Taine Randell

Taine Randell will stand for New Zealand First in the Tukituki electorate, bringing more than two decades of business, commercial and governance experience to the team.

Born and raised in Hawke's Bay, Taine holds a conjoint degree in Law and Commerce (Economics) from the University of Otago. After graduating, he pursued a professional rugby career in New Zealand and the United Kingdom, playing for Otago and Saracens, and reaching the pinnacle of the sport as captain of the All Blacks.

Following his retirement from rugby, Taine moved into London's financial markets, trading global crude oil futures and derivatives, before returning home to Hawke's Bay in 2009, where he still resides with wife Jo and their family.

Taine has built a diverse commercial career. He founded an emissions trading business and has held governance roles across a range of sectors, including iwi investment, Hawke's Bay Airport and Fiordland Lobster. He was also closely involved in his family's freeze-drying business, exporting premium New Zealand food products to markets around the world.

Today, he is involved in the family's investment fund, focused on primary industry and commercial property and has stayed closely connected to his community, with long-standing involvement in the Māori Agricultural College (MAC) rugby club in Flaxmere, where he grew up.

Taine is standing for New Zealand First in Tukituki because he believes hard-working New Zealanders deserve a fair shot, and that strong local leadership, sound economic management and common sense are essential to the region's future.