Waitaki MP Jacqui Dean, a quintessential people person, was elected the Member of Parliament for Otago in 2005 winning the seat from Labour. At the 2008 General Election, following boundary changes, she was elected as MP for Waitaki with a 10,176 majority, which increased again during the 2011 general election.
Prior to her election Jacqui gained valuable governance experience as a Waitaki District councillor in 1996 and later, in 1999, as deputy mayor. Her tenure with the Council allowed her to develop and hone her skills at getting to the heart of issues and their effect on people.
These days Jacqui is Chairperson of the Law and Order Select Committee and Chair of the Law and Order Caucus Committee, committees responsible for examining matters relating to corrections, courts, criminal law, police and serious fraud. Jacqui’s role provides her the opportunity to create safer communities through the creation of legislation to maintain effective law enforcement.
Jacqui is also a member of the Local Government and Environment Select Committee and is again pleased to belong to a group of parliamentarians seeking to improve community, district and regional procedures and services and their environments. Helping her to provide further oversight and impetus to those environmental duties is her membership of National's active Bluegreen team.
Outside of ‘in-house’ duties Jacqui is an effective and committed electorate MP. She knows her entire electorate and its capabilities well, travelling often on highways, byways and farm tracks to maintain regular contact with rural and urban citizens alike.
Savvy to the importance of farming and primary production to both the local and national economy Jacqui says such contact is vital to her role of ensuring the concerns the people she represents are heard by the nation's decision makers.
Jacqui is married to Oamaru lawyer Bill Dean. The couple have three adult children and two grandchildren.
