Larry Walter Sutherland (15 April 1951 – 21 June 2005) was a former New Zealand

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. He was an MP from 1987 to 1999, representing 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....

. He was first elected to Parliament in the 1987 elections

New Zealand general election, 1987

The 1987 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the 43rd sitting of the New Zealand Parliament. The governing New Zealand Labour Party, led by Prime Minister David Lange, was re-elected for a second term, although the Opposition National Party made gains...

 as MP for the Christchurch

Christchurch

Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...

 seat of Avon

Avon (New Zealand electorate)

Avon is a former New Zealand Parliamentary electorate.-Population centres:The electorate is in the eastern suburbs of Christchurch, New Zealand, based on the suburb of Avonside.-History:...

, replacing the retiring Mary Batchelor

Mary Batchelor

Mary Dorothy Batchelor, QSO was a Labour Member of Parliament for the Avon electorate for 15 years from 1972 to 1987....

. He retained that seat until it was abolished 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...

, when he successfully contested the new Christchurch East seat. He opted not to be placed on Labour's 1996 party list. He retired from politics at the 1999 elections

New Zealand general election, 1999

The 1999 New Zealand general election was held on 27 November 1999 to determine the composition of the 46th New Zealand Parliament. The governing National Party, led by Prime Minister Jenny Shipley, was defeated, being replaced by a coalition of Helen Clark's Labour Party and the smaller Alliance...

. Sutherland did not hold any ministerial portfolios, but became Labour's Junior Whip

Whip (politics)

A whip is an official in a political party whose primary purpose is to ensure party discipline in a legislature. Whips are a party's "enforcers", who typically offer inducements and threaten punishments for party members to ensure that they vote according to the official party policy...

in 1993.