| Rima Nakhle | |
| Honorific-Suffix: | MP |
| Term Start2: | 14 October 2023 |
| Parliament2: | New Zealand |
| Predecessor2: | Neru Leavasa |
| Party: | National |
| Birth Place: | Sydney, Australia |
| Spouse: | Roger Nakhle |
Rima Jillian Nakhle is a New Zealand politician and Member of Parliament in the House of Representatives for the National Party.
Nakhle was born in Sydney, Australia,[1] to parents of Lebanese origin.[2] She attended Western Sydney University and completed a law degree. She is an enrolled barrister and solicitor. She moved to New Zealand in 2012, after marrying her husband Roger Nakhle. His parents are also of Lebanese descent, and lived in the suburb of The Gardens, which is now part of the Takanini electorate.[3] In 2014, Nakhle was admitted to the bar in New Zealand.
Nakhle was the executive manager of Te Mahia Community Village, a transitional and emergency housing service converted from a former camping ground owned by her husband's family. The camping ground was reportedly a centre of homeless activity prior to its formal conversion; when Nakhle moved to New Zealand, she applied for permission to officially convert it to a "community village". Her proposal originally faced pushback, with government officials concerned the area would turn into a locus of antisocial behaviour. Nakhle stated in 2020 that Ministry of Social Development considered Te Mahia "the poster boy for community villages".[4] She also established Te Mahia Community Village Trust, which provided sport, education and social activities for up to 300 village members.[1]
In June 2020, Nakhle was selected over sitting list MP Agnes Loheni as the National Party candidate for the newly established Takanini electorate.[5] [6] Newsroom described her campaign that year as "an old school, grass roots campaign", focused on in-person canvassing rather than app-based advocacy. She estimated in October 2020 that she had door-knocked 3,000 houses since that June. Despite having been predicted to win the seat, she was unsuccessful in the 2020 New Zealand general election, losing to Neru Leavasa by over 4,500 votes.[7] [8]
Nakhle was re-selected as National's Takanini candidate for the 2023 New Zealand general election, held on 14 October 2023.[9] She defeated the incumbent Leavasa by a margin of 8,775 votes.[10] She is deputy chair of the Māori affairs committee and a member of the justice committee.[11]
A member's bill in Nakhle's name, the Corrections (Victim Protection) Amendment Bill, was selected for introduction in February 2024.[12] The bill proposes to prevent victims of crime and those subject to a protection order from being contacted by prisoners. It unanimously passed its first reading in March 2024 and was sent to the justice committee.[13]
In both 2020 and 2023, Nakhle campaigned on a 'tough on crime' approach, saying National would set up military academies for youth offenders.[14] She is also opposed to recreational use of cannabis. She said she voted against legalising euthanasia and cannabis in the 2020 referendums.[15]