Todd Stephenson
MP
Member of the New Zealand Parliament
for ACT party list
Assumed office
14 October 2023
Personal details
Born
Todd Michael Stephenson[1]

Lumsden, New Zealand
Political partyACT New Zealand
SpouseAlex

Todd Michael Stephenson is a New Zealand lawyer and politician, representing ACT New Zealand as a Member of Parliament since the 2023 New Zealand general election. He has worked mainly in the pharmaceutical industry.

Early life

Stephenson was born in Lumsden and educated in Invercargill, attending James Hargest College and later gaining a law degree from the University of Otago.[2][3] He worked in the pharmaceutical industry for the 17 years, including for the company Vertex Pharmaceuticals, which makes cystic fibrosis drug Trikafta.[4][5]

Political career

New Zealand Parliament
Years Term Electorate List Party
2023–present 54th List 4 ACT

Stephenson has been a member of ACT for nearly 30 years, since its formation, and formerly worked for ACT's former president Catherine Isaac.[6] He was attracted to the party by its focus on "private enterprise and individual freedom".[6] He campaigned for the party four times between 1996 and 2005, and was employed by the party from 1997 to 2000.[7] He has been elected to the ACT party board twice.[3]

Stephenson contested Southland in the 2023 election. He was fourth on the national list.[8] At the time of his selection he was living in Sydney, Australia.[9] He subsequently moved to a house he already owned and rented out in Queenstown.[3] During the campaign, Stephenson was interviewed by Jack Tame on Q+A on ACT's policy of an independent review of medicine-buying agency Pharmac. Stephenson said Pharmac needed to do a better job engaging with its stakeholders, and raised the possibility that treatment decisions should be made with a productivity focus in mind.[10] Stephenson identified the cost of living as a particular issue for his electorate, with rents for workers in Queenstown being unaffordable.[3]

On election night, Stephenson received 2,807 votes, coming fourth behind National's Joseph Mooney, Labour's Simon McCallum and the Green's Dave Kennedy.[11][12] He was however elected to Parliament on the ACT party list.[13]

Personal life

Stephenson lives in Queenstown with his partner Alex, who is Australian.[6] Stephenson identifies as gay and was founder of the J&J Open and Out Employee Resource Network in Australia, which aims to make sure company policies use language that "reflect[s] a diverse workforce".[14]

References

  1. ↑ Le Quesne, Karl (16 November 2023). "2023 General Election – Election of List Candidates". Wellington: New Zealand Gazette. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
  2. ↑ Houlahan, Mike (17 July 2023). "Southland candidate fourth on Act's list". Otago Daily Times.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Bowden, Kim (14 August 2023). "Twice the voice in Wellington as probable ACT MP moves to Queenstown". Crux. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
  4. ↑ Kelly, Rachael (19 October 2023). "New ACT MP Todd Stephenson happy to be in Wellington". Stuff. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
  5. ↑ Campbell, Gordon (28 July 2023). "On ACT's Links To Big Pharma | Scoop News". www.scoop.co.nz. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
  6. 1 2 3 RNZ (12 August 2023). "ACT's top candidates: The faces and aspirations aiming for government". Crux.
  7. ↑ Kelly, Rachael (14 October 2023). "Queenstown's Todd Stephenson likely to head to Parliament as fourth on the ACT Party list". Stuff. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
  8. ↑ McGregor, Catherine (17 July 2023). "It's mottoes vs potholes as campaign heats up". The Spinoff.
  9. ↑ Kelly, Rachael (25 July 2023). "ACT's newest-to-be MP Todd Stephenson looking forward to the challenge of politics". Stuff.
  10. ↑ "ACT calls for "productivity focus" for Pharmac". 1 News. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
  11. ↑ "Mooney wins Southland (Queenstown)". Lakes Weekly Bulletin. 15 October 2023. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
  12. ↑ "Southland - Official Result". Electoral Commission. 3 November 2023. Archived from the original on 23 November 2023. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
  13. ↑ "2023 General Election - Successful Candidates". Electoral Commission. 3 November 2023. Archived from the original on 22 November 2023. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
  14. ↑ Brodie, Megan (13 December 2022). "Todd Stephenson, the great connector". MedNews. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
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