Wikipedia

David Parker (New Zealand politician)

David William Parker (born 1960) is a New Zealand lawyer, businessman and politician who has been a Labour Party Member of Parliament since 2002.

The Honourable
David Parker
MP
Parker in 2020
32nd Attorney-General of New Zealand
In office
26 October 2017 – 27 November 2023
Prime MinisterJacinda Ardern
Chris Hipkins
Preceded byChris Finlayson
Succeeded byJudith Collins
In office
19 October 2005 – 20 March 2006
Prime MinisterHelen Clark
Preceded byMichael Cullen
Succeeded byMichael Cullen
16th Minister for the Environment
In office
26 October 2017 – 27 November 2023
Prime MinisterJacinda Ardern
Chris Hipkins
Preceded byNick Smith
Succeeded byPenny Simmonds
12th Minister for Trade and Export Growth
In office
26 October 2017 – 6 November 2020
Prime MinisterJacinda Ardern
Preceded byTodd McClay
Succeeded byDamien O'Connor
7th Minister for Economic Development
In office
26 October 2017 – 27 June 2019
Prime MinisterJacinda Ardern
Preceded bySimon Bridges
Succeeded byPhil Twyford
Deputy Leader of the Opposition
In office
15 September 2013 – 30 September 2014
LeaderDavid Cunliffe
Preceded byGrant Robertson
Succeeded byAnnette King
16th Deputy Leader of the New Zealand Labour Party
In office
15 September 2013 – 30 September 2014
LeaderDavid Cunliffe
Preceded byGrant Robertson
Succeeded byAnnette King
Member of the New Zealand Parliament
for Labour Party list
Assumed office
17 September 2005
Member of the New Zealand Parliament
for Otago
In office
27 July 2002 – 17 September 2005
Preceded byGavan Herlihy
Succeeded byJacqui Dean
Personal details
Born1960 (age 63–64)
Roxburgh, New Zealand
Political partyLabour
Children3[1]
Alma materUniversity of Otago
OccupationLawyer
Websitedavidparker.co.nz

After a career in law and business, Parker entered Parliament by winning the marginal Otago electorate. He was Attorney-General of New Zealand and a senior Cabinet minister in the Sixth Labour Government, holding the posts of Minister for the Environment, Minister of Transport, Minister for Trade and Export Growth, Minister for Economic Development and Associate Minister of Finance between 2017 and 2023. Parker was also a Cabinet minister in the Fifth Labour Government and a senior figure in the Labour Party opposition between 2008 and 2017, including as deputy leader and interim leader between 2013 and 2014.

Early life and family edit

David Parker was born in Roxburgh to parents Joan (née Pinfold) and Francis Parker.[2][3][4] He is the second of four children and grew up in Dunedin, where he attended Otago Boys' High School.[5] He studied law and business at the University of Otago, graduating with a BCom/LLB.[6] He co-founded the Dunedin Community Law Centre while still a student.[7][8]

Parker has three children with his ex-wife, the poet Sue Wootton.[9] Since 2011, he has had a relationship with Barbara Ward, a sculptor and Labour Party activist.[10][11] He lives in Auckland and has a holiday home in Karitane.[12]

Career edit

Before entering politics, Parker had a career in law and business. He was admitted as a barrister at the High Court in Dunedin on 1 December 1982.[13] His legal career began with general law followed by some time working as a duty solicitor and working in family and environmental law. He was then a resource management law specialist for the firm Anderson Lloyd, based in Queenstown, and a civil litigation specialist and managing partner for the same firm, based in Dunedin.[7]

Parker's business career began with a Dunedin café, the Percolator, which he co-owned and ran with his wife.[7][14] His Labour MP colleague Pete Hodgson said Parker's decision to leave legal practice and pursue other activities was because the high charges associated with civil litigation work conflicted with Parker's values.[14] Business ventures with Dunedin property developer Russell Hyslop in the late 1990s were unsuccessful and led to Hyslop's bankruptcy.[15]

Parker was hired by entrepreneur Howard Paterson as a business manager for his agri-biotechnology ventures. Parker said one of his early roles was to identify commercial opportunities emerging out of universities and Crown Research Institutes and develop corporate structures for them.[7] Companies Parker was involved with, including as inaugural chief executive, included A2 Corporation, Blis Technologies, Botryzen and Pharmazen.[14][16][17][18]

Member of Parliament edit

New Zealand Parliament
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
2014–2017 51st List 2 Labour
2017–2020 52nd List 10 Labour
2020–2023 53rd List 9 Labour
2023–present 53rd List 13 Labour

From about 1999, and spurred by his opposition to then government's energy reforms,[7] Parker began planning a political career and joined the Labour Party. He was chair of the Dunedin North electorate from 2001 and was selected as Labour candidate in Otago for the 2002 general election. Otago had previously been regarded as a safe National Party seat but was downgraded to marginal when National's support dropped ahead of the election.[19] Ranked an unwinnable 47th place on the party list, Parker won an upset victory over the incumbent, Gavan Herlihy.[20] While he was unsuccessful in holding Otago against Jacqui Dean in 2005, it was said that Parker lost by a lesser margin than was expected.[14] He was defeated by Dean in the new Waitaki electorate in 2008.[21][22] After the breakdown of his marriage in 2010, Parker moved to Auckland where he has twice unsuccessfully contested the Epsom electorate, in 2011 and 2017.[23] Despite these electorate losses, Parker has been returned as a list MP in every election since 2005.[24][25][26][27][28][29]

Parker gave his maiden statement to Parliament on 3 September 2002. In his speech, he addressed infrastructure inaffordability in Queenstown and gave his support to the proposed ability of Queenstown-Lakes District Council to collect a visitor level to fund infrastructure improvements.[30] More than 20 years later, the levy remained only a proposal.[31] Parker's speech also outlined his early views on the economy. He said he supported waste minimisation efforts and suggested that energy consumption and resource depletion should be added to indicators of economic performance, in addition to gross domestic product (GDP). He criticised the governance of the Reserve Bank by Don Brash, saying that the late 1990s "marked the greatest mismanagement of the New Zealand economy" since the days of Sir Robert Muldoon. He further set out his views that the sale of rural land to non-residents should be controlled "very strict[ly]" and that overtime rates should be reintroduced as an incentive for employers to increase employment and decrease the size of the average working week for workers.[30]

Parker's parliamentary roles have centred around economic, environmental, and legal portfolios. In his first term, Parker sat on the finance and expenditure committee, the commerce committee, and the regulations review committee. He was promoted in March 2003 to be deputy chair of the local government and environment committee and in February 2005 to be deputy chair of the constitutional arrangements committee.[32] In his second term, he was transport, energy, and climate change minister, and briefly Attorney-General in Helen Clark's Fifth Labour Government (see § Minister in the Fifth Labour Government).

Labour was in Opposition from 2008 to 2017; Parker was a senior figure during the first six of those years. He was ranked fourth in caucus by leader Phil Goff, third by David Shearer, and second as deputy leader to David Cunliffe. He was shadow attorney-general under Goff, finance spokesperson under Shearer, and held both of those roles under Cunliffe. Parker was briefly interim leader after Labour's 2014 general election defeat.[33] He unsuccessfully contested the 2014 Labour Party leadership election and was demoted by incoming leader Andrew Little after refusing the finance portfolio,[34] but continued as shadow attorney-general and eventually became environment and foreign affairs spokesperson.

In opposition, Parker chaired the government administration committee from 2008 to 2011 and sat on the justice and electoral committee (2008–2011), finance and expenditure committee (2011–2014), regulations review committee (2014–2017; chair in 2017), local government and environment committee (2015–2017) and foreign affairs, defence and trade committee (2017). He was also a member of the parliamentary privileges committee from 2009 to 2023, including as deputy chair (2012–2017) and chair (2018–2023).[32]

In the Sixth Labour Government, Parker was reappointed as Attorney-General. Through the government's six years he was also Minister for the Environment and Associate Minister of Finance. He also held the offices of Minister for Economic Development and Minister for Trade and Export Growth in the government's first term and Minister for Oceans and Fisheries, Minister of Revenue, and Minister of Transport in the government's second term. After the government's defeat at the 2023 general election, he was reappointed chair of the regulations review committee and became Labour's shadow attorney-general and spokesperson on foreign affairs and electoral reform in the Shadow Cabinet of Chris Hipkins.[35]

Minister in the Fifth Labour Government edit

During the Fifth Labour Government, Parker 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.[36] An inquiry by the Companies Office cleared him of the charge of filing false returns.[37]

Prime Minister Helen Clark reappointed 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.)[38] In July 2007 Clark appointed Parker as the acting Minister for the Environment following the resignation of David Benson-Pope.[17]

Opposition, 2008–2017 edit

 
Deputy Labour leader David Parker, second from right, pictured with leader David Cunliffe in October 2013

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.[17]

Following the 2011 general election, Parker ran for the party leadership in 2011,[39] but withdrew part-way through the contest to support David Shearer's bid.[40] Parker then became the Labour spokesperson for Finance and the shadow Attorney-General (from February 2013).[17] From 17 September 2013, Parker was the deputy leader of the Labour Party. He retained his finance portfolio.[17]

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 Andrew Little and Grant Robertson.[41] Little offered for Parker to continue as finance spokesperson, but Parker declined.[42] Instead, Parker was assigned a range of portfolios including shadow attorney-general and spokesperson for trade and export growth, the environment and, after the resignations of former leaders Goff and Shearer, foreign affairs.[17]

Minister in the Sixth Labour Government edit

 
As Minister of Economic Development, Parker addresses the WTO Ministerial Conference in December 2017

Following the formation of the Labour-led coalition government, he was sworn in as Attorney-General, Minister for Economic Development, Minister for the Environment, and Minister for Trade and Export Growth. He also became Associate Minister of Finance.[43]

On 8 March 2018, as Trade Minister, Parker formally signed the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership on behalf of New Zealand.[44]

In August 2018, Parker led the passage of the Overseas Investment Amendment Act 2018, that banned the sale of existing residential property in New Zealand to foreign buyers.[45]

In a June 2019 reshuffle, the economic development portfolio was reassigned to Phil Twyford. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said this was so that Parker could focus more on water quality and trade negotiations with the European Union and United Kingdom.[46]

In May 2020, as Attorney-General, Parker led the passage of the COVID-19 Public Health Response Act 2020 through Parliament. This provided the legal framework for the Government's efforts to combat COVID-19. [47]

On 2 November, he was appointed as Attorney-General, Minister for the Environment, Minister for Oceans and Fisheries, Minister of Revenue and Associate Minister of Finance.[48]

As Environment Minister, Parker has launched a "comprehensive overhaul" of the Resource Management Act 1991.[49] On 14 November 2022, Parker introduced the Bill into Parliament alongside the companion Spatial Planning Bill.[50] The two bills are intended to replace the Resource Management Act 1991.

On 2 March 2023, Parker in his capacity as Environment Minister removed Rob Campbell from his positions as chair and board member of the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) in response to Campbell's LinkedIn post criticising the National Party's opposition to the Government's Three Waters reform programme. Campbell's remarks violated the Public Service Commission's policy of political impartiality for civil servants. Campbell had earlier been dismissed as the chair of the national health service Te Whatu Ora (Health New Zealand).[51]

On 26 April 2023, Parker released research from the Inland Revenue Department that found New Zealand's wealthiest families pay less than half the amount of tax, across all forms of income, than most other New Zealanders. Parker said the "internationally ground-breaking research" revealed a "large differential between the tax rates ordinary New Zealanders pay on their full income compared with the super-wealthy".[52] On 18 May 2023, Parker introduced the Tax Principles Reporting Bill that proposes an ongoing reporting framework for fairness in the tax system.[53]

On 21 June 2023, Parker gained the Transport portfolio, upon the resignation of Michael Wood following several controversies around shares.[54] He replaced Kieran McAnulty, who was the temporary holder of the role following the original controversies around Auckland Airport shares held by Wood.

As part of an already planned reshuffle, Parker resigned his role as Revenue Minister on 25 July 2023 after Prime Minister, Chris Hipkins, said Labour would not introduce a wealth tax.[55]

Opposition, 2023–present edit

Following the formation of the National-led coalition government in late November 2023, Parker became Shadow Attorney General and spokesperson for foreign affairs and electoral reform

Personal life edit

On 28 February 2022, Parker became the first New Zealand Member of Parliament to test positive for COVID-19.[56] He broke his leg in late 2023 and was unable to travel to Parliament to be sworn in; insead the Clerk of the House traveled to Dunedin to administer Parker's oath remotely.[12]

References edit

  1. ^ Small, Vernon (2 April 2011). "David Parker: MP who could be Labour's king". Stuff. Retrieved 16 September 2013.
  2. ^ "Joan PARKER Obituary (1934 - 2022)". Legacy.com. 31 December 2022. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  3. ^ "Francis PARKER Obituary (2017)". Legacy.com. 20 November 2017. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  4. ^ "Mothers weigh in to Labour leadership". RNZ. 31 October 2014. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  5. ^ "Latest News » Otago Boys' High School". Otago Boys' High School. 1 September 2019. Archived from the original on 1 February 2023. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
  6. ^ "Hon David Parker". Beehive.govt.nz. New Zealand Government. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  7. ^ a b c d e Bennett, Adam (28 October 2005). "Electricity sparks Parker's political ambitions". NZ Herald. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  8. ^ "Candidate profile: David Parker". 3 News. 4 October 2011. Archived from the original on 24 February 2014. Retrieved 16 September 2013.
  9. ^ Small, Vernon (1 April 2011). "David Parker: MP who could be Labour's king". Stuff. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  10. ^ Cooke, Henry (27 April 2018). "National Portrait: Minister of Almost Everything David Parker". Stuff. Retrieved 19 July 2023.
  11. ^ Powley, Kathryn (2 April 2011). "Politician linked to Knox's longtime love". NZ Herald. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  12. ^ a b Trevett, Claire (9 December 2023). "Beehive Diaries: Luxon tries to start a new trend, Parker's DIY disaster". NZ Herald. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  13. ^ "David William Parker". New Zealand Law Society. 8 September 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  14. ^ a b c d "David Parker—Resignation from Executive". New Zealand Parliament. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  15. ^ "Parker's ex-partner tells why he went public". NZ Herald. 21 March 2006. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  16. ^ "About". Archived from the original on 7 November 2013. Retrieved 16 September 2013.
  17. ^ a b c d e f "Hon David Parker". New Zealand Parliament. Archived from the original on 25 July 2023. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
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  20. ^ Young, Audrey (31 July 2002). "Tears flow as 16 MPs say goodbye". The New Zealand Herald. New Zealand Press Association. Archived from the original on 13 June 2022. Retrieved 12 July 2008.
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  23. ^ "Official Count Results – Epsom". Electoral Commission. Archived from the original on 19 January 2020. Retrieved 15 December 2011.
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  30. ^ a b "Address in Reply" (PDF). Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Vol. 602. New Zealand Parliament: House of Representatives. 3 September 2002. p. 198.
  31. ^ Roxburgh, Tracey (23 March 2023). "Nats lukewarm on Queenstown visitor levy". Otago Daily Times Online News. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  32. ^ a b "Parker, David". New Zealand Parliament. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  33. ^ Grieveson, Lynn. "Parker interim Labour leader as brawl erupts". interest.co.nz. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  34. ^ Young, Audrey (8 May 2020). "Audrey Young: Jacinda Ardern, her A team and her closest confidante". NZ Herald. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  35. ^ "Labour Party leader Chris Hipkins reveals new shadow Cabinet". Radio New Zealand. 30 November 2023. Archived from the original on 11 December 2023. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
  36. ^ "Parker quits all Cabinet posts". The New Zealand Herald. 21 March 2006. Archived from the original on 24 January 2023.
  37. ^ Young, Audrey (27 April 2006). "Parker heads back into the Cabinet". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 25 July 2023.
  38. ^ Clark, Helen (2 May 2006). "David Parker returns to Cabinet". Beehive.govt.nz. New Zealand Government. Archived from the original on 25 July 2023. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  39. ^ "Labour's 'three Davids' to hit the road". Stuff. 30 November 2011. Archived from the original on 1 January 2012. Retrieved 21 December 2011.
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  41. ^ Small, Vernon; Gulliver, Aimee (18 November 2014). "Andrew Little new Labour Party leader – by a whisker". Stuff. Archived from the original on 14 November 2020. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
  42. ^ Young, Audrey (3 November 2017). "Grant Robertson: Finance Minister more than Dr No". The New Zealand Herald. ISSN 1170-0777. Archived from the original on 25 July 2023. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
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  44. ^ "11 nations to sign Pacific trade pact as US plans tariffs". New York Daily News. 8 March 2018. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  45. ^ Roy, Eleanor Ainge; Jong, Eleanor de (15 August 2018). "'Tenants on our own land': New Zealand bans sale of homes to foreign buyers". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
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  48. ^ "Ministerial List for Announcement on Monday" (PDF). Beehive.govt.nz. New Zealand Government. 2 November 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on 3 November 2020. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  49. ^ Walls, Jason (24 July 2019). "Government wants to put a firmer focus on climate change when it shakes up the RMA". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 31 July 2019.
  50. ^ "House – New Zealand Parliament". bills.parliament.nz. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  51. ^ "Ousted health boss Rob Campbell also dumped as chair of EPA". Radio New Zealand. 2 March 2023. Archived from the original on 14 March 2023. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  52. ^ "Wealthiest paying tax at much lower rate than most other New Zealanders – IRD report". Radio New Zealand. 26 April 2023. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
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  54. ^ "Michael Wood resigns as minister after revelations of further shareholdings". The New Zealand Herald. 21 June 2023. Archived from the original on 21 June 2023. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
  55. ^ McConnell, Glenn (25 July 2023). "David Parker: 'Untenable' to remain revenue minister after wealth tax rejection". Stuff. Archived from the original on 25 July 2023. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  56. ^ "David Parker first New Zealand MP to get Covid-19". Radio New Zealand. 28 February 2022. Archived from the original on 28 February 2022. Retrieved 3 March 2022.

External links edit

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to David Parker.
Political offices
Preceded by Minister for Land Information
2006–2008 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Attorney-General
2005–2006
2017–2023 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Succeeded by
Preceded by Minister for the Environment
2017–2023 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Minister for Trade and Export Growth
2017–2020 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Minister of Economic Development
2017–2019 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Deputy Leader of the Opposition
2013–2014 		Succeeded by
New Zealand Parliament
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Otago
2002–2005 		Succeeded by
Party political offices
Preceded by Deputy Leader of the Labour Party
2013–2014 		Succeeded by
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