Lawrence Arden Yule (born 1963) is a New Zealand politician. He was Mayor of Hastings from 2001 to 2017, and a Member of Parliament representing the Tukituki electorate for the National Party from 2017 to 2020.

Political career

Mayor of Hastings

Yule became mayor of

Hastings Hastings () is a large seaside town and borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east to the county town of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to the north-west ...

in 2001. In this role he presided over the Hastings District Council. When elected he was the youngest person to become mayor of Hastings. In 2016, the Hastings district was hit by an outbreak of campylobacter in drinking water which affected thousands of people. In the last mayoral election he stood in, in 2016, Yule received more than 3,000 more votes than his closest rival. Yule announced that his sixth term, starting in 2016, would be his last as mayor.

National politics

In February 2017, Yule was selected as the National Party's candidate for the electorate of Tukituki in the 2017 general election. The seat had been held by National MP

Craig Foss Craig Raymond Robert Foss (born 4 July 1963) is a New Zealand investment banker and politician. He was elected to the Hawke's Bay Regional Council in October 2019 and was previously the Member of Parliament for from 2005 until 2017. Early ye ...

since 2005, but Foss announced his retirement from politics in December 2016. Yule defeated the Labour Party's

Anna Lorck Anna Louise Lorck is a New Zealand politician of the New Zealand Labour Party. She was elected to the New Zealand House of Representatives at the 2020 general election as the MP for Tukituki. Early life and career Lorck grew up in Waipukurau ...

, who Yule had previously hired as a public relations consultant for local election campaigns. Yule resigned as Hastings Mayor, resulting in a by-election held in November 2017. In the

2020 New Zealand general election The 2020 New Zealand general election was held on Saturday 17 October 2020 to determine the composition of the 53rd parliament. Voters elected 120 members to the House of Representatives, 72 from single-member electorates and 48 from closed ...

, Yule stood again for Tukituki, again going up against Anna Lorck. Yule lost the electorate to Lorck by 1,590 votes, in an election that saw National lose 18 of its 41 electorate seats. The day after the election, Yule admitted defeat and said he had no plans for his future yet.

Other roles

Yule was the president of

Local Government New Zealand Local Government New Zealand Te Kahui Kaunihera ō Aotearoa (LGNZ) is the local government association of New Zealand. It represents the interests of the regional, city, and district councils in New Zealand. History The Association was form ...

. He is also a justice of the peace.

Personal life

Yule is married to his wife Kerryn. He has four adult children.

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Yule, Lawrence Living people 1963 births Mayors of Hastings, New Zealand People from Hastings, New Zealand New Zealand National Party MPs Candidates in the 2017 New Zealand general election New Zealand MPs for North Island electorates New Zealand justices of the peace Unsuccessful candidates in the 2020 New Zealand general election