Biography.guide
Home › People › Communications adviser › Tom Rutherford
Portrait of Tom Rutherford

Tom Rutherford

b. 1996

National Party candidate in 2023 New Zealand general election

Communications adviserPolitician
Don't just read it — keep itBiographies to ownE-book · Audio · Video From $7 →

About Tom Rutherford

Born 1996. Tom Rutherford is a New Zealand communications adviser and politician.

Tom Rutherford (born ) Rutherford's mother Sharon Nightingale is the National Party event manager in the Bay of Plenty. Rutherford is also a Hockey New Zealand umpire, having officiated in 14 nationally tracked tournaments since 2017.

Political career

Rutherford was shortlisted for the National Party candidacy in the 2022 Tauranga by-election, held after the resignation of Simon Bridges, but lost out to Sam Uffindell.

Rutherford was selected by the National Party to contest the electorate at the . He was 70th on the party list. Rutherford was the youngest National Party candidate in 2023, but said he was mentored by Tony Ryall, who was also 26 when he was elected to represent Bay of Plenty. On election night, Rutherford received 23,303 votes, comfortably beating the Labour Party's Pare Taikato on 7,898.

Rutherford was selected to contest the Mt Maunganui electorate, the electorate that replaced , for the .

Views and positions Rutherford has said the biggest issues to be dealt with by government are "cost of living, transport and crime". He is keen to help improve transport and infrastructure to reduce congestion in Bay of Plenty. Rutherford also says that police should be given more powers. Rutherford also said he is keen to see democracy returned to Tauranga City Council (the council has been run by four commissioners since early 2021), and would work with the MP for Tauranga, Sam Uffindell, to ensure that happened.

Biography shop

Don’t just read it —
keep it.

Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.

  • E-book
  • Audio
  • Video
Browse the shop — from $7

Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free

Important facts

Born
1996
Birth century
Occupation
Communications adviser, politician
Nationality
Education
Bethlehem College, Victoria University of Wellington
Employers
Rotorua Lakes Council

People in Tom Rutherford's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Tom Rutherford's

Frequently asked questions

Who is Tom Rutherford?

National Party candidate in 2023 New Zealand general election

When was Tom Rutherford born?

Tom Rutherford was born in 1996.

What is Tom Rutherford's occupation?

Tom Rutherford is a communications adviser and politician.

What nationality is Tom Rutherford?

Tom Rutherford is New Zealand.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Tom Rutherford

· Wikidata: Q122178407

· DBpedia: Tom Rutherford

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Tom Rutherford. https://biography.guide/tom-rutherford/

MLA: "Tom Rutherford." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/tom-rutherford/.

Chicago: "Tom Rutherford." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/tom-rutherford/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

Page generated 2026-09-27 05:22 UTC