Michael has lived in Mt Roskill for over 20 years with his wife Julie and their three sons.  He served on the Puketāpapa Local Board from 2010-16 and then as MP from 2016-23, during which time he held several senior Ministerial roles.

For many years Michael has worked in paid and voluntary roles that help people get a fair go. He currently works for E tū union where he has stood up for fair pay for working people, successfully taken on major cases where employers have breached peoples’ rights, and has stood up against billionaires trying to take over our media.

He’s served on the local Plunket Committee and school Board of Trustees. In 2023 he established the Mt Roskill Community Association, which holds free housing clinics for local people in need of advice and advocacy.

Michael has a record of delivery for Mt Roskill and for working people. His successful campaigns include:

• Major upgrades to local parks while he was on the Local Board
• A publicly accessible police station after this was stopped under the previous National government
• Public transport improvements across the electorate
• A major boost to public housing investment in Mt Roskill
• -ncreases to the minimum wage, Fair Pay Agreements, and reform of the health and safety system to stop workplace deaths on New Zealand’s ports

Michael’s priorities for our community are:

• Starting to build houses again on the empty sites which National has abandoned
• Cheaper doctor visits and more accessible services to shorten wait times
• Helping local small businesses by boosting our local economy and keeping our streets safe
• Improving public transport across Mt Roskill
• Real action to reduce flooding risk and increase resilience as we face the reality of climate change