Cameron Brewer
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Cameron Brewer | |
|---|---|
.png) Brewer in 2023 | |
| 19th Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs | |
| Assumed office 7 April 2026 | |
| Prime Minister | Christopher Luxon |
| Preceded by | Scott Simpson |
| Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing | |
| Assumed office 7 April 2026 | |
| Prime Minister | Christopher Luxon |
| Member of Parliament for Upper Harbour | |
| Assumed office 14 October 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Vanushi Walters |
| Majority | 11,192 |
| Ōrākei ward councillor | |
| In office 9 October 2010 – 8 October 2016 | |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Desley Simpson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Cameron Eric Brewer 8 March 1973 Hāwera, New Zealand |
| Party | New Zealand National Party |
| Children | 3 |
| Alma mater | Massey University (BA) |
| Occupation | Member of Parliament |
Cameron Eric Brewer (born 8 March 1973) is a New Zealand politician and former journalist.
A member of the National Party, Brewer has been a Member of Parliament in the House of Representatives for Upper Harbour since 2023. He was previously the Ōrākei ward representative on Auckland Council from 2010 to 2016. Following a cabinet reshuffle in 2026, he became the Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, the Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing and the associate Minister of Immigration.
Born in Hāwera on 8 March 1973, Brewer attended Wanganui Collegiate School and Massey University where he completed a Bachelor of Arts in history and sociology in 1994. He was president of the students' association of Western Institute of Technology, where he studied journalism and edited the student publication.[1]
In early 1996 he founded and edited Dunedin-based community newspaper Inside Otago before selling it in late 1998. He moved to Wellington and worked as a writer and researcher for the National Party and as a press secretary first to the Leader of the Opposition, Jenny Shipley, and later to the leader of ACT New Zealand, Rodney Hide. From 2002 to 2004 Brewer was communications advisor to the Mayor of Auckland City, John Banks.[2][3]
Between 2005 and 2010 he was the chief executive of the Newmarket Business Association.[4]
Auckland Council
| Years | Ward | Affiliation | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010–2013 | Ōrākei | Independent | |
| 2013–2016 | Ōrākei | Independent | |
In the 2010 Auckland Council elections Brewer was elected from the Ōrākei ward as an Independent with a 7,000 vote margin over Citizens & Ratepayers (C&R) deputy leader Doug Armstrong.[1] Brewer's decision to contest the election as a right-wing independent was labelled as a "betrayal" by C&R members while the result was considered a humiliation for C&R in its "traditional heartland".[4][5][6]
In his first term, Brewer was chair of Auckland Council's Business Advisory Forum, chair of the Planning and Urban Design Panel, and deputy chair of the Economic Development Forum. He was considered a potential candidate for the Mayor of Auckland in 2013, but did not run.[7][8] Instead he was re-elected as a councillor unopposed. Brewer was an opponent of mayor Len Brown and criticised him for not declaring gifts. Brewer himself failed to declare gifts and hospitality in 2013.[9] He did not contest a third term on the council in 2016.[10]
In October 2016 Brewer was elected to the Rodney Local Board in the Kumeu subdivision. He had stood as part of the Rodney First ticket. During the term, he chaired the board's transport, infrastructure and environment committee.[citation needed] He retired from local politics in 2019 to focus on running his communications firm.
