Margaret Wilson

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New Zealand Parliament
The Honourable
Margaret Wilson
DCNZM
Margaret Wilson crop.jpg
Wilson in 2008
27th Speaker of the House of Representatives
In office
3 March 2005 –8 December 2008
YearsTermElectorateListParty
1999 –2002 46th List9 Labour
2002 –2005 47th List9 Labour
2005 –2008 48th List3 Labour

After nine years of a National-led Government, including three years of testing coalition arrangements, Labour anticipated forming a government after the 1999 election. Wilson's former Auckland University colleague Helen Clark, now leader of the Labour Party, invited Wilson to stand for election on the Labour Party list, with a view to being the Attorney-General should Labour successfully form a new government. [1] Wilson agreed and also stood for election in the Tauranga electorate, displacing Labour's expected candidate, union organiser and former Tauranga Labour electorate committee chairman Terry Hughes. [7] She placed third behind New Zealand First leader Winston Peters and National candidate Katherine O'Regan in a close race. Wilson sought a judicial recount as since New Zealand First won less than five percent of the party vote they would have no seats in parliament in at all if Peters lost the electorate (allowing Labour to govern solely with the Alliance and not needing the Greens). Peters criticised the recount as a waste of money. [8] The recount resulted in Peters' majority increasing by one vote from 62 to 63. [9]

As the ninth candidate on the Labour list, Wilson entered Parliament as a list MP and immediately gained election to the Cabinet. In addition to being appointed Attorney-General, she was additionally made Minister of Labour, Minister in charge of Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations, and associate minister for justice and state services. In the justice portfolio, she had delegated responsibility for constitutional and electoral policy, human rights, privacy and the Māori–Crown relationship.

Across her portfolios, Wilson had a strong focus on women's equality. She established the position of Equal Employment Opportunities commissioner at the Human Rights Commission and progressed reform to matrimonial property law. She also oversaw the replacement of the Employment Contracts Act 1991 with the Employment Relations Act 2000 and, as Attorney-General, revived and completed previous governments' attempts to cease using the Privy Council as the New Zealand's court of last resort and establish an independent Supreme Court of New Zealand.

Wilson remained a list MP after the 2002 election and, over the term, gained a more varied set of portfolios. She initially continued as Attorney-General, Minister of Labour, Minister in charge of Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations and Associate Minister of Justice. She was Minister for Courts until May 2003, until that role was reassigned to Rick Barker with Wilson as the associate minister. In February 2004, Wilson became Minister of Commerce (Paul Swain picked up the labour portfolio) and in November 2004, Wilson became the first Minister for Building Issues. [10]

Speaker of the House

In December 2004, the Government announced that it would nominate Wilson for the post of Speaker of the House of Representatives, a position which would become vacant with the pending retirement of Jonathan Hunt. Previous speculation had focused on Mark Burton, the Minister of Defence. In her memoir, Wilson recalled advising Prime Minister Helen Clark toward the end of 2004 that she could not see herself doing a third term as a minister and that she intended to retire at the 2005 election. [1] Clark suggested that Wilson consider the speakership instead.

On 3 March 2005, Parliament elected Wilson as its new speaker over candidacies by Clem Simich from the New Zealand National Party and Ken Shirley from the ACT Party. Wilson became New Zealand's first female speaker. After the 2005 election, she was re-elected to the position unopposed. [11]

On 21 June 2005, Wilson ejected the Prime Minister Helen Clark from Parliament's Chamber for interjecting while National's Nick Smith was speaking. [12] [13]

Her style was noticeably different from her predecessor. In July 2006, National attempted a vote of no confidence in Wilson, after she refused to send a report on Labour MP Taito Phillip Field to the Privileges Committee, but Labour blocked the move. [14] The most serious challenge to her authority as speaker came on 26 August 2008, when Act leader Rodney Hide initially refused her order to leave the debating chamber, saying, "I actually won't go now, Madam Speaker." She told him to "think carefully", but did not apply to have Hide named after he left. [15] Wilson oversaw the launch of Parliament TV in July 2007.

Wilson announced in February 2008 that she would not be standing for re-election in 2008, and was considering academia rather than a diplomatic posting. [16] She finished her role by closing the 48th Parliament. [17]

In the 2009 New Year Honours, Wilson was appointed a Distinguished Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, in recognition of her services as a Member of Parliament and as Speaker. [18] Following the restoration of titular honours by the New Zealand government later in 2009, Wilson declined re-designation as a Dame Companion. [19]

Political views

Wilson strongly promotes various social causes such as feminism and multiculturalism, and opponents often painted her as Labour's most "politically correct" minister. She was the Minister responsible for the introduction of the new Supreme Court, which was controversial at the time, as well as changing the law on dividing property between partners after a separation, known now as relationship property law.

Wilson, alongside Helen Kelly, were noted opponents of neoliberalism and tried to support the union movement whilst in Government. However, Wilson acknowledged that the Labour Relations Act 1987 was a "an awkward compromise" between neoliberal economic values, and the rights of organised labour. [5]

Return to academia

After leaving Parliament, she resumed her academic career at the Waikato University law school, being appointed Professor of Law and Public Policy (2009). [20] In September 2020 she was awarded the title of Emeritus Professor by the University of Waikato. [21]

Wilson published her memoir Activism, Feminism, Politics and Parliament in 2021. [22] [23]

Publications

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Wilson, Margaret (2021). Activism, Feminism, Politics and Parliament (Paperback ed.). New Zealand: Bridget Williams Books. ISBN   9781988587844.
  2. ↑ Sandra Simpson (23 May 2016). "Event: Critical eye over state of our society". Bay of Plenty Times. Retrieved 15 February 2017.
  3. ↑ "Declaration of Result of Election". The New Zealand Herald . 24 October 1977. p. 11.
  4. ↑ "Declaration of Result of Election". The New Zealand Herald . 29 October 1980. p. 9.
  5. 1 2 3 "Book of the Week: Margaret Wilson's revenge". Newsroom. 21 October 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  6. ↑ "The New Zealand Suffrage Centennial Medal 1993 – register of recipients". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 26 July 2018. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
  7. ↑ "Ex-Labour president eyes Tauranga seat". The Evening Post . 22 October 1998. p. 2.
  8. ↑ Main, Victoria (14 December 1999). "Peters slams decision to seek recount in Tauranga". The Dominion . p. 2.
  9. ↑ Venter, Nick (16 December 1999). "Tauranga recount gives one more vote to Peters". The Dominion . p. 2.
  10. ↑ Spanhake, Craig (2006). Ministers and Members in the New Zealand Parliament: 1996-2005. Dunedin: Tarkwode Press. pp. 25–44. ISBN   0-9597868-2-1.
  11. ↑ "The 48th Parliament formally opened". TVNZ. 7 November 2005. Retrieved 6 October 2008.
  12. ↑ "PM ejected from Parliament's Chamber". NZ Herald. 21 June 2005. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  13. ↑ "Prime Minister John Key laughs off getting booted from the House". Stuff. 12 May 2016. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  14. ↑ "National targets Wilson in Field saga". TVNZ. 27 July 2006. Retrieved 6 October 2008.
  15. ↑ "When the jousting turns nasty". The New Zealand Herald. 27 August 2008. Retrieved 6 October 2008.
  16. ↑ Dominion Post, 23 February 2008 (page A8)
  17. ↑ "Parliament ends with small bangs and whimpers". The New Zealand Herald. 26 September 2008. Retrieved 6 October 2008.
  18. ↑ "New Year honours list 2009". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 31 December 2008. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  19. ↑ Rudman, Brian (5 August 2009). "Raise a glass to the few refusenik Kiwis". The New Zealand Herald . Retrieved 20 October 2022.
  20. ↑ Founding dean returns to waikato Archived 13 February 2009 at the Wayback Machine , January 2009 (accessed 20 March 2009)
  21. ↑ "Four leading academics awarded the title of Emeritus Professor". University of Waikato. 24 September 2020. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
  22. ↑ Margaret, Wilson (2021). Activism Feminism Politics And Parliament. Wellington: Bridget Williams Books. ISBN   978-1-988587-84-4. OCLC   1253316004.
  23. ↑ "Trying the Prime Minister's patience". Stuff. 9 August 2021. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
Political offices
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1999–2005		Succeeded by
Preceded by Minister of Commerce
2004		Succeeded by
New Zealand Parliament
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Party political offices
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