Born in 1978 or 1979,[2] Arbuckle grew up in Rapaura on an apple and cherry orchard.[3] He did not know his father.[4] Despite "not [being] academic" at school, Arbuckle went on to earn a diploma in management from Nelson Polytechnic (now the Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology).[2]
In 2009 Arbuckle applied to the Marlborough Farmers' Market to set up a stall selling asparagus, but questions were raised about whether he grew it himself, and his application was subsequently turned down. Arbuckle then led a group of stallholders to set up a competing market in Redwoodtown.[2]
He is married to Sally, and they have four children.[3] He trains racehorses as a hobby.[2]
At the 2010 local elections, Arbuckle was elected to the Marlborough District Council. He was re-elected in the 2013 elections and again in the 2016 elections where he won the highest number of votes in the Blenheim Ward each time.[5] At the 2010, 2013 and 2019 elections he also ran for mayor as well as the council but was defeated, placing second on each occasion.[6] His wife Sally also stood for Marlborough District Council in 2019 but was unsuccessful.[7][8] Both of them were elected in the 2022 local elections.[9] He served as chair of the economic, finance and community committee at the council.[10]
Arbuckle entered national politics when he was selected by the New Zealand First party to contest the Kaikōura electorate at the 2017 election where he finished third.[11] He stood again in the seat at the 2020 election, finishing fourth.[12] After this loss he joined the New Zealand First board.[13] Selected to run a third time in Kaikōura at the 2023 general election, he was ranked 6th on the 2023 party list.[14] Arbuckle finished in third place in the Kaikōura electorate, with 4,347 votes, but entered Parliament as one of eight New Zealand First list MPs.[15][16]
Arbuckle refused to resign his position as councillor in order to avoid causing a by-election; he intends to remain on council until October 2024 when a by-election would not longer be necessary to fill any vacancy he creates.[18][19] When he was elected to parliament, he said he would return his council remuneration until his eventual resignation, but later changed his mind and on 6 May 2024 said he would keep it.[20] The next day he changed his mind after being criticised for "double dipping" and said he would donate the council salary to charity.[21]
