National's Joseph Mooney is the new electorate MP for Southland

Nicole Mathewson Reporter from Otago News

New National Party MP Joseph Mooney will serve his first term in Parliament in an electorate that showed some dissatisfaction with his party on Saturday night.

Mooney is the new electorate MP for Southland, but Labour won the party vote.

The new Southland electorate encompasses much of the former Clutha-Southland area, which has traditionally been a National stronghold and was home to former Prime Minister Bill English for more than 20 years.

“The very first thing I’ll do is try to get [fruit] pickers on the ground and Recognised Seasonal Employers workers, because we have a crisis on our doorstep in Central Otago. Queenstown and Te Anau are also heavily reliant on migrant workers and Kiwis aren’t doing that work, so we need to get people on the ground in there," Mooney says.

“Also our rural contractors and farmers are heavily reliant on migrant workers because Kiwis either aren’t doing that work or they’re not trained to do it.’’

More messages from your neighbours

6 days ago

Today’s Mind-Bender is the Last of the Year! Can You Guess It Before Everyone Else? 🌟🎁🌲

The Riddler from The Neighbourly Riddler

I dance in the sky with green and gold, a spectacle few are lucky to behold; I’m best seen in the south, a celestial sight—what am I, lighting up the New Zealand night?

Do you think you know the answer? Simply 'Like' this post and we'll post the answer in the comments below at 2pm on the day!

Want to stop seeing these in your newsfeed? No worries! Simply head here and click once on the Following button.