Howick’s Dan Bidois, a Harvard-educated economist, is standing as National Party’s candidate to contest the Northcote seat left vacant after Jonathan Coleman’s resignation from Parliament triggered a by-election.
“I grew up in Howick and spent my formative years out east, but am hugely passionate about Northcote and the communities here,” he told the Times.
“They deserve a champion, someone who will stand up to the Labour Government and council and make sure there is strong opposition to things like the fuel taxes which will hit Aucklanders hard.”
Bidois is a cancer survivor. He was diagnosed with bone cancer – Ewing’s Sarcoma – shortly after finishing school at the age of 15 and had chemotherapy and an operation to save his leg. After recovering, Bidois worked as a butcher’s apprentice.
“I’ve been a fighter all my life and I’m really excited about the race. National isn’t taking anything for granted though, and we’ll be working hard over the next few weeks,” he said.
Bidois will be going up against Shanan Halbert, also 35, who is also well educated and of Maori descent. Halbert lives in the electorate and stood for Labour in Northcote in last year’s general election.
Bidois lives in Epsom these days. He is currently a strategy manager at Foodstuffs North Island and is moving to Northcote soon.
He has more than nine years’ experience working as an economist and strategist across New Zealand, Asia and Europe, including three years with the OECD, two years with Deloitte and time at several economic think-tanks in Auckland and Kuala Lumpur. His industry experience spans the retail, agriculture, renewable energies and public sector.
Bidois holds a Masters in Public Policy from Harvard University in the USA, where he attended as a Fulbright Scholar. He also holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Hons) and Bachelor of Arts degrees from the University of Auckland, where he served as President of the Auckland University Students’ Association (AUSA) in 2006.
Prior to university, Bidois attended Star of the Sea Primary, Howick Intermediate, and Howick College. He left high school at aged 15 to complete a butchery apprenticeship with Woolworth’s NZ.
He is of European and Maori (Ngati Maniapoto) descent and is the youngest of four children.
Outside of work, Bidois enjoys spending time with family and friends, running and watching the NZ Warriors in the NRL.
He was one of five candidates who in March 2017 contested the Pakuranga electorate seat which was last year vacated by National MP Maurice Williamson, an MP for 30 years.
Among the candidates standing for the very safe Natioanl seat were Howick Local Board deputy chair Katrina Bungard, businessman and former Bucklands Beach local Sang Cho, Highbrook banker and Manurewa Local Board member Simeon Brown and award-winning chief executive Rahul Sirigiri. Brown was selected and comfortably won the Pakuranga seat for National at the September General Elections.
