Sarah Dowie

Sarah Dowie
MP
Member of the New Zealand Parliament
for Invercargill
Assumed office
20 September 2014
Preceded by Eric Roy
Personal details
Political party National
Spouse(s) Mark Billcliff
Children 2
Profession Lawyer
Website sarahdowie.national.org.nz

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.

Early life and career

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

Dowie attended the University of Otago and after graduating pursued a career as a lawyer. She is married to Mark Billcliff, a former first class cricketer for Otago.[3] Dowie has two young children.[2]

Political career

New Zealand Parliament
Years Term Electorate List Party
2014–2017 51st Invercargill 57 National
2017–present 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.[4] In the 2014 election, she won with a large margin to Labour's Lesley Soper.[5][2] 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.

References

  1. 1 2 "Meet the Candidate: Sarah Dowie". Young Nats. 7 May 2014. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 4 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.
  3. ↑ "About Sarah". New Zealand National Party. Retrieved 15 August 2014.
  4. ↑ "Invercargill Nats hopeful hits ground running". The Southland Times. 24 March 2014. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
  5. ↑ "Official Count Results -- Invercargill (2014)". Electoral Commission. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
New Zealand Parliament
Preceded by
Eric Roy		 Member of Parliament for Invercargill
2014–present		 Incumbent
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