Sarah Dowie

Sarah Maree Dowie (born c. 1975) is a New Zealand politician who was elected to the New Zealand parliament at the 2014 general election as a representative of the New Zealand National Party and holds the Invercargill seat.

Sarah Dowie

MP
Member of the New Zealand Parliament
for Invercargill
Assumed office
20 September 2014
Preceded byEric Roy
Majority5,579
Personal details
Political partyNational
Spouse(s)Mark Billcliff (separated in 2018)
Children2
ProfessionLawyer
Websitesarahdowie.national.org.nz

Early life and career

Dowie's parents, Ann and Alan Dowie,[1] were both police officers.[2] At age 15 in 1990, she was a member of a semi-professional dance group that performed in the Soviet Union.[2] Before her election to Parliament, she worked as a lawyer.[1][2]

Dowie attended the University of Otago, studying law and ecology. After graduating, Dowie worked for the law firm Macalisters and later the Department of Conservation.[2] Dowie joined the National Party and was affiliated with their "Blue Greens" environmentalist faction.[2]

Political career
New Zealand Parliament
Years Term Electorate List Party
2014–2017 51st Invercargill 57 National
2017–2020 52nd Invercargill 41 National

Dowie was selected by the National party to replace retiring MP Eric Roy in the Invercargill electorate; at the time, she had a low profile.[3] In the 2014 election, she won with a large margin to Labour's Lesley Soper.[4][1] She was returned again in 2017 with a slightly reduced margin, but still beating Labour candidate Liz Craig, who was elected to parliament from the Labour list. She also defeated sitting New Zealand First MP Ria Bond, who was too far down the list to be re-elected.

On 25 January 2019, Dowie was revealed as the MP who had an affair with fellow MP Jami-Lee Ross. Ross had disclosed this in October 2018, but the news media chose not to name her at the time. After it was learned that a police investigation had been launched into a text message allegedly sent by Dowie to Ross, media revealed her identity.[5][2] However, the police decided that no further action was needed.[6][7] In 2019 Dowie was re-selected by National in Invercargill unopposed, but in February 2020 announced her decision not to stand for re-election.[8][9]

Political and public views and statements

Dowie has defended recreational whitebaiting.[10] Dowie also criticised the Labour-led coalition government's plans to merge the country's polytechnics into a single entity. In particular the Southern Institute of Technology, one of the most successful polytechnics with reserves of over $30 million and a surplus of $4 million stating that the merger would cost jobs and cause Southland to lose its competitive advantage and respond to market needs.[11] As National's spokesperson for conservation, she was critical of the Labour-led coalition's plans to cull Tahr without consultation with the hunting fraternity and led a campaign to "Stop the Tahr Cull" where over 25,000 signed the petition.[12] Dowie is responsible for a member's bill entitled the Shark Cage Diving (Permitting and Safety) Bill which was drawn from the ballot in September 2018. This bill seeks to ensure both people and shark's safety should it become law.[13] Currently it is an unregulated activity.

Personal life

Sarah Dowie is married to Mark Billcliff, a former first class cricketer for Otago, but it is understood they have separated.[14] Dowie has two young children.[1]

References
  1. Berwick, Louise; Mcdougall, Nicci; Mcleod, Hannah (20 September 2014). "Soper won't stand again as Dowie wins city vote". The Southland Times. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
  2. Savory, Logan (25 January 2019). "Sarah Dowie: A journey from talented dancer to representing Invercargill in parliament". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
  3. "Invercargill Nats hopeful hits ground running". The Southland Times. 24 March 2014. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
  4. "Official Count Results – Invercargill (2014)". Electoral Commission. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
  5. "Barry Soper: Sarah Dowie, the police inquiry, and the text from her phone". Newstalk ZB.
  6. Coughlan, Thomas (31 July 2019). "No charges for Sarah Dowie in relation to text". Stuff.co.nz.
  7. "Invercargill MP Sarah Dowie won't be charged over 'you deserve to die' message to Jami-Lee Ross". New Zealand Herald. 31 July 2019. Retrieved 31 July 2019.
  8. Walls, Jason (11 February 2020). "Sarah Dowie, David Carter, Nicky Wagner – National MPS not contesting 2020 election". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
  9. "'We all do things we are not proud of' says outgoing Invercargill MP Sarah Dowie". Stuff. 17 February 2020. Retrieved 5 July 2020.
  10. Sarah, Dowie (6 August 2019). "Comment: Standing up for whitebaiting and fighting for polytechnic". New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 31 August 2019.
  11. "Sarah Dowie criticises 'closed meeting' on SIT merger". Stuff. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  12. "20k signatures calling on Sage to cut the tahr cull". NZ National Party. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  13. "Invercargill MP's Bill to regulate shark cage diving pulled from ballot in Parliament". Stuff. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  14. Houlahan, Mike (26 January 2019). "Dowie's reign as Invercargill MP looks to be over". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
New Zealand Parliament
Preceded by
Eric Roy		 Member of Parliament for Invercargill
2014–present		 Incumbent
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