JM
James Meager
Sitting MP · RangitataCurrent electorate MP — Rangitata (54th Parliament)
Rangitata MP and minister for the South Island, youth, hunting and fishing.
Stated priorities: South Island growth, youth opportunity, transport and outdoor interests.
Party candidate listParliament member profile
Latest party-vote polling
Polls measure nationwide support for National, not this candidate or this electorate — no electorate-level figures are published in these releases.
Latest poll
29.1%
RNZ–Reid Research, 21 Aug 2026
Average, last 3 months
29.6%
10 polls
Change on previous poll
+0.1
Percentage points
National manifesto promises
57 policy commitments on file for the party this candidate stands for.
Economy & Cost of Living
- • Home Energy Fund offering low-interest, long-term loans for solar, batteries, insulation and other home-energy upgrades to help lower power billsnational.org.nz
- • No new taxes if re-electednational.org.nz
- • [Stuff news source] Delay the scheduled January 2027 fuel-excise increase; positions on the planned 2028 and 2029 increases were still to be announcedstuff.co.nz
- • [1News source] Make cervical screening free for all women aged 25–69 from March 2027, removing the screening charge for about 786,000 more women1news.co.nz
- • Three Budget Responsibility Rules: prioritise surplus in 2028/29, reduce debt below 40% of GDP, and lower core Crown spending towards 30% of GDPnational.org.nz
+6 more in this area
Education & Children
- • Extend paid parental leave from 26 to 30 weeks and automatically enrol newborns in KiwiSaver with a $1,500 Baby Boostnational.org.nz
- • Automatically enrol every newborn in KiwiSaver and provide a $1,500 Baby Boost from 1 July 2027national.org.nz
- • Extend paid parental leave from 26 to 30 weeks by 2029, allow parents to share or overlap leave, and protect full holiday pay after parental leavenational.org.nz
- • [Stuff news source] Introduce legislation banning social-media access for children under 16stuff.co.nz
- • Reduce the compulsory student-loan repayment rate from 12% to 10% from 1 April 2027 and strengthen recovery from overseas borrowersnational.org.nz
+4 more in this area
Tax & Fiscal Policy
- • No new taxes if re-electednational.org.nz
- • Bend debt below 40% of GDP and maintain it below that level over timenational.org.nz
- • [Stuff news source] Cancel the scheduled 12-cent-per-litre fuel-excise rise in January 2027, then introduce four 5-cent increases at six-month intervals from January 2028stuff.co.nz
- • Continue transitioning petrol vehicles from fuel excise duty to electronic road-user charges based on distance and vehicle weightnational.org.nz
- • Oppose new land taxes under National’s no-new-taxes commitment; pursue housing affordability through land supply, planning and infrastructure reform insteadnational.org.nz
+4 more in this area
Health & Care
- • [Stuff news source] Fit out Christchurch Hospital’s third tower to provide 96 additional bedsstuff.co.nz
- • Continue expanding frontline healthcare through more medicines, palliative-care centres for seriously ill children, three-day postnatal stays and a lower bowel-screening age of 56national.org.nz
- • [1News source] Make cervical screening free for all women aged 25–69 from March 2027, extending free access to about 786,000 more women1news.co.nz
- • Temporarily increase mileage reimbursement for home and community support workers by 30%, from 63.5 cents to 82.5 cents per kilometre, while high fuel prices persistnational.org.nz
- • Provide a government KiwiSaver contribution during paid parental leave even when the parent is not contributingnational.org.nz
+3 more in this area
Energy, Climate & Environment
- • [RNZ news source] Continue a practical National Adaptation Framework focused on clear risk information, planning certainty and lower societal costs; develop national standards for river-gravel extraction and on-farm quarrying for resilience projectsrnz.co.nz
- • Accelerate renewable-energy and backup-generation projects to improve energy security and lower billsnational.org.nz
- • Launch a Home Energy Fund for low-interest loans repaid through rates for solar, batteries, insulation and other energy-resilience upgradesnational.org.nz
- • Make small-scale solar, batteries and micro-hydro largely permitted without resource consentnational.org.nz
- • Accelerate renewable generation and backup-energy projects to strengthen energy security and lower billsnational.org.nz
+2 more in this area
Employment, Welfare & Retirement
- • Use a traffic-light compliance system, sanctions, money management and community work requirements for beneficiaries who do not meet work obligationsnational.org.nz
- • Contract community providers and job coaches to help young Jobseekers into sustained work, with a $1,000 incentive for eligible under-25s who remain off benefit for 12 monthsnational.org.nz
- • Make KiwiSaver compulsory for all workers from 1 July 2028 and lift combined default contributions to 12% by 2032national.org.nz
- • Add a $1,500 Baby Boost, parental-leave contributions and employer contributions for workers over 65national.org.nz
- • Retain a revised pay-equity regime focused on demonstrated sex-based undervaluation, preserve the twelve completed settlements and allow new claims under a clearer and more affordable processnational.org.nz
Speeches and coverage
Stories and statements that name James Meager, updated automatically as they are published.
- 28 Aug 2026Otago Daily TimesMinister interviewElection 2026 interview: James Meager
Meager discussed the South Island Plan, roads, health funding and regional influence in government.
Recent National speeches and statements
- 3 Sept 2026ScoopPolitical releaseLand Tax On The Table Under Labour
National argued Labour had left open the possibility of a land-value tax; this is party criticism, not a confirmed Labour policy.
- 2 Sept 2026ScoopPolitical releaseLabour's CGT Will Hit Small Businesses
National argued Labour’s property CGT would affect owner-operated commercial premises.
- 23 Aug 2026StuffCampaign launchNational launches campaign on no-new-taxes message
Luxon framed the election choice around National’s tax restraint versus tax increases proposed across the opposition bloc.
- 21 Jun 2026YouTubeSocial media — Conference speechNZ National Party / Christopher Luxon: Conference speech
National's conference address set out its campaign case on fiscal discipline, energy security, growth, education and compulsory KiwiSaver reforms. Evidence: Official party video
- 19 Jun 2026StuffCampaign conferenceNational kicks off 2026 campaign at party conference
Coverage of National's annual conference and campaign positioning.