Member of Parliament
| Parliament of New Zealand | ||||
| Years | Term | Electorate | List | Party |
| 2005–2008 | 48th | Tauranga | 49 | National |
In the 2005 election, Clarkson was recruited as the National candidate for the Tauranga seat. He challenged Winston Peters, leader of the New Zealand First party, who held the seat for twenty-one years. The contest was of national significance as party must have 5% of the vote or an electorate seat to qualify for proportional representation in parliament. A loss by Peters would have deprived New Zealand First of its electorate seat, leaving it vulnerable to a decline in its vote.
Clarkson won the seat by 730 votes, a 2.02% majority over Winston Peters.
As a member of parliament, Clarkson was the National Party's associate spokesperson for Building and Construction and Housing.
Read more about this topic: Bob Clarkson
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