About Shane

Dr Shane Reti is serving his third term in parliament and feels honoured to have held senior National Party roles including Interim Leader and Deputy Leader. Shane is passionate about his current roles as Spokesperson for Health, Spokesperson for Maori-Crown Relations, Spokesperson for Pacific Peoples and as a list MP serving the people of Whangarei.

Experience

Politics is Shane’s third career. In his first career, he practiced family medicine and dermatology in Whangarei for 16 years. He was appointed for three consecutive terms to the Board of the Northland DHB, published research that won literary awards, registered with the NZ Institute of Chartered Accountants and was awarded a QSM for Public Service in the 2006 New Year Honours List.

In his second career, he was awarded NZ Harkness Fellow to Harvard. While at Harvard he was promoted to Assistant Professor. During this time, his work also included an appointment with New Zealand Trade and Enterprise in an economic development role as a Beachhead Advisor to the New Zealand consulate in Dubai.

Dr Reti’s political career began as the first Maori MP to win the Whangarei seat, 2014-2020. He has held a wide range of portfolios including the Spokesperson for Tertiary Education, Spokesperson for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations, associate spokesperson for Drug Reform, Spokesperson for Data and Cybersecurity and Spokesperson for Disability Issues.

He has been deputy chair of the Health Select Committee, deputy chair of the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Select Committee, co-chair of the NZ/US Parliamentary Group, chair of Parliamentarians for Nuclear Disarmament and the parliamentary facilitator for Arthritis New Zealand.

Shane’s commitment to the people of New Zealand is also reflected in the work he has championed via private member bills that include writing the National Party policy for medicinal cannabis and lobbying for children with cancer to receive their medicines for free.