Damien O'Connor
Encyclopedia
Damien Peter O'Connor is a New Zealand
politician from the West Coast of the South Island
. He is a member of the Labour Party
and a Member of Parliament
.
on 16 January 1958. Before becoming an MP, he worked in a variety of jobs in farming and tourism. During a five-year stint in Australia, he worked as a machinery operator and in sales. On his return to New Zealand he established Buller Adventure Tours, an adventure tourism company, which he owned and operated in a partnership.
, recapturing the West Coast
seat after the upset victory of National
's Margaret Moir
in the 1990 elections
.
He retained his seat in the 1993 elections
. He won the reconfigured West Coast-Tasman
seat in the 1996 elections
, and was the MP for the electorate until 2008.
O'Connor is regarded as being on the right of the Labour Party and has, with permission, voted against his colleagues on at least one occasion.
He was the Minister of Rural Affairs, the Minister of Tourism, as well as Immigration and Associate Minister of Health.
At the 2008 general election
O'Connor was beaten by National
candidate Chris Auchinvole
, who had previously been a list MP. Auchinvole's majority was 971. His position on the Labour Party list meant that O'Connor couldn't return to Parliament immediately. When the list MP Michael Cullen retired in May 2009, O'Connor regained his position as Member of the House of Representatives because he was the highest-ranked candidate on the list not already an MP.
O'Connor is currently Labour's spokesperson for Rural Affairs, Spokesperson for Biosecurity and Associate Spokesperson for Agriculture. for the election of the 50th New Zealand Parliament O'Connor announced he would only contest the electorate and not seek another selection for the list.
In April 2011 O'Connor attracted criticism from Labour Party leader Phil Goff
after describing the list MP selection process as being run by "self-serving unionists and a gaggle of gays."
At the 2011 general election
O'Connor regained the West Coast-Tasman electorate from National's Chris Auchinvole with a majority of 2287 votes.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
politician from the West Coast of the South Island
South Island
The South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean...
. He is a member of the Labour Party
New Zealand Labour Party
The New Zealand Labour Party is a New Zealand political party. It describes itself as centre-left and socially progressive and has been one of the two primary parties of New Zealand politics since 1935....
and a Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
.
Early years
O'Connor was born in WestportWestport, New Zealand
-Economy:Economic activity is based around fishing, coal mining and dairy farming. Historically, gold mining was a major industry, and coal mining was much more extensive than today . However, the region still is home to New Zealand's largest opencast mining operation in Stockton...
on 16 January 1958. Before becoming an MP, he worked in a variety of jobs in farming and tourism. During a five-year stint in Australia, he worked as a machinery operator and in sales. On his return to New Zealand he established Buller Adventure Tours, an adventure tourism company, which he owned and operated in a partnership.
Member of Parliament
He was first elected to Parliament in the 1993 electionsNew Zealand general election, 1993
The 1993 New Zealand general election was held on 6 November 1993 to determine the composition of the 44th New Zealand Parliament. It saw the governing National Party, led by Jim Bolger, win a second term in office, despite a major swing back towards the Labour Party. The new Alliance and New...
, recapturing the West Coast
West Coast (New Zealand electorate)
West Coast is a former New Zealand Parliamentary electorate, from 1972 to 1996.-History:The West Coast and Tasman electorates replaced the former Buller and Westland electorates in 1972....
seat after the upset victory of National
New Zealand National Party
The New Zealand National Party is the largest party in the New Zealand House of Representatives and in November 2008 formed a minority government with support from three minor parties.-Policies:...
's Margaret Moir
Margaret Moir
Margaret Moir was a New Zealand politician of the National Party. Previously, she was the elected chairman of the West Coast Regional Council....
in the 1990 elections
New Zealand general election, 1990
The 1990 New Zealand general election was held on 27 October to determine the composition of the 43rd New Zealand parliament. The governing Labour Party was defeated, ending its controversial two terms in office...
.
He retained his seat in the 1993 elections
New Zealand general election, 1993
The 1993 New Zealand general election was held on 6 November 1993 to determine the composition of the 44th New Zealand Parliament. It saw the governing National Party, led by Jim Bolger, win a second term in office, despite a major swing back towards the Labour Party. The new Alliance and New...
. He won the reconfigured West Coast-Tasman
West Coast-Tasman
West Coast-Tasman is a New Zealand Parliamentary electorate. It is the largest General electorate by land area.It is currently held by Damien O'Connor MP.-Population Centres:The electorate includes the following population centres:*Collingwood*Greymouth...
seat in the 1996 elections
New Zealand general election, 1996
The 1996 New Zealand general election was held on 12 October 1996 to determine the composition of the 45th New Zealand Parliament. It was notable for being the first election to be held under the new Mixed Member Proportional electoral system, and produced a parliament considerably more diverse...
, and was the MP for the electorate until 2008.
O'Connor is regarded as being on the right of the Labour Party and has, with permission, voted against his colleagues on at least one occasion.
He was the Minister of Rural Affairs, the Minister of Tourism, as well as Immigration and Associate Minister of Health.
At the 2008 general election
New Zealand general election, 2008
The 2008 New Zealand general election was held on 8 November 2008 to determine the composition of the 49th New Zealand parliament. The conservative National Party, headed by its Parliamentary leader John Key, won a plurality of votes and seats, ending 9 years of government dominated by the social...
O'Connor was beaten by National
New Zealand National Party
The New Zealand National Party is the largest party in the New Zealand House of Representatives and in November 2008 formed a minority government with support from three minor parties.-Policies:...
candidate Chris Auchinvole
Chris Auchinvole
Chris Auchinvole JP is a New Zealand politician.-Early years:Auchinvole was born in Prestwick, Scotland, and attended the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst in England. In New Zealand, he has been involved with the export industry, and operated a company based on the West Coast...
, who had previously been a list MP. Auchinvole's majority was 971. His position on the Labour Party list meant that O'Connor couldn't return to Parliament immediately. When the list MP Michael Cullen retired in May 2009, O'Connor regained his position as Member of the House of Representatives because he was the highest-ranked candidate on the list not already an MP.
O'Connor is currently Labour's spokesperson for Rural Affairs, Spokesperson for Biosecurity and Associate Spokesperson for Agriculture. for the election of the 50th New Zealand Parliament O'Connor announced he would only contest the electorate and not seek another selection for the list.
In April 2011 O'Connor attracted criticism from Labour Party leader Phil Goff
Phil Goff
Philip Bruce Goff is the current Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of the New Zealand Labour Party. During the Fifth Labour Government, he served in a number of ministerial portfolios, including Minister of Defence of New Zealand, Minister of Corrections, Minister of Foreign Affairs and...
after describing the list MP selection process as being run by "self-serving unionists and a gaggle of gays."
At the 2011 general election
New Zealand general election, 2011
The 2011 New Zealand general election on Saturday 26 November 2011 determined the membership of the 50th New Zealand Parliament.One hundred and twenty-one MPs were elected to the New Zealand House of Representatives, 70 from single-member electorates, including one overhang seat, and 51 from party...
O'Connor regained the West Coast-Tasman electorate from National's Chris Auchinvole with a majority of 2287 votes.