Invercargill MP Sarah Dowie has announced she will not be seeking re-election as the MP for Invercargill at the 2020 election.
“Serving the people of Invercargill and wider Southland as their Member of Parliament is one of my proudest achievements. Despite being re-selected as the candidate, I have made the decision not to contest the seat,” Ms Dowie says.
“My proudest achievements include taking a leading advocacy role in aquaculture policy and development as part of the Southern Regional Development Strategy, leading the conservation portfolio and policy development as National’s spokesperson for conservation and chairing the Justice Select Committee’s busy legislative agenda including family violence reforms in my first term.
“It has been a privilege to help many Southlanders behind the scenes on personal constituency matters that have made a real difference in their lives.
“However, I am most proud of my children, Christabel and Hunter. I went to Parliament when Christabel was four and Hunter was two years old. What has become clear is that my children are at a pivotal age and I wish to be 100 per cent present to share in their successes.
“While this was a difficult decision to make, I feel this is the right decision for me and my family.
“It has been an honour to work alongside some incredibly talented people in National. This includes our leader, Simon Bridges who is a tremendous politician and he will make an excellent Prime Minister.
“I want to thank my family, staff and my colleagues both in caucus and across the National Party. I especially thank my Invercargill electorate team and my wider Southern National Party ‘family’ for their unwavering support. You are the backbone of our Party and Members could not achieve all what they do without you.
“I will fulfil my responsibilities as Member of Parliament for Invercargill and campaign for the National Party up until Election Day. The new candidate for Invercargill will have my full support. I wish the National team all the very best in the upcoming election.”