Ingrid Leary | |
|---|---|
 Leary in 2023 | |
| Member of theNew Zealand Parliament forTaieri | |
| Assumed office 17 October 2020 | |
| Preceded by | Clare Curran |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1967 or 1968 (age 57–58) |
| Political party | Labour |
| Children | 3[1] |
| Residence(s) | Dunedin,New Zealand[1] |
Ingrid Marieke Leary[2] (born 1967 or 1968) is a New Zealand politician. In 2020 she was elected as aMember of Parliament in theHouse of Representatives for theLabour Party.
Leary completed secondary schooling atMacleans College inAuckland before studying law at theUniversity of Otago.[3] She worked as a lawyer, parliamentary press secretary, university lecturer and broadcaster before entering Parliament. She helped to set up the journalism school in theUniversity of the South Pacific in 1997, and lectured there on journalism. When she resigned in 1999 to take up a role in TV production in New Zealand, she was critical of the Fiji government's approach to the media.[4][5]
In 2006 Leary received theNew Zealand Special Service Medal for her broadcasting work in the aftermath of the2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami in Aceh.[1][6]
In 2009, as a producer forCampbell Live, Leary was summonsed by the New Zealand Police to appear before a depositions hearing about the theft of 96 medals from theNational Army Museum inWaiouru.Campbell Live had broadcast an interview with a man who claimed to have participated in the burglary; the police sought the identity of the programme's informant.[7][8] Lawyers for Leary and four other staff argued that journalists should not have to reveal sources unless the circumstances were exceptional, because it could discourage potential future sources from coming forward, and that the threshold for this was not met in that case.[9] JudgeTony Randerson decided that public interest in a successful prosecution outweighed a journalist's right to protect a source;Campbell Live presenterJohn Campbell later agreed to assist police without naming his source.[10]
Leary was press secretary for National MPMaurice Williamson,[11] and she later served as the director of theBritish Council New Zealand from 2008 to 2020.[12][13]
| Years | Term | Electorate | List | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020–2023 | 53rd | Taieri | 59 | Labour | |
| 2023–present | 54th | Taieri | 52 | Labour | |
Leary was selected as the Labour candidate for theDunedin South electorate, later renamedTaieri, ahead ofRachel Brooking and Simon McCallum.[1] During the campaign, New Zealand First list MPMark Patterson publicly queried her commitment to the electorate, as she had spent lockdown onWaiheke island.[11] Leary claimed to be the victim of a smear campaign, as she had studied law in Dunedin, and had relocated to Dunedin with her family, including a child attending school in Dunedin, prior to her selection for the seat.[14]
Leary was elected in Taeiri with a majority of 12,398 over the National candidate Liam Kernaghan in the final count.[15][16] She said she was hoping for a role in justice, social enterprise or issues relating to seniors.[17]
By August 2022, Leary had joined theInter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC), an organisation of legislators from various democratic countries that speaks out against alleged human rights abuses in China and the alleged threat that China posed to its neighbours. On 22 August, Lear and fellow New Zealand IPAC member andNational Party Member of ParliamentSimon O'Connor joined fellow members from Australia, India and Japan in establishing a newIndo-Pacific chapter to focus on increased Chinese militarisation in that region.[18]
Leary inheritedLouisa Wall'smember's bill (the Protection of Journalists' Sources Bill) upon her retirement in May 2022. At that stage the Bill was being considered by the Justice Committee. In September 2022, Leary withdrew the Bill because of "insurmountable drafting issues" discovered through the legislative process, saying she would work on replacement legislation.[19]
In early July 2023, Leary attracted media attention after she attended an election meeting organised by criminal gangMongrel Mob memberHarry Tam. Tam had organised the meeting in Dunedin to convince localMāori voters in marginal seats to tactically switch from theMāori electoral roll to the general roll during the2023 New Zealand general election. He subsequently published aFacebook post stating that Leary had "gatecrashed" his meeting and was hesitant to be associated with him. In response, Leary said that she had thought that she was going to attend a public meeting organised by theElectoral Commission to encourage people to enroll to vote. She also stated that she did not condone the actions of the Mongrel Mob.[20][21] WhilePrime MinisterChris Hipkins described Leary's actions as a "case of miscommunication," oppositionNational Party MPMark Mitchell disputed Leary's account that she had accidentally attended Tam's meeting.[22]
During the 2023 general election, Leary retained Taieri by a margin of 1,443 votes over the National Party's candidate Matthew French.[23] She assumed the positions of spokesperson for seniors and mental health in theShadow Cabinet of Chris Hipkins.[24]
On 19 June 2024, Leary made remarks during a Parliamentary health select committee meeting criticisingNew Zealand First MPTanya Unkovich's involvement with the mental health program "Gumboot Friday," describing her as a "known anti-trans activist." On 23 July, New Zealand First filed a complaint against Leary withSpeakerGerry Brownlee, expressing concern that it could be a breach of parliamentary privilege.[25][26] On 1 August 2024, Leary apologised to Unkovich during Question Time in Parliament.[26]
Leary is a mother of three, and lives in Dunedin with her family.[11]
| New Zealand Parliament | ||
|---|---|---|
| Vacant Constituency recreated after abolition in 1911 Title last held by Thomas Mackenzie | Member of Parliament for Taieri 2020–present | Incumbent |
