Lockwood Smith

Dr The Right Honourable Lockwood Smith MP
28th Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives
Incumbent
Assumed office 8 November 2008
Prime Minister	John Key
Preceded by	Margaret Wilson
38th Minister of Education
In office 2 November 1990 – 1 March 1996
Prime Minister	Jim Bolger
Preceded by	Phil Goff
Succeeded by	Wyatt Creech
Member of Parliament for Rodney Kaipara (1984–1996)
Incumbent
Assumed office 1984
Preceded by	Peter Wilkinson
Majority	15,635
Personal details
Born	13 November 1948 (1948-11-13) Paparoa
Nationality	New Zealand
Political party	National
Spouse(s)	Alexandra Lang
Residence	Ruawai

Alexander Lockwood Smith (born 13 November 1948) is a New Zealand politician who has been the 28th Speaker of the House of Representatives since 2008. Smith is a member of the New Zealand National Party and has served as a Member of Parliament (MP) since 1984. He represented first the Kaipara electorate and then Rodney, and has held a number of Cabinet positions; he was Minister of Education from 1990 to 1996 and subsequently served as Minister of Agriculture, Minister for International Trade, and Associate Minister of Finance.

Early years

Smith attended Auckland Grammar School in 1961. He has a PhD in Animal science from the University of Adelaide. Before entering politics he lectured at Massey University, worked as a television presenter for a children's quiz show, and was Marketing Manager at the New Zealand Dairy Board.

Member of Parliament

Smith was first elected in 1984 as the MP for Kaipara. He represented this electorate until it was abolished in 1996 during the shift to MMP. Since then he has been the representative for Rodney.

Minister in the Fourth National Government

Smith served as Minister of Education from 1990 until 1996 in the Fourth National Government of New Zealand. During this period he implemented a number of changes to the tertiary education sector (universities and technical institutions). One high-profile change involved a radical increase in student fees, as recommended by the Todd Report, which the government had commissioned to address issues of funding.

As opposition education spokesman in 1990, Smith promised to remove the Labour Government's tertiary tuition fee of $1250, if elected. Once in office, he kept this promise on a technicality: he shifted the burden of charging fees for courses from the government to the institutions, who then had to charge even higher tuition fees due to decreased government funding.

Smith's term as Education Minister also saw the introduction of means-testing for student allowances, with the effect that students of middle-class parents became ineligible for allowances until they reached 25 years of age.

Parliament of New Zealand
Years	Term	Electorate	List	Party
1984–1987	41st	Kaipara		National
1987–1990	42nd	Kaipara		National
1990–1993	43rd	Kaipara		National
1993–1996	44th	Kaipara		National
1996–1999	45th	Rodney	8	National
1999–2002	46th	Rodney	5	National
2002–2005	47th	Rodney	11	National
2005–2008	48th	Rodney	9	National
2008–2011	49th	Rodney	12	National
2011–present	50th	List	3	National

In 1996 Smith took up the Agriculture and Trade Negotiation portfolios: Wyatt Creech succeeded him as Education Minister. Smith also became Minister for International Trade and for Tourism, as well as holding responsibilities as Associate Minister of Finance, Associate Minister of Immigration (International Access and Processing), and Minister Responsible for Contact Energy Ltd.

As Trade Minister, Smith spearheaded New Zealand's efforts at the 1999 APEC negotiations. He successfully negotiated New Zealand's free-trade agreement with Singapore, which became the NZ – Singapore Closer Economic Partnership. At the WTO Ministerial in Seattle, he took part in efforts which later lead to the Doha Development Round.

Opposition, 1999–2008

In opposition, Smith held a number of spokesperson roles for the National Party, including those of Foreign Affairs, Commerce, and Immigration. In his role as Immigration spokesman, Smith challenged Mangere MP Taito Phillip Field over alleged impropriety in Field's dealings with constituents.

During the 2008 election campaign, on 22 October 2008, Smith made some comments in an interview with the Marlborough Express concerning seasonal Asian and Pacific workers that caused controversy. Regarding Pacific workers he said that some employers "are having to teach them things like how to use a toilet or shower..." And he said that for pruning trees: "some of the Asian workers have been more productive... because their hands are smaller." Maori Party co-leader Tariana Turia described these remarks as "racist", and the Prime Minister Helen Clark characterised them as "absolutely daft". Smith later stated that the media had presented his comments out of context, and that he had repeated the views of employers whom he had talked to; he expressed regret at any unintended offence taken. The parliamentary leader of the National Party, John Key, subsequently referred to this statement as an apology.

Speaker of the House

Following the National Party's successes in the 2008 election, Members of Parliament unanimously elected Smith as Speaker of the House. Smith has taken a rather different approach from his predecessor, being more active in requiring ministers to provide answers to oral questions. Smith was re-elected as Speaker of the House again on 20 December 2011.

Personal life

On 4 July 2009, he married longtime girlfriend Alexandra Lang in the Legislative Council Chamber of Parliament.

External links

• National Party Bio
• Parliamentary page
• Lockwood Smith marries

Political offices
Preceded by Phil Goff	Minister of Education 1990–1996	Succeeded by Wyatt Creech
Preceded by Margaret Wilson	Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives 2008 –	Incumbent
Parliament of New Zealand
Preceded by Peter Wilkinson	Member of Parliament for Kaipara 1984–1996	Constituency abolished
Vacant Constituency recreated after abolition in 1987 Title last held by Don McKinnon	Member of Parliament for Rodney 1996 –	Incumbent