Andrew Hoggard

Hoggard became a member of ACT New Zealand in 2019. On 9 May 2023, one day after stepping down as president of Federated Farmers, he was named as the ACT candidate in the Rangitīkei electorate for the 2023 New Zealand general election.^[15] Hoggard was subsequently ranked fifth on ACT's party list for the election.^[16]

During the 2023 election, Hoggard came third place in the Rangitīkei electorate, which was won by National Party candidate Suze Redmayne.^[17] He was however elected to Parliament on the ACT party list.^[18]

Following the formation of the National-led coalition government, Hoggard became Minister for Biosecurity, Minister for Food Safety, Associate Minister of Agriculture, and Associate Minister of the Environment in late November 2023.^[19] In the agriculture portfolio he is responsible for animal welfare, skills and significant natural areas. In the environment portfolio he is responsible for the Jobs for Nature programme, biodiversity, and freshwater regulations for farmers.^[20]

On 14 March 2024 Hoggard, as Associate Environment Minister, announced that the government would suspend the obligation for councils to impose Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) under the previous Sixth Labour Government's National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while the Resource Management Act 1991 is being replaced. Significant Natural Areas are places in New Zealand where rare or threatened plants or animals are found. Their protection was previously required under the Resource Management Act.^[21] On 15 March he released a statement saying his 14 March comment had been misunderstood: "To be clear, there has been no change to statutory and regulatory obligations on councils at this point. If my statement has been read in a way that suggested that the change had already come into effect, this was not the intention". University of Otago law Professor Andrew Geddis said the statement was "misleading at best, and borderline unlawful at worst. No minister can by mere announcement remove an existing legal obligation imposed by a parliamentary enactment."^[22]

In August 2024, Hoggard as Minister for Food Safety announced the government was not going to sign up to new infant formula quality standards developed by Food Standards Australia New Zealand and would instead develop a separate New Zealand standard over the next five years. The announcement was welcomed by the dairy industry but was criticised by the New Zealand College of Midwives.^[23] In April 2025 RNZ reported that Hoggard had been heavily lobbied by dairy industry representatives, including his sister.^[24] Soon after, RNZ reported that the government was considering signing up to the standards, following a change of position by the dairy lobbyists.^[25]

In early December 2024, Hoggard as Biosecurity Minister halted all New Zealand poultry exports following an outbreak of the H7N6 subtype of avian influenza at a Moeraki farm.^[26]

In October 2025, Hoggard announced a rewrite of pig welfare laws, cancelling the previous government's plans to ban farrowing crates in favor of a legislative amendment that retained them with stricter regulations and a 10-year transition period. Released documents subsequently revealed that the National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee (NAWAC), the government's independent expert body, had disagreed with the reforms, advising that the continued confinement of sows likely did not meet the standards of the Animal Welfare Act.^[27]

On 10 March 2026, Hoggard as Associate Agricultural Minister confirmed that the Government would not progress with an ACT and National pledge to reverse the previous government's ban on live animal exports during the 54th New Zealand Parliamentary term, stating that he had been unable to secure consensus within the New Zealand Cabinet. He said that the Government would instead focus on implementing its reforms to the Resource Management Act 1991.^[28]