Lianne Dalziel | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Dalziel in September 2023 | |
| 46thMayor of Christchurch | |
| In office 24 October 2013 – 8 October 2022 | |
| Deputy | Andrew Turner |
| Preceded by | Bob Parker |
| Succeeded by | Phil Mauger |
| 6thMinister of Commerce | |
| In office 15 August 2002 – 21 February 2004 | |
| Prime Minister | Helen Clark |
| Preceded by | Paul Swain |
| Succeeded by | Margaret Wilson |
| In office 19 October 2005 – 19 November 2008 | |
| Preceded by | Pete Hodgson |
| Succeeded by | Simon Power |
| 6thMinister for ACC | |
| In office 28 March 2001 – 15 August 2002 | |
| Prime Minister | Helen Clark |
| Preceded by | Michael Cullen |
| Succeeded by | Ruth Dyson |
| 49thMinister of Immigration | |
| In office 10 December 1999 – 21 February 2004 | |
| Prime Minister | Helen Clark |
| Preceded by | Tuariki Delamere Wyatt Creech (Acting) |
| Succeeded by | Paul Swain |
| Member of theNew Zealand Parliament forChristchurch Central | |
| In office 27 October 1990 – 12 October 1996 | |
| Preceded by | Geoffrey Palmer |
| Succeeded by | Tim Barnett |
| Member of theNew Zealand Parliament forLabourList | |
| In office 12 October 1996 – 27 November 1999 | |
| Member of theNew Zealand Parliament forChristchurch East | |
| In office 27 November 1999 – 11 October 2013 | |
| Preceded by | Larry Sutherland |
| Succeeded by | Poto Williams |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Lianne Audrey Dalziel (1960-06-07)7 June 1960 (age 65) Christchurch, New Zealand |
| Nationality | New Zealander |
| Political party | Labour |
| Spouse | |
| Relatives | Mike Davidson (stepson) |
| Occupation | Trade unionist |
| Committees | Commerce Committee (chairperson) Privileges Committee |
Lianne Audrey DalzielCNZM (/dælˈzɛl/; born 7 June 1960) is a New Zealand politician and formermayor of Christchurch. Prior to this position, she was a member of theNew Zealand Parliament for 23 years, serving as Minister of Immigration, Commerce, Minister of Food Safety and Associate Minister of Justice in theFifth Labour Government.[1] She resigned fromCabinet on 20 February 2004 after apparently lying about aleak of documents to the media, but was reinstated as a minister followingLabour's return to office after the2005 election. She resigned from Parliament effective 11 October 2013 to contest theChristchurch mayoral election. The incumbent,Bob Parker, decided not to stand again. She was widely regarded as the favourite and won with a wide margin to become the 46th mayor of Christchurch.
Dalziel was born in 1960,[2] raised inChristchurch and attendedCanterbury University. She graduated with a law degree and was admitted to the Bar in 1984. She served as the legal officer for the Canterbury Hotel and Hospital Workers' Union, and later became the union's Secretary. She also participated in national groups such as the Federation of Labour and theNew Zealand Council of Trade Unions.
| Years | Term | Electorate | List | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990–1993 | 43rd | Christchurch Central | Labour | ||
| 1993–1996 | 44th | Christchurch Central | Labour | ||
| 1996–1999 | 45th | List | 4 | Labour | |
| 1999–2002 | 46th | Christchurch East | 8 | Labour | |
| 2002–2005 | 47th | Christchurch East | 14 | Labour | |
| 2005–2008 | 48th | Christchurch East | 26 | Labour | |
| 2008–2011 | 49th | Christchurch East | 15 | Labour | |
| 2011–2013 | 50th | Christchurch East | none | Labour | |
Dalziel entered Parliament as aLabour Party MP forChristchurch Central in1990, replacing outgoing former Prime MinisterGeoffrey Palmer.[3] She held this seat until the1996 election (being replaced byTim Barnett), when she became a list MP under the newMMP electoral system. In the1999 election, she chose to contest an electorate again, and won theChristchurch East seat. She held the seat in the 2002, 2005, 2008 and 2011 elections. In 2011 she opted not to go on the Labour list.
In November 1990 she was appointed as Labour's spokesperson for the Audit Department and Customs by Labour leaderMike Moore.[4] AfterHelen Clark replaced Moore as leader in December 1993 Dalziel was promoted and given the Health portfolio.[5]Time magazine picked her as a future leader in its December 1994 edition.[3]
In August 1997 Dalziel was replaced in the Health portfolio byAnnette King due to perceived ineffectiveness against Minister of HealthBill English, media believingAlliance Health spokespersonPhillida Bunkle was performing better. Instead she was made Shadow Attorney-General and given the portfolios of immigration, youth affairs and statistics. Dalziel expressed enthusiasm for the chance to utilise her law degree in politics as Shadow Attorney-General.[6]
In the new government formed byLabour, Dalziel becameMinister of Immigration,Minister for Senior Citizens, and Minister for Disability Issues. When Labour won re-election in the2002 election, Dalziel also becameMinister of Commerce (while ceasing to be Minister for Disability Issues). In 2003, she ceased to be Minister for Senior Citizens. As Minister of Immigration, Dalziel was often in the spotlight. In particular, she often clashed withWinston Peters, leader of the anti-immigrationNew Zealand First party.
After the2005 election, Dalziel was re-elected by her caucus colleagues toCabinet and was given the portfolios of Commerce, Small Business, and Women's Affairs.
Mike Williams, President of the Labour Party from 2000 to 2009, states that he was surprised by Clark appointing Dalziel Minister of Commerce and thought of it as an "odd choice". But she worked herself into the portfolio, paid attention to detail, and within a year had "proved herself". Williams believes this is due to her high intelligence and her ability to listen.[3]Tim Barnett, MP forChristchurch Central from 1996 to 2008 credits her training as a lawyer and "having a bigger brain than most of us" for her success.[3] Williams states that as Minister of Commerce, Dalziel worked closely with National'sSimon Power and built "cross-party unity on various issues".[3]
Dalziel's position became difficult after she was accused of giving certain documents to the press to bolster the case for a decision her Associate Minister had made. The decision, concerning the deportation of aSri Lankan teenager who was seeking asylum but who had originally lied about the reasons, was controversial, and Dalziel leaked the notes of the teenager's lawyer toTV3, attempting to discredit the teenager's case for asylum.[7] Dalziel tried to avoid admitting to being the source of the documents, but was forced to admit that the leak had been at her direction. There was also significant controversy about how Dalziel had obtained the documents in the first place. Dalziel offered her resignation which Prime MinisterHelen Clark accepted.[8]
After Labour was defeated in the2008 general election, Dalziel became the Opposition spokesperson on Justice and Commerce and, from2011, the spokesperson for theChristchurch Earthquake Recovery, Civil Defence & Emergence Management, Consumer Rights & Standards, and associate spokesperson for Justice.[9]
Rumours of Dalziel standing asMayor of Christchurch go back to at least 2009.[3] Since the February 2011 earthquake, the rumours that Dalziel would contest the2013 Christchurch mayoralty became more consistent. In May 2012, Dalziel tried to put an end to these rumours by announcing: "The job I really want isGerry Brownlee's, rather thanBob Parker's."[10] Brownlee is Earthquake Recovery Minister, and Parker was theMayor of Christchurch at the time.[10] In the February 2013 reshuffle of opposition portfolios, Dalziel dropped out of the top 20 (only the first 20 positions are ranked by the Labour Party).[11] An editorial inThe Press presumed that her strong support forDavid Cunliffe was part of the reason for her demotion. The editorial also speculated that she might reconsider her political future:[12]
The demotion is bound to concentrate Dalziel's mind on whether she should run for theChristchurch mayoralty. As things stand, a place for her in a Labour cabinet as minister for the earthquake recovery looks unlikely, but she would be a strong candidate for mayor.
Following months of speculation,The Press reported on 20 April 2013 that Lianne Dalziel would challenge Parker for the mayoralty, and that she had asked 24-year-old Student Volunteer Army organiserSam Johnson to be her running mate, with a view of Johnson becoming deputy mayor. The newspaper expressed surprise by this pairing, given that Dalziel was a Labour Party member, and Johnson a member of theYoung Nats, the youth arm of theNational Party.[13] Saying that: "It was a really difficult decision to make, but I don't think it is the right thing for me right now", Johnson eventually decided against running.[14] On 19 June, Dalziel formally confirmed that she would contest the mayoralty, also announcing that she would resign from Parliament, which would trigger aby-election in the Christchurch East electorate.[15][16] Dalziel delivered her resignation letter on 17 September and delivered her valedictory speech the following day with her resignation taking effect on Friday, 11 October; the day before thelocal body election[17] so that the by-election campaign did not interfere with the local body election.[16] In a later interview, Dalziel confirmed that she would have left Parliament even if Shearer had put her onto thefront bench.[3]
Although some expressed concerns about Dalziel's Labour Party background, includingcentral city property developerAntony Gough, who talked of her "red apron strings" getting in the way of working with local business owners,[3] she also nevertheless open support from the political right for her mayoral ambitions:[3]Christchurch City Councillor Tim Carter, son of Christchurch property developer Philip Carter and nephew ofSpeakerDavid Carter, encouraged her to stand for the mayoralty;[18] formerNational Party cabinet ministerPhilip Burdon was one of her nominees when she lodged her nomination for the mayoralty with the returning officer;[19] and bloggerCameron Slater, by many considered a "conduit for factions of the National Party"[3] wrote:[3][20]
Christchurch needs a uniter, not a divider, and the word is that National would far rather deal with Lianne and the competent councillors she is bringing with her than Bob Parker.
Dalziel's Earthquake Recovery portfolio in Labour's shadow cabinet was split and given toRuth Dyson andClayton Cosgrove.[21]
Dalziel was electedMayor of Christchurch in theOctober 2013 mayoral election, with a margin of almost 50,000 votes over the next candidate, businessman Paul Lonsdale.[22] She was sworn in on 24 October,[23] with a past mayor,Vicki Buck as her deputy.[24] At the2019 local election, she won the mayoralty for a third time.[25]
In late February 2020, the New Zealand Police referred Dalziel's election expenses during the2019 Christchurch mayoral election to theSerious Fraud Office. Two complainants, including rival mayoral candidateJohn Minto, had filed a complaint regarding donations by six people that exceeded the $1,500 limit under the Local Electoral Act.[26][27][28][29] On 17 December, the Serious Fraud Office cleared Mayor Dalziel, stating that it found no evidence of criminal conduct relating to donations made to the Mayor by several Chinese businessmen during the 2019 mayoral election.[30]
On 1 July 2021, she announced she would not seek re-election as mayor at thelocal body elections in 2022.[31]
In October 2021, Dalziel expressed opposition to theSixth Labour Government'sThree Waters reform programme, criticising the Government for "mandating councils."[32]
In the2023 King's Birthday and Coronation Honours, Dalziel was appointed aCompanion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to local government and as a Member of Parliament.[33]
Dalziel married Mike Pannell in 1988. The pair divorced in 1995 and indicated that the stress of parliamentary life was a major factor in the decision to separate.[34] In 2000, Dalziel married Christchurch lawyer Rob Davidson. He died ofprostate cancer in August 2020, aged 69 years.[35]
| New Zealand Parliament | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament for Christchurch Central 1990–1996 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament for Christchurch East 1999–2013 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Minister of Immigration 1999–2004 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister for Senior Citizens 1999–2003 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister for ACC 2001–2002 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of Commerce 2002–2004 2005–2008 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Succeeded by | |
| Preceded by | Mayor of Christchurch 2013–2022 | Succeeded by |