Todd Muller remains a currently serving member of the New Zealand Parliament. He is a New Zealand National Party member and represents the Bay of Plenty electoral division. The division is located on the country's North Island.
Muller would rise to become one of his nation's most prominent MPs. Including being, for a brief time, the leader of the National Party and the Opposition. He has also been open about his mental health-related struggles. Which, at least in part, led to the end of his tenure as Opposition and party leader. And now, perhaps his political career altogether.
He says he will not run again in the upcoming election
The New Zealand Herald reports that Todd Muller will not be a candidate for re-election. New Zealand's next general election is slated for later this year. Much of the polling had indicated that Muller's National Party was the favorite to emerge victorious. Arguably a heavy favorite, even. But there have been a series of significant events in recent weeks that have shaken expectations.
Unpopular Labour Party Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern resigned. She was succeeded by current Prime Minister Christopher Hipkins, also of the Labour Party. A pair of catastrophic natural disasters soon followed that in quick succession. Recent polling has suggested that race has become neck-and-neck.
As indicated by PerthNow, he has waffled about whether he planned to run for another term in the past. But on this occasion, at this point, it seems that he's made up his mind. He thanked current National Party Leader Christopher Luxon and Deputy Leader Nicola Willis. He is saying that their support for him has been "unequivocal" on both personal and professional levels.
The openness about Muller's mental wellness issues has been done with the hope of helping to de-stigmatize the subject. Similar to what has been happening in the United States regarding Pennsylvania U.S. Senator John Fetterman.
Muller was first elected to the Parliament in 2014. He succeeded in his electoral division Minister of Health Tony Ryall, also of the National Party.
He has been re-elected twice in the years since then. Previously, he'd been a staffer for Prime Minister Jim Bolger.
In 2020, Muller led the successful efforts to oust then-National Party Leader Simon Bridges. Muller became the new party leader, effectively making him the new opposition leader. Judith Collins took on the role after he stepped aside. Collins was a Cabinet member for Prime Ministers John Key and Bill English.
Has a background in agriculture
Todd Muller is a native of Te Aroha. He and his family later settled in Te Puna. There, his parents would start up a kiwifruit orchard. Muller later attended Tauranga Boys' College before earning a master's degree from the University of Waikato.
Eventually, Muller took a corporate position with the kiwifruit colossus Zespri. His career would also include working as a director with Plant & Food Research of the Crown Research Institute. Before being elected to Parliament, he worked for the dairy co-op Fonterra.
