Rachel Boyack

Rachel Elizabeth Boyack is a New Zealand politician and Member of Parliament in the House of Representatives for the Labour Party.

Rachel Boyack

MP
Member of the New Zealand Parliament
for Nelson
Assumed office
17 October 2020
Preceded byNick Smith
Personal details
Political partyLabour
ResidenceNelson

Early life and career

For three years, Boyack was the student union president for Saniti, the student union for Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology.[1][2] Following that, from about 2012 onward, she became the Nelson organiser of First Union.[1] Her activities have included protesting pay at supermarkets,[3] clashing with the mayor of Nelson, Rachel Reese,[4] and opposing the closure of a bank's branch in Stoke.[5][6] In 2018 she was appointed to the board of governors of the Nelson Environment Centre and was also on the board of the Nelson Women's and Children's Refuge.[7]

Boyack earned a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Auckland,[8] and was the assistant director of music at Christ Church Cathedral in Nelson.[9]

Political career
New Zealand Parliament
Years Term Electorate List Party
2020–present 53rd Nelson 57 Labour

Boyack has been a member of the Labour Party since 2005.[1] She was selected as its candidate for the Nelson electorate in January 2017,[10] having expressed an interest in doing so in 2015.[1] The Nelson electorate had been held by National Party MP Nick Smith since 1996. She was also placed on the Labour party list at 48th place.[11] She finished runner-up, but lowered Smith's majority by 9.67%.

She was selected to stand in Nelson for Labour again in 2020.[7] In the 2020 general election, she was elected to the Nelson seat by a final margin of 4,525 votes, ousting the incumbent Smith.[12][13]

References
  1. Knott, Stacey (14 April 2015). "Nelson union rep Rachel Boyack considering running for Labour". Nelson Mail. Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
  2. Roberts, Adam (24 March 2011). "Students hit by hardship". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
  3. "Union reps arrested at Nelson supermarket protests". Stuff.co.nz. 13 February 2016. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
  4. Long, Jessica (13 December 2016). "Online political clash 'out of hand' over Easter trading policy". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
  5. Leov, Tasha (19 August 2016). "Nelson residents upset over proposed Westpac closures". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
  6. Carson, Jonathan (22 September 2016). "Closure of Westpac's Stoke branch 'extreme arrogance', Grey Power says". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
  7. Sivignon, Cherie (12 November 2019). "Rachel Boyack returns as Labour Party candidate in Nelson for 2020". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  8. "Rachel Boyack – your student president" (PDF). VOS (1). 2010. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
  9. Leov, Tasha (31 May 2016). "Nelson Cathedral invite youth to be choristers". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
  10. Anderson, Charles (20 January 2017). "Rachel Boyack selected as Labour Party candidate for Nelson". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
  11. "Revised Labour Party List for the 2017 Election". Scoop.co.nz. 15 August 2017. Retrieved 15 August 2017.
  12. "Nelson - Official Result". Electoral Commission. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  13. "Election 2020: Nick Smith concedes seat in Nelson to Labour". Stuff. 17 October 2020. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
New Zealand Parliament
Preceded by
Nick Smith		 Member of Parliament for Nelson
2020–present		 Incumbent


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