Rick Barker
Richard John Barker[1] (born 27 October 1951) is a New Zealand politician. He is a member of the Labour Party, and was a middle-ranking Cabinet minister in the Fifth Labour Government of New Zealand.
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[edit] Early life
Barker was born in the town of Greymouth, on New Zealand's West Coast. He attended Greymouth High School and then the University of Otago. After working as a shop assistant, bartender, storeworker, farmhand, driver, factory worker, and quarrier, he became involved in the trade unions, primarily those relating to the service sector. He eventually became National Secretary of the Service Workers' Union.[2]
[edit] Member of Parliament
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| Years | Term | Electorate | List | Party |
| 1993–1996 | 44th | Hastings | Labour | |
| 1996–1999 | 45th | Tukituki | 28 | Labour |
| 1999–2002 | 46th | Tukituki | 31 | Labour |
| 2002–2005 | 47th | Tukituki | 24 | Labour |
| 2005–2008 | 48th | List | 21 | Labour |
| 2008–2011 | 49th | List | 34 | Labour |
Barker became a member of the Labour Party in 1973, and served for a time as the Industrial Representative on the party's National Council. In the 1993 elections, he successfully stood as the Labour Party candidate for the Hastings electorate, winning a seat that was previously held by the National Party. He was re-elected in 1996, 1999, and 2002 for the reconfigured seat of Tukituki. In 2005 he lost the seat in what was a large swing against the sitting Labour government in the provincial areas and returned to Parliament as a list MP. In 2008 Barker tried unsuccessfully to regain the seat of Tukituki and for the second time was returned to parliament as a Labour list MP.
[edit] Cabinet minister
In 2002, when Labour was re-elected for a second term, Barker was elevated to cabinet, becoming Minister of Customs, Minister for Courts, Associate Minister of Justice, and Associate Minister of Social Services and Employment. During the 2002-2005 term, he was given additional responsibility as Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector and Minister for Small Business.
In 2005, Barker was re-elected to Cabinet, becoming Minister of Internal Affairs, Minister for Courts, Minister of Civil Defence and Minister of Veterans' Affairs. Barker lost his ministerial warrants following Labour's defeat in the 2008 election; however, Barker was appointed by the House of Representatives to the role of Assistant Speaker for the 49th New Zealand Parliament for the session 2008-11.
[edit] References
- ^ "New Zealand Hansard - Members Sworn Volume:651;Page:2". Parliament of New Zealand. http://www.parliament.nz/en-NZ/PB/Debates/Debates/5/c/4/49HansD_20081208_00000010-Members-Sworn.htm.
- ^ "Barker joins cabinet". NZ Herald. May 13, 2003. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?objectid=3501604. Retrieved 2007-11-11.
[edit] External links
- Rick Barker's official website
- New Zealand Government website biography
- Rick Barker at the New Zealand Parliament website
| Parliament of New Zealand | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Jeff Whitaker |
Member of Parliament for Hastings 1993-1996 |
Constituency abolished |
| New constituency | Member of Parliament for Tukituki 1996-2005 |
Succeeded by Craig Foss |
