Cameron Brewer

Cameron Brewer
MP
Cameron Brewer in 2023
Brewer in 2023
Member of the New Zealand Parliament
for Upper Harbour
Incumbent
Assumed office
14 October 2023
Preceded byVanushi Walters
Majority11,192
Ōrākei Ward Councillor
In office
9 October 2010 – 8 October 2016
Preceded byOffice established
Succeeded byDesley Simpson
Personal details
Born
Cameron Eric Brewer

(1973-03-08) 8 March 1973 (age 52)
Hāwera, New Zealand
Political partyNew Zealand National Party
Children3
Alma materMassey University (BA)
OccupationMember of Parliament

Cameron Eric Brewer (born 8 March 1973) is a New Zealand politician and former journalist.

A member of the National Party, Brewer has been a Member of Parliament in the House of Representatives for Upper Harbour since 2023. He was previously the Ōrākei Ward representative on Auckland Council from 2010 to 2016.

Early life and career

[edit]

Born in Hāwera on 8 March 1973, Brewer attended Wanganui Collegiate School and Massey University where he completed a Bachelor of Arts in history and sociology in 1994. He was president of the students' association of Western Institute of Technology, where he studied journalism and edited the student publication.[1]

In early 1996 he founded and edited Dunedin-based community newspaper Inside Otago before selling it in late 1998. He moved to Wellington and worked as a writer and researcher for the National Party and as a press secretary first to the Leader of the Opposition, Jenny Shipley, and later to the leader of ACT New Zealand, Rodney Hide. From 2002 to 2004 Brewer was communications advisor to the Mayor of Auckland City, John Banks.[2][3]

Between 2005 and 2010 he was the chief executive of the Newmarket Business Association.[4]

Auckland Council

[edit]
Auckland Council
Years Ward Affiliation
2010–2013 Ōrākei Independent
2013–2016 Ōrākei Independent


In the 2010 Auckland Council elections Brewer was elected from the Ōrākei ward as an Independent with a 7,000 vote margin over Citizens & Ratepayers (C&R) deputy leader Doug Armstrong.[1] Brewer's decision to contest the election as a right-wing independent was labelled as a "betrayal" by C&R members while the result was considered a humiliation for C&R in its "traditional heartland".[4][5][6]

In his first term, Brewer was chair of Auckland Council's Business Advisory Forum, chair of the Planning and Urban Design Panel, and deputy chair of the Economic Development Forum. He was considered a potential candidate for the Mayor of Auckland in 2013, but did not run.[7][8] Instead he was re-elected as a councillor unopposed. Brewer was an opponent of mayor Len Brown and criticised him for not declaring gifts. Brewer himself failed to declare gifts and hospitality in 2013.[9] He did not contest a third term on the council in 2016.[10]

In October 2016 Brewer was elected to the Rodney Local Board in the Kumeu subdivision. He had stood as part of the Rodney First ticket. During the term, he chaired the board's transport, infrastructure and environment committee.[citation needed] He retired from local politics in 2019 to focus on running his communications firm.

Member of Parliament

[edit]
New Zealand Parliament
Years Term Electorate List Party
2023–present 54th Upper Harbour 62 National

Brewer has been a member of the National Party since 1996. The New Zealand Herald reported in 2022 he had long held ambitions to become a member of Parliament.[11] He declined to seek National's candidacy in the Tāmaki electorate in 2011 and also ruled out standing for the ACT Party.[12][13] He also declined to seek the candidacy in Helensville in 2017.[14]

In April 2023, Brewer was announced as the National Party's candidate in the Upper Harbour electorate for the 2023 general election.[15] He defeated first-term incumbent Vanushi Walters, New Zealand's first Sri Lankan-born MP, with a margin of 11,192.[16] After an election night celebration, Brewer was accused of making an inappropriate comment in his speech, declaring that his win was a victory for "stale, pale, males." He later apologised, saying it was “a poor attempt at humour”.[17]

In his first term in Parliament, Brewer served as deputy chair of the governance and administration committee and as a member of the justice committee from December 2023 to January 2025. On 29 January 2025, he was appointed as chair of the finance and expenditure committee.[18] A private member's bill in his name, the Life Jackets for Children and Young Persons Bill, was introduced in April 2025 and seeks to require all recreational boat users aged 15 and under to wear a life jacket.[19]

Personal life

[edit]

Brewer has three children from two past relationships.[11]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Local Elections 2010 results". elections2010.co.nz. Archived from the original on 12 February 2013.
  2. ^ Fitzgerald, Mary (6 October 2016). "Cameron Brewer leaves office with a message for fellow councillors". Stuff. Retrieved 28 May 2025.
  3. ^ "Cameron Brewer To Stand In Orakei Ward". Voxy.co.nz. Archived from the original on 4 April 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  4. ^ a b Orsman, Bernard (14 July 2010). "Brewer's stance dubbed 'betrayal'". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 18 October 2016. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  5. ^ Orsman, Bernard (10 October 2010). "Left, right and centre – it's a council for all". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 18 October 2016. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  6. ^ Orsman, Bernard (22 August 2010). "Orakei: Challenger splits centre-right in Tory heartland". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 24 April 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  7. ^ Orsman, Bernard (3 July 2011). "High-profile councillor cagey about bid for top job". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 24 April 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  8. ^ "Len Brown destined to rule the roost in 'Bro-Town'". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  9. ^ Orsman, Bernard (19 December 2013). "Brewer's Gold Coast junket slip". NZ Herald. Retrieved 28 May 2025.
  10. ^ New Zealand Herald (4 August 2016). "Auckland councillors bowing out". M.nzherald.co.nz. Archived from the original on 16 September 2016. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
  11. ^ a b Simich, Ricardo (26 November 2022). "Cameron Brewer says love is key to his return to politics". NZ Herald. Retrieved 28 May 2025.
  12. ^ Cheng, Derek (4 May 2011). "Act plans for 'aggressive stance' with National". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 24 April 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  13. ^ "National's plum candidacy is ripe for picking". The New Zealand Herald. 14 October 2011. Archived from the original on 24 April 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  14. ^ Orsman, Bernard (8 December 2016). "Cameron Brewer considering Helensville seat". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
  15. ^ "Our Team". Archived from the original on 4 April 2023. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  16. ^ "Upper Harbour - Official Result". Electoral Commission. 3 November 2023. Archived from the original on 23 November 2023. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
  17. ^ "New National MP Cameron Brewer celebrated victory for 'stale, pale males' after defeat of Sri Lankan-born rival". RNZ News. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  18. ^ "Brewer, Cameron". New Zealand Parliament. Retrieved 30 January 2025.
  19. ^ "Life Jackets for Children and Young Persons Bill". bills.parliament.nz. 7 November 2017. Retrieved 28 May 2025.
[edit]
New Zealand Parliament
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Upper Harbour
2023–present 		Incumbent
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cameron_Brewer&oldid=1292650606"