 		Succeeded by
Minister Responsible for the National Library
2009–2011
Minister Responsible for Archives New Zealand
2009–2011
Preceded by Minister of Immigration
2011–2013 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Minister for Primary Industries
2013–2017 		Succeeded by
Portfolio Disestablished
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