David Parker (New Zealand politician)

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The Honourable
David Parker
MP
File:David Parker NZ.jpg
Parker in 2011
31st Attorney-General
In office
19 October 2005 – 20 March 2006
Prime Minister Helen Clark
Preceded by Michael Cullen
Succeeded by Michael Cullen
Member of the New Zealand Parliament
for Labour Party list
Assumed office
2005
Member of the New Zealand Parliament
for Otago
In office
2002 – 2005
Preceded by Gavan Herlihy
Succeeded by Jacqui Dean
Majority 684 (2.18%)
Personal details
Born 1960 (age 63–64)
Nationality New Zealand
Political party Labour
Children 3[1]
Occupation Lawyer
Website davidparker.co.nz

David William Parker (born 1960) is a New Zealand politician, a member of the New Zealand Labour Party and a list MP. He was interim leader of the Labour Party from September to November 2014. He previously served as Minister of State Services, Minister of Energy, Minister for Land Information and Minister Responsible for Climate Change Issues in the Fifth Labour Government of New Zealand.[2]

Before politics

David Parker was born in Roxburgh and grew up in Dunedin. He attended the University of Otago, studying law and business, and co-founded the Dunedin Community Law Centre.[3]

Before entering politics, Parker worked as a litigation partner in the law firm Anderson Lloyd Caudwell. He later had a business career in the agri-biotechnology field, including with Blis Technologies, where he was a manager.[4][5]

Member of Parliament

Parliament of New Zealand
Years Term Electorate List Party
2002–2005 47th Otago 47 Labour
2005–2008 48th List 37 Labour
2008–2011 49th List 17 Labour
2011–2014 50th List 4 Labour
2014–present 51st List 2 Labour


Parker first gained election to Parliament as a Labour member in the 2002 elections, winning an upset victory over National's Gavan Herlihy in the Otago seat. In the 2005 elections the National candidate Jacqui Dean defeated him in his Otago electorate seat, but he returned to the House due to his position on the Labour list. In the 2008 general election Parker and Dean both stood in the resurrected Waitaki electorate, with Dean winning by over 11,000 votes.[6] Nevertheless, due to his list position he was still returned to parliament. In the 2011 election, Parker stood in the Epsom electorate, where he came third behind ACT New Zealand's John Banks and National's Paul Goldsmith, but was again returned as a list MP.[7] In the 2014 election, Parker did not contest an electorate, but was number two on the Labour list.[8]

Attorney-General and Minister

He served as Attorney-General and Minister of Transport and Energy from 2005 until March 2006. He resigned his position as Attorney-General on 20 March 2006 after an allegation that he had filed an incorrect declaration with the Companies Office on behalf of the property company Queens Park Mews Limited. On 21 March Parker also resigned his place in Cabinet as Minister of Energy, Minister of Transport, and Minister Responsible for Climate Change Issues.[9] An inquiry by the Companies Office cleared him of the charge of filing false returns.[10]

Helen Clark, the Prime Minister of New Zealand, re-appointed Parker to the Energy and Climate Change portfolios and to the Land Information portfolio on 2 May 2006. (The Attorney-General portfolio remained with Michael Cullen, and Annette King took over Parker's former Transport portfolio.)

In July 2007 Clark appointed Parker as the acting Minister for the Environment following the resignation of David Benson-Pope.[11]

Opposition

Following Labour's defeat in the 2008 general election, Parker became the Opposition spokesperson on Conservation, ACC and Shadow Attorney-General. On 15 June 2010, Opposition Leader Phil Goff appointed Parker to be Portfolio Spokesperson for Economic Development, a position formerly held by Shane Jones, and shifted the portfolio of Conservation to Chris Carter.

Parker ran for the party leadership in 2011, but withdrew part-way through the contest to support David Shearer's bid.

Parker then became the Labour spokesperson for Finance and the shadow Attorney-General (from February 2013).

From 17 September 2013, Parker was the deputy leader of the Labour Party. He retained his finance portfolio.

Following the poor performance of the Labour Party in the 2014 general election, and the eventual resignation of David Cunliffe as leader, Parker was appointed interim leader of the Labour Party. He then unsuccessfully ran in the 2014 Labour Party leadership election and he came third in the leadership election behind Grant Robertson.[12]

References

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  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Waitaki results 2008.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Rt. Hon Helen Clark, 27 July 2007, Acting Ministers in portfolios, New Zealand Government Press Release, retrieved 25 November 2007.
  12. ↑ http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/63305825/Andrew-Little-new-Labour-Party-leader-by-a-whisker

External links

Political offices
Preceded by Attorney-General
2005–2006		 Succeeded by
Dr Michael Cullen
New Zealand Parliament
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Otago
2002–2005		 Succeeded by
Jacqui Dean
Political offices
Preceded by Deputy Leader of the Opposition
2013–2014		 Succeeded by
Annette King
Party political offices
Preceded by Deputy Leader of the Labour Party
2013–2014		 Succeeded by
Annette King
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