Jami-Lee Ross | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2011 | |
| Leader of Advance NZ | |
| In office 6 August 2020 – 19 August 2021 | |
| Chief Government Whip in the House of Representatives | |
| In office 2 May 2017 – 26 October 2017 | |
| Prime Minister | Bill English |
| Preceded by | Tim Macindoe |
| Succeeded by | Ruth Dyson |
| Deputy Chief Government Whip | |
| In office 7 October 2014 – 2 May 2017 | |
| Prime Minister | John Key Bill English |
| Preceded by | Tim Macindoe |
| Succeeded by | Barbara Kuriger |
| Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Botany | |
| In office 5 March 2011 – 17 October 2020 | |
| Preceded by | Pansy Wong |
| Succeeded by | Christopher Luxon |
| Majority | 12,840 (2017) |
| Howick ward councillor | |
| In office 31 October 2010 – 5 March 2011 | |
| Preceded by | Position created |
| Succeeded by | Dick Quax |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Jami-Lee Matenga Ross 1985 (age 38–39) New Zealand |
| Political party | Advance New Zealand (2020–2021) Independent (2018–2020) National (2003–2018) |
| Spouse | Lucy Schwaner (separated) |
| Children | 2 |
Jami-Lee Matenga Ross[1] (born 1985)[2] is a New Zealand businessman and former politician. He was the Member of Parliament for Botany from a by-election in March 2011 until he lost his re-election bid at the 2020 general election.
Originally elected as a member of the New Zealand National Party, and having served as its chief whip during the final year of the Fifth National Government, Ross left the party in 2018 amid accusations of corruption, bullying, and sexual harassment.[3] He sat in Parliament as an independent until 2020, when he formed the conspiracy theorist and electorally unsuccessful Advance New Zealand party.[4] He was charged with electoral fraud in 2020 but found not guilty on the basis it was possible he had lied about his involvement in a donation-splitting scheme.[5]
Prior to his parliamentary career, Ross had been a local government politician in Auckland on the Manukau City Council where had been elected aged 18, from 2004 to 2010 and on the consolidated Auckland Council for five months from October 2010. As of 2023[update], his main occupation was running an escort service.[6]
- ^ "2011 Botany by-election: Results of the official count". New Zealand Gazette. 16 March 2011. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
- ^ "Roll of members of the New Zealand House of Representatives, 1854 onwards" (PDF). New Zealand Parliament. 24 May 2019. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
- ^ Vance, Andrea (2022). Blue Blood: the inside story of the National Party in crisis. Sydney, New South Wales: HarperCollins. ISBN 978-1-77549-246-7.
- ^ Quinlivan, Mark (18 October 2020). "NZ Election 2020: Tova O'Brien clashes with Jami-Lee Ross over Advance NZ party 'whipping up fear and hysteria'". Newshub. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
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