Biography
James Meager is the Member of Parliament for Rangitata. First elected in 2023, he is Minister for Youth, Minister for the South Island, and Minister for Hunting and Fishing.
Impact this term
54th Parliament · since the 2023 general election
These are factual counts from the public record, not a score. MPs do different jobs: ministers run portfolios rather than sponsoring members’ bills, and MPs first elected in 2023 have a shorter record. We show the facts so you can decide what counts as doing enough.
Policies they shape, and why
Bills they’ve worked on
Voting record
Most votes in Parliament are party votes, where MPs vote as a block with their party. So on the large majority of votes James Meager voted the same way as National. The votes that show an MP’s own view are conscience (personal) votes, where MPs vote individually.
No conscience (personal) votes are recorded for James Meager this term. These votes are rare, because Parliament decides most matters by party vote. We record them from Hansard as they occur.
Declared interests
What James Meager has declared in the official register: directorships, property, trusts, debts and gifts. Registers actual and potential conflicts of interest; it is not a measure of wealth.
7 Retirement schemes ASB KiwiSaver 8 Managed investment schemes ASB Investments Funds (now closed) – ASB 11 Overseas travel costs Belgium and France – participation in European Union Visitors Programme. Contributor to travel and accommodation: European Commission and the European Parliament. 12 Gifts Milford Sound flights (x2; did not use due to weather) – RealNZ Hospitality, BlackCaps v England T20 (x2 tickets; accepted but did not attend) – Canterbury Cricket Trust Hunting knife (returned and subsequently personally purchased) – New Zealand Deerstalkers Association Ricardo Menéndez
Register of Pecuniary Interests (parliament.nz) · as at 31 January 2026Taxpayer-funded expenses
Travel and accommodation paid by Parliamentary Service for 1 January – 31 March 2026. Ministers’ expenses are disclosed separately.
Roles & responsibilities
Latest coverage
News and video mentioning James Meager, from the sources on our coverage page.
In the news
Details sourced from parliament.nz and the public record. Bills, written questions, declared interests and expenses refresh automatically from Parliament’s official sources; conscience votes are recorded from Hansard as they occur. Photo: New Zealand National Party, CC BY-SA 4.0 (source ).