Marian Hobbs | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 11thMinister for the Environment | |
| In office 10 December 1999 – 19 October 2005 | |
| Prime Minister | Helen Clark |
| Preceded by | Simon Upton |
| Succeeded by | David Benson-Pope |
| 20thMinister of Broadcasting | |
| In office 27 March 2001 – 15 August 2002 | |
| Prime Minister | Helen Clark |
| Preceded by | Steve Maharey |
| Succeeded by | David Cunliffe |
| In office 10 December 1999 – 23 February 2001 | |
| Prime Minister | Helen Clark |
| Preceded by | Maurice Williamson |
| Succeeded by | Steve Maharey |
| Member of theNew Zealand Parliament forWellington Central | |
| In office 27 November 1999 – 8 November 2008 | |
| Preceded by | Richard Prebble |
| Succeeded by | Grant Robertson |
| Member of theNew Zealand Parliament forLabour list | |
| In office 12 October 1996 – 27 November 1999 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1947-12-18)18 December 1947 (age 77) |
| Nationality | New Zealander |
| Political party | Labour |
| Children | 2 |
| Profession | Teacher |
Marian Leslie Hobbs (born 18 December 1947) is a New Zealand politician who was aLabour Member of Parliament from 1996 to 2008. She was initially a list MP and then (from 1999) represented theWellington Central electorate. She served asMinister for the Environment and, later, as one of twoAssistant Speakers of the House of Representatives. She represented the Dunedin constituency of theOtago Regional Council from 2019 to 2021.
Hobbs was raised inChristchurch and was educated atSt Dominic's College,Dunedin. Before entering politics, Hobbs worked as a teacher atAranui High School and was the principal ofAvonside Girls' High School in Christchurch. She helped to establish theChippenham commune in Christchurch and is by religious affiliation aFriend (Quaker).[1] In 1993, Hobbs was awarded theNew Zealand Suffrage Centennial Medal.[2]
After leaving school, Hobbs renounced her Catholic beliefs, later becoming a Quaker. At university she was a student radical and joined theCommunist Party. Hobbs marched withHART in the1981 Springbok tour to opposeApartheid. After the tour she developed a strong interest inMāori issues and became fluent in the language. In May 1996, she was offered the position of principal ofWellington Girls' College, but never ended up taking the job, instead moving into Parliament on the Labour list.[3]
| Years | Term | Electorate | List | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996–1999 | 45th | List | 12 | Labour | |
| 1999–2002 | 46th | Wellington Central | 23 | Labour | |
| 2002–2005 | 47th | Wellington Central | 17 | Labour | |
| 2005–2008 | 48th | Wellington Central | 9 | Labour | |
Hobbs stood unsuccessfully in the1994 Selwyn by-election where she came a distant third.[4] She contested theKaikoura electorate in the1996 election and came second toNational Party'sDoug Kidd, but entered Parliament via theLabour list, where she was ranked 12th.[5][6] Upon entering parliament Hobbs was designated opposition spokesperson for broadcasting, communications and information technology by leaderHelen Clark.[7]
In the lead up to the following election Hobbs wavered between again contesting Kaikoura orWellington Central, having moved to Wellington permanently after becoming a list MP. She chose to stand in Wellington Central because she lived there and stated she hated travelling.[8] Hobbs was selected as Labour candidate for the seat over Victoria University dean of law Professor Brian Brooks, teacher Elaine Whelan and formerWellington City Councillor Hazel Armstrong.[9][10] In the1999 election, Hobbs won the Wellington Central electorate, defeating the incumbent member,ACT Party leaderRichard Prebble.[11]
After Labour's electoral victory in 1999, Hobbs joined theCabinet, becoming Minister for the Environment, Minister of Biosecurity, Minister of Broadcasting, and Minister Responsible for theNational Library of New Zealand andArchives New Zealand. In February 2001, she briefly resigned from Cabinet while an enquiry investigated her allowance-claims; she returned in late March after receiving official clearance.[12]
As Minister of Broadcasting, Hobbs set a code of practice for New Zealand commercial radio, specifying that 20 percent of music played should have New Zealand origins.
Following the2002 general election, Hobbs continued as the Minister for the Environment and Minister Responsible for the National Library and Archives New Zealand, and picked up new roles asMinister of Disarmament and Arms Control, AssociateMinister of Foreign Affairs and Trade with responsibility for Official Development Assistance, Associate Minister for Biosecurity, Associate Minister of Education, and Minister Responsible for Urban Affairs.
In 2004, Hobbs told Prime MinisterHelen Clark that she did not expect to seek a post in Cabinet again after the2005 general election. Hobbs contested the election and was returned to the Wellington Central electorate with a 6,180 majority over the National Party candidate,Mark Blumsky.[13] She made her decision about not seeking a Cabinet role public during the negotiations to form a government in October 2005.
After resigning from Cabinet, Hobbs served briefly as Labour's party Vice-President[14] and became the AssistantSpeaker of the House in March 2008, afterAnn Hartley resigned.
In December 2006 Hobbs announced (during a radio interview) that she would not seek re-election at the2008 general election, confirming much speculation to that effect. She was succeeded in Wellington Central byGrant Robertson, who had worked for her while she was a minister.[15]
Before leaving Parliament, Hobbs signalled her intention to work as a teacher in theUnited Kingdom, in compensation for never having made a traditional working-holiday as a young woman. She spent two years as the Headteacher atPrince William School inOundle,Northamptonshire, United Kingdom.
Hobbs stood as a Labour candidate for theOtago Regional Council at the2019 local elections and was successful.[16][17] On 23 October, she was elected as chair, withMichael Laws as her deputy.[18] In a vote on 8 July 2020, she lost the role and was replaced by councillor Andrew Noone.[19] She resigned from the council on 1 November 2021.[20]
Hobbs had one son, Daniel, with her first husband Walter Logeman. Her second marriage was to maths teacher Geoff Norris with whom she unexpectedly had a daughter, Claire.[3]
Her father was Leslie Hobbs, a political journalist, who wroteThe Thirty-Year Wonders, a history of theFirst andSecond Labour Governments and their members.[3]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Minister for the Environment 1999–2005 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of Broadcasting 1999–2001 2001–2002 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Succeeded by | |
| New Zealand Parliament | ||
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament for Wellington Central 1999–2008 | Succeeded by |