Roger Neville McClay, QSO (born 6 February 1945) is a former New Zealand politician. In 2010 he was convicted for defrauding two charities.[1]
Early life edit
McClay was born in 1945. He attended secondary school at Wesley College, Auckland.
Member of Parliament edit
| Years | Term | Electorate | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981–1984 | 40th | Taupo | National | ||
| 1984–1987 | 41st | Waikaremoana | National | ||
| 1987–1990 | 42nd | Waikaremoana | National | ||
| 1990–1993 | 43rd | Waikaremoana | National | ||
| 1993–1996 | 44th | Waikaremoana | National | ||
A teacher by profession, he was an MP from 1981 to 1996, representing the National Party. He was first elected to Parliament in the 1981 election as MP for Taupo,[2] defeating the incumbent Labour MP, Jack Ridley.
In the 1984 election, he contested and won the new seat of Waikaremoana,[2] which he held until he retired at the 1996 election.[3] He became Minister of Youth Affairs and Associate Minister of Education and Social Welfare during the Fourth National Government.[4] He later held the role of Commissioner for Children from 1998 to 2003.[5]
His son Todd McClay was elected as the National Party Member of Parliament for Rotorua at the 2008 general election.
Post-parliament career edit
In the 2005 New Year Honours, McClay was made a Companion of the Queen's Service Order (QSO).[6]
McClay was the chairman for Keep New Zealand Beautiful until July 2009. He has been involved in a number of other charities, including the New Zealand Spinal Trust,[7] World Vision, Heart Children New Zealand, Variety, the Children's Charity and For the Sake of Children.[4]
In March 2010 he was charged with misuse of taxpayer-subsidised flights.[8] In August the same year he pleaded guilty.[9] He repaid the two charities that he had defrauded, Keep New Zealand Beautiful and World Vision.[10] He was convicted and given a sentence of 300 hours of community work. In addition, he was stripped of his travel benefits by the Parliamentary Services Commission.[1]
References edit
- ^ a b Savage, Jared (25 August 2010). "McClay sentenced to community service". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 25 August 2010.
- ^ a b Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First published in 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. p. 214. OCLC 154283103.
- ^ Clark, Helen (27 August 1996). "Valedictories". Hansard. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
- ^ a b Savage, Jared (19 December 2009). "Charity records seized in inquiry into former MP". The New Zealand Herald.
- ^ Barrington, John (2004). A Voice for Children. Dunmore Press. ISBN 0-86469-459-8. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
{{cite book}}:|website=ignored (help) - ^ "New Year Honours List 2005". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 31 December 2004. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
- ^ Savage, Jared (5 December 2009). "Police probe ex-MP's expenses". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 5 December 2009.
- ^ Savage, Jared (6 March 2010). "Ex-MP in court on expenses charges". The New Zealand Herald.
- ^ "Former MP admits defrauding charity". ONE News. Television New Zealand. 16 August 2010.
- ^ Savage, Jared (26 August 2010). "McClay offers no apologies for charity double dip". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 10 June 2015.