Scott Willis | |
|---|---|
 Willis in 2023 | |
| Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Green party list | |
| Assumed office 14 October 2023 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1969or1970(age 53–54) Dunedin, New Zealand |
| Political party | Green |
Scott Matthew Willis [1] is a New Zealand energy analyst and politician, representing the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand as a Member of Parliament since the 2023 New Zealand general election. [2]
Willis was born in Dunedin and grew up on a farm in Otago. [3] [2] He attended the University of Otago from the age of 17 in 1987, [4] and then worked on orchards and farms in the Cévennes region of France. [2] Willis later interned at the European Parliament. [2] He has worked as a consultant on energy resilience, and as an energy analyst. [5] [6] [7] As general manager of Blueskin Energy Ltd, Willis was involved in attempts to get wind turbines in Blueskin Bay, and in the building of New Zealand's first climate-safe house in 2020. [8] [9] He has been involved with a trust working on peer-to-peer energy sharing, and insulating houses. [5]
| Years | Term | Electorate | List | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 –present | 54th | List | 12 | Green | |
Willis contested the Taieri electorate in the 2020 election, when he came third to Labour MP Ingrid Leary and National Party candidate Liam Kernaghan, with 2207 votes. [10] [11]
Willis stood again for Taieri in the 2023 election. He was twelfth on the national list. [12] At the campaign launch in June, Willis said "We need a strong voice on the hospital build and our health services; for all whānau living in cold, damp mouldy homes; for our tertiary education – our University and Te Pukenga. We need a strong voice and forward thinking for South Dunedin and our rural and energy sectors, for decarbonising to deliver climate justice." [10]
During the 2023 election, Willis received 3,898 votes in Taeiri, coming third to incumbent Ingrid Leary and National Party candidate Matthew French. [13] Despite not winning Taieri, Willis entered Parliament on the Green Party list. [14] [7]
In late November, Willis assumed the Green Party's energy, regional development, rural communities and Dunedin Issues spokesperson portfolios. [15]
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I went to university as a 17-year-old in 1987—so you can do the calculations there!