She is engaged to Ben King, who holds one of the most senior roles in the public service as chief executive of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet.
“I am looking forward to spending the next 61 days running a strong campaign in Kaipara ki Mahurangi, for a National Party that is fixing the basics and building the future,” Rowe said in a statement.
Jessica Rowe is National’s candidate for the Auckland electorate of Kaipara ki Mahurangi. Photo / National Party
“With the economic recovery underway, now is not the time to place more costs on Aucklanders. That is why I am proud to support National’s pledge of no new taxes, because Kiwis deserve to keep more of what they earn.”
The selection ends speculation over who National would give the seat to. Consider a safe National electorate and one held by former PM Sir John Key, the seat would be sought after by any candidate eyeing up a long tenure in National’s caucus.
It was particularly relevant for candidates on the party’s list or those unlikely to win their electorate. Should National continue to poll in the 20s and hold many of the seats it won in 2023, there could be very few MPs who enter Parliament through the list.
Minister and senior National MP Paul Goldsmith, who has tried and failed in five elections to win Auckland’s Epsom electorate, initially appeared to be eyeing a run in his electorate, telling TVNZ’s Q&A last month it was a “beautiful seat”.
“A couple of people have suggested it to me and I’m thinking about it,” Goldsmith said when asked if he had had any conversations about running in the electorate.
But he later ruled it out in a video on Facebook, saying he had “inadvertently put off a lot of speculation”.
“It is a beautiful seat. But I am standing in Epsom. It’s my home. I’ve campaigned there for 15 years,” he said.
“This year, if you support National, we’re asking not just for your party vote, but also the constituency vote, because I want to win Epsom and I want to continue to serve the community.”
Adam Pearse is the Deputy Political Editor and part of the NZ Herald’s Press Gallery team based at Parliament in Wellington. He has worked for NZME since 2018, reporting for the Northern Advocate in Whangārei and the Herald in Auckland.