MP Jamie Arbuckle on his ‘darkest day’ and ‘doing the right thing’

NZ First MP Jamie Arbuckle has officially stepped back from his council role, recalling highlights but also the darkest day of his career during his valedictory speech. The councillor-turned-MP leaves behind a career at the Marlborough District Council that started in 2010, when he opened his mouth in his first meeting and made himself “unpopular from the beginning”. “I remember saying we should all be paid the same,” he said, at a full council meeting on Thursday, his last day at the table.

“You could imagine on the day, first council meeting, talking about the remuneration and [having] no respect for chairs and understanding the work they did. “Obviously I have a different view of that today.”.