Paulo Garcia | |
|---|---|
.png) Garcia in 2023 | |
| Member of theNew Zealand Parliament forNew Lynn | |
| Assumed office 14 October 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Deborah Russell |
| Member of theNew Zealand Parliament for theNationalParty List | |
| In office 16 May 2019 – 17 October 2020 | |
| Preceded by | Nuk Korako |
| Personal details | |
| Political party | National |
| Profession | Lawyer |
Paulo Reyes Garcia is a New Zealand lawyer and politician. He is aMember of Parliament in theHouse of Representatives for theNew Zealand National Party and the first New Zealand MP ofFilipino descent.[1][2]
Garcia was born in the city ofSan Juan, part of the conurbation ofMetropolitan Manila,Philippines in 1965.[3][4] He is a graduate of theUniversity of the Philippines[which?], and also attended theAcademy of American and International Law in Texas in the United States of America. He was a barrister before entering parliament. In the Philippines, where he practised for ten years, his focus was commercial law, particularly as it applied to foreign and multinational companies operating in that country.[4][5] After moving to New Zealand, he practised immigration law with a focus on investor migration.[5] After initially working for McLeod & Associates and Corban Revell Lawyers, he established his own firm, Garcia Law.[5]
Paulo Garcia was appointedhonorary consul of the Philippines in Auckland in 2012, and was also involved in establishing the New Zealand Philippines Business Council.[4][6]
| Years | Term | Electorate | List | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019–2020 | 52nd | List | 50 | National | |
| 2023–present | 54th | New Lynn | 34 | National | |
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In the2017 election Garcia stood for National in theNew Lynn electorate and was placed 50 on their party list.[7] He came second toDeborah Russell with 38.55% of the vote and was not ranked high enough on National's party list to be allocated a seat in Parliament.
In February 2018 Garcia and several other "next in line" list candidates attended National's parliamentarycaucus meeting to help ease their transition into parliament should they enter during the course of the parliamentary term.[8] Garcia later entered Parliament in 2019 upon the resignation of National MPNuk Korako.[9] He was declared elected on 16 May 2019.[10] He became New Zealand's first MP of Filipino descent.[4] He is the first person born in the Philippines who has been elected to the national legislature of another country.[11] In 2020 he was briefly deputy chairperson of theParliamentary committee on Foreign Affairs, Defense and Trade and a National Party associate spokesperson on foreign affairs and justice.[12]
In February 2020 the National Party board decided that Garcia would be a list-only candidate in the2020 general election.[13] National polled poorly at the election and Garcia lost his seat in Parliament.[14]
Ahead of the2023 New Zealand general election, Garcia was selected as the National Party candidate for New Lynn again.[15] He defeated incumbent Deborah Russell with a final majority of 1,013 votes.[16]
In early February 2024, Garcia introduced a member's bill that would seek to amend theCrimes Act 1961 to criminalise acts of"coward punching" that led to serious injuries or death.[17][18] His member's bill was supported byUltimate Fighting Championship (UFC) mixed martial arts fighterIsrael Adesanya.[17]
