Conversation with Nicola Willis

Description

An opportunity to understand National's response to the countries economy, post the Budget announcement. 

Nicola Willis is a List MP based in Wellington, having entered Parliament in April 2018, and being re-elected in October 2020. She is currently National’s Deputy Leader, Spokesperson for Finance, and Social Investment. She is a member of Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Select Committee and the Intelligence and Security Select Committee, and has previously served on the Environment Select Committee, the Education and Workforce Select Committee, and the Regulations Review Select Committee. 

Prior to becoming an MP Nicola held a number of senior management roles at New Zealand dairy co-operative Fonterra. Her work at Fonterra included leadership of the business’s global trade strategy team, permanent membership of the global incident management team, operational management of Fonterra-owned farms and work on a number of major projects alongside Fonterra’s global customers, manufacturing teams and farmer shareholders. Nicola also served on the boards of Export NZ and policy think-tank the New Zealand Initiative. 

Nicola was a senior advisor to Prime Minister John Key during his first term in Government, having been a member of his winning 2008 campaign team, a senior advisor during his time as Leader of the Opposition and a researcher for then opposition education spokesperson Bill English. She has also worked in a number of small businesses including jobs selling shoes, clothes and bagels. Nicola is a proud graduate of Victoria University of Wellington with a first-class honours degree in English literature. 

She was a successful university debater, captaining teams and competing around the world. She grew up in Wellington, and today she lives there with her husband Duncan and their four children aged 6, 9, 10, 12.