National’s male MPs are showing off their post-Budget fits in response to criticism directed at Finance Minister Nicola Willis.
The Herald yesterday published an article featuring comments from an Auckland-based fashion brand designer who was critical of Willis for not wearing something from a New Zealand designer on Budget Day on Thursday.
Willis responded by saying the focus on Budget Day should be on the Government’s policies, not on what she wore.
Several of the men in National’s caucus have come out in support of Willis by publishing entertaining and insightful videos detailing their post-Budget outfits, known by younger generations as fit checks.
Minister Chris Bishop, a good friend of Willis, was among the first to post a video, noting the interest in Willis’ outfit and lamenting that “nobody has asked” about his own.
Speaking outside the Beehive while the House was in urgency passing legislation critical to Budget 2025, Bishop starts with his “lovely blue tie”, which he says was purchased in France.
His shirt is a “classic” blue 3 Wise Men product, paired with a grey suit bought from Harford Menswear in Wellington but Bishop elaborates he’s “pretty sure” it’s a Rembrandt.
“[Rembrandt], of course, from Lower Hutt, wonderful place,” Bishop says. A quick online search finds Rembrandt began in 1946 in Wellington’s Vivian Street.
Mystery surrounds Bishop’s socks; he guesses they’re “standard issue black” socks from H&M.
His shoes, which he admits “need a bit of a polish”, are from 3 Wise Men.
“There you have it, that’s what I’m wearing in post-Budget urgency,” Bishop declares with a grin.
“I know there’s a huge amount of interest in what me and a bunch of the other men in the National Party are wearing.”
It seems Bishop’s fit check was a source of inspiration for National’s Wairarapa MP Mike Butterick.
Perhaps surprising for a Masterton sheep and beef farmer, Butterick took a keen interest in his colleagues’ attire and interviewed several male MPs.
One was fellow farmer and Northland MP Grant McCallum, who said the issue reminded him of former United States President John F. Kennedy, who once said: “Nobody wonders what Lyndon and I wear.”
It turned out McCallum’s outfit also had a link to the US, the MP revealing his cow-themed tie was made in America.
“You’re not a dairy cockey by any chance are you?” Butterick asks.
“I just might be,” McCallum says.
His suit is from Working Style. McCallum points to his New Zealand Music Month badge, noting his love of local band Split Enz.
A quick-thinking Butterick moves on: “We’ll stay away from the jocks, what about the socks?”
McCallum states they’re from Rodd & Gunn, covered by Wellington-bought leather shoes.
Whanganui MP Carl Bates is up next. Stretched out on one of Parliament’s couches, Bates admits he was “borrowing” a tie from Ōtaki MP Tim Costley.
He’s less sure about the origin of his suit but his enthusiasm peaks when he gets to his R.M. Williams boots, a company that sources most of its leather from a tanning business in Whanganui, Bates claims.
Bates reveals he’s opted for a more adventurous sock choice, pulling them up to show a green pair with the inscription, “Ain’t no bad joke like a dad joke”.
“I think my kids agree with that,” Bates says.
“Most kids disagree when they get older, Carl,” Butterick warns.
Bates compliments his shirt without any detail, but confirms he did iron it.
Again, Butterick stops his colleague from going further: “Done the socks, won’t worry about the jocks.”
Thinking along similar lines, Bates refuses to show off his singlet but assures his social media followers that it’s Merino wool.
“Oh, we like that,” Butterick says.
Ilam’s Hamish Campbell is another put under Butterick’s fashion spotlight.
Campbell is also in a 3 Wise Men suit but admits the accompanying purple tie is “probably a bit old”.
He’s also wearing a pocket handkerchief from Barkers, with boots again from 3 Wise Men.
“We’ll stay away from jocks,” Butterick cautions. Campbell agrees.
“Of course, the most important thing is what’s inside, not what someone’s wearing,” Campbell says.
Act leader David Seymour also chimed in on social media, questioning whether a male politician would face similar scrutiny to Willis before confirming his Budget day suit was “made in NZ by someone born overseas”.
Adam Pearse is the Deputy Political Editor and part of the NZ Herald’s Press Gallery team based at Parliament in Wellington. He has worked for NZME since 2018, reporting for the Northern Advocate in Whangārei and the Herald in Auckland.
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