Catherine Wedd

Catherine Jane Wedd (Loft; born 1980 (age 43)) is a New Zealand politician and Member of Parliament for the National Party. She was a BBC and TVNZ reporter before working as a marketer in the horticulture industry.

Early life
Wedd majored in English and political science at university, and then earned a postgraduate diploma in journalism. In 1997, Wedd represented ACT MP Patricia Schnauer in the New Zealand Youth Parliament. She was a journalist at the BBC and TVNZ, and then worked as a marketing executive for the horticulture industry.

Political career
On 21 January 2023, Wedd was announced as the National Party candidate for in the 2023 New Zealand general election. She defeated the incumbent Anna Lorck, with whom she previously worked at Attn Marketing PR, with a margin of 10,118 votes. Lorck and Wedd were joint directors of that company.

During her campaign, Wedd criticized the government's response to Cyclone Gabrielle, saying perceived uncertainty about relief payments negatively impacted growers; she elsewhere supported the deregulation of the horticulture industry. Wedd has expressed support for police crackdown on gang membership in the Hawke's Bay region, and has been critical of the education system.

Personal life
Wedd's grandfather was National Party MP Bill Tolhurst, who represented Whanganui from 1969 to 1972. One of her grandmothers also stood for selection. Wedd and her husband Henry have four children.