Rima Nakhle
MP
Nakhle in 2023
Member of the New Zealand Parliament
for Takanini
Assumed office
14 October 2023
Preceded byNeru Leavasa
Personal details
BornSydney, Australia
Political partyNational
SpouseRoger Nakhle

Rima Jillian Nakhle is a New Zealand politician and Member of Parliament in the House of Representatives for the National Party.

Biography

Nakhle was born in Sydney, Australia,[1][2] to parents of Lebanese origin.[3] She attended Western Sydney University and completed a law degree. She is an enrolled barrister and solicitor.[1] She moved to New Zealand in 2012, after marrying her husband Roger Nakhle. His parents are also of Lebanese descent, and lived in the suburb of The Gardens, which is now part of the Takanini electorate.[3][4] In 2014, Nakhle was admitted to the bar in New Zealand.[5]

Nakhle was the executive manager of Te Mahia Community Village,[1] a transitional and emergency housing service converted from a former camping ground owned by her husband's family. The camping ground was reportedly a centre of homeless activity prior to its formal conversion; when Nakhle moved to New Zealand, she applied for permission to officially convert it to a "community village". Her proposal originally faced pushback, with government officials concerned the area would turn into a locus of antisocial behaviour. Nakhle stated in 2020 that Ministry of Social Development considered Te Mahia "the poster boy for community villages".[4][6] She also established Te Mahia Community Village Trust, which provided sport, education and social activities for up to 300 village members.[2]

Political career

New Zealand Parliament
Years Term Electorate List Party
2023–present 54th Takanini 41 National

Nakhle was selected as the National Party candidate for the newly established Takanini electorate in June 2020.[1] Newsroom described her campaign that year as "an old school, grass roots campaign", focused on in-person canvassing rather than app-based advocacy. She estimated in October 2020 that she had door-knocked 3,000 houses since that June.[3] Despite having been predicted to win the seat, she was unsuccessful in the 2020 New Zealand general election, losing to Neru Leavasa by over 4,500 votes.[7][8]

Nakhle was elected as the Member of Parliament for Takanini in the 2023 New Zealand general election, held on 14 October 2023.[9] She defeated the incumbent Leava by a margin of 8,775 votes.[10]

Views and positions

In both 2020 and 2023, Nakhle campaigned on a 'tough on crime' approach, saying National would set up military academies for youth offenders.[6][5] She is also opposed to recreational use of cannabis.[6]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Rima Nakhle National's Candidate In Takanini". Scoop. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
  2. 1 2 "Andy Foster, Tamatha Paul, Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke: Host of new faces on track to enter New Zealand's 54th Parliament". The New Zealand Herald. 15 October 2023. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 Mandow, Nikki. "The most uncertain seat in the country". Newsroom. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  4. 1 2 Latif, Justin. "Welcome to Takanini, the sparkling new seat in the 2020 election". The Spinoff. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  5. 1 2 Raman, Venkat (27 March 2023). "National Party candidates in Palmerston North and Takanini". indiannewslink.co.nz. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  6. 1 2 3 Master, Farida (6 July 2020). "Rima Nakhle: Strong voice for tougher laws on crime". Times. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  7. ↑ Keogh, Brittany (18 October 2020). "Election 2020: Labour's Neru Leavasa becomes MP for newest electorate, Takanini". Stuff. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  8. ↑ Collins, Simon (16 October 2023). "Election results 2020: The key election seats - latest updates on the electorates that might change hands". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  9. ↑ Lyth, Jaime (15 October 2023). "Auckland electorates final election results 2023". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  10. ↑ "Takanini - Official Result". Electoral Commission. 3 November 2023. Archived from the original on 23 November 2023. Retrieved 16 December 2023.
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