Mike Butterick: Executor of Erosion
From Farmer to Parliament — Carrying Bills that Rewrite Wills
MP of Loopholes · Promoter of Private Bills · Overseer of Oversight Removal
Current Roles
Parliamentary Role
| Role | Start |
|---|---|
| MP for Wairarapa | 14/10/2023 |
Select Committee
| Role | Start |
|---|---|
| Primary Production Committee Member | 2023 |
Butterick presents himself as a community-minded farmer-turned-MP. Yet his legislative record already shows a willingness to undermine legal safeguards, privilege narrow beneficiaries, and erode charitable integrity.
“Mike Butterick, as the local MP and member in charge of this Private Bill, must answer: why resort to legislative override rather than the established legal path?”
“While Butterick frames this as a service to Wairarapa, this Bill gives sweeping powers and weakens oversight—he should not be allowed to paper over the risk with constituency appeals.”
“A newcomer MP pushing a high-stakes Bill carries responsibility: any flaws in accountability, oversight, or fairness will reflect on his judgment and trustworthiness.”
“His agricultural credentials give him local standing, but stewardship of charitable legacies demands more than that — it demands legal rigour, transparency, and respect for donor intent beyond constituency politics.”
His signature move so far: the Carter Trust Amendment Bill.
Carter Trust Amendment Bill — Donor Intent Dissolved
Private Bill 193–1 (Mike Butterick)
Formal Opposition Submitted By: Ukes Baha |
Read the full opposition
Marketed as a pragmatic update, the Bill in reality rewrites the will of Charles Rooking Carter by statute. It forces the termination of the Carter Trust within six months, earmarks $50,000 for a single parish, and hands the remainder to Carter Society Incorporated without binding safeguards. Public Trust deducts “reasonable expenses” without cap, while its liability is narrowed only to dishonesty, gross negligence, or wilful breach. Oversight comes only after the fact. Ministerial approval for Society rule changes is removed entirely.
- Donor intent overridden — testamentary certainty replaced by parliamentary override.
- Privileged payouts — $50,000 earmark to one parish without public-interest justification.
- Society windfall — balance transferred with no lock-ups, reporting, or audit.
- Rushed closure — six-month deadline risks poor valuation and no consultation.
- Accountability stripped — Public Trust shielded from liability for ordinary negligence.
- Oversight removed — regulator only informed after termination; Ministerial checks erased.
“When Parliament rewrites a will without independent guardrails, charity is the first casualty — and trust is the next.”
— Ukes Baha
Butterick’s Erosion Record
APIAPE identifies five core erosion features in Butterick’s Carter Trust Amendment Bill:
- Legislative Overreach
He is promoting a Private Bill that rewrites a will by statute. That undermines testamentary certainty, bypasses established cy-près safeguards, and cuts at the foundation of public trust in philanthropy. - Weakened Accountability
His Bill limits Public Trust liability, removes ministerial oversight of the Carter Society, and pushes through a six-month termination with after-the-fact regulator notice only. - Precedent of Parliamentary Interference
By normalising parliamentary override of wills, Butterick is setting a precedent of legislative interference in private law. Once one trust is overridden, others can follow. - Equity & Treaty Gaps
The Bill has no consideration of Te Tiriti o Waitangi obligations or broader equity impacts — a consistent erosion pattern across bills we have tracked. - Pattern of Risk
He is a new MP but already fronting multiple private/member bills. This shows eagerness to legislate without demonstrating depth in rights or accountability safeguards.
Why Mike Butterick Fits the Pattern
Butterick’s Carter Trust Amendment Bill is not minor housekeeping. It represents legislative erosion: of donor intent, of judicial safeguards, and of public confidence in charity. His readiness to push such a Bill so early in his parliamentary career signals a style of governance that APIAPE must track.
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Every bill leaves a trace. Together, they form the record of erosion. 🔙 Back to APIAPE Index