Tracey McLellan
Tracey McLellan | |
|---|---|
 McLellan in 2023 | |
| Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Banks Peninsula | |
| Assumed office 17 October 2020 | |
| Preceded by | Ruth Dyson |
| Vice-President of the New Zealand Labour Party | |
| In office 20 May 2019 – 7 May 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Beth Houston |
| Succeeded by | Carol Beaumont |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 20 May 1970 |
| Political party | Labour |
| Children | 2 |
| Residence | Christchurch |
| Alma mater | University of Canterbury |
Tracey Lee McLellan (born 20 May 1970) is a New Zealand politician. In 2020 she was elected as a Member of Parliament in the House of Representatives for the Labour Party.[1]
Early life
McLellan was born in Sydney, Australia in May 1970, before moving to Southland, where she grew up in a state house. Her mother was disabled and unable to work.[2] McLellan moved to Christchurch in 2002. McLellan has a Master's degree from Massey University,[3] and a PhD in psychology from the University of Canterbury[4] and worked in academic psychology specializing in sports injuries and concussion, as a research scientist at the University of Canterbury. Later she became a union organiser for the New Zealand Nurses Organisation.[5][6]
Political career
| Years | Term | Electorate | List | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020–present | 53rd | Banks Peninsula | 53 | Labour | |
McLellan has been a member of the Labour Party since 2011. She was chair of the electorate committee and was joint campaign manager to Ruth Dyson's campaign in the Port Hills electorate at the 2014 election.[5][6] In May 2019 she won a by-election to become vice president of the Labour Party. Following Nigel Haworth's resignation over his handling of abuse allegations within the party, McLellan (who was a member of a panel which dismissed initial complaints) became acting party president.[7]
She was selected as its candidate for the Banks Peninsula electorate in November 2019, ahead of three other nominees: Reuben Davidson, Joe Davies and Tyrone Fields.[6] In January 2020, McLellan identified ACC and health as portfolios in which she would like to make a difference, but says that her electorate has diverse needs from climate change effects in Sumner and Lyttelton, to education, health, housing and water issues.[2]
During the 2020 general election held on 17 October, McLellan was elected with a majority of 13,156 over National's Catherine Chu and Green Party Member of Parliament Eugenie Sage.[8]
Family
McLellan is a single mother to two sons. One son, Jake, was elected a member of the Christchurch City Council in 2019. She credits her son with pushing her to join the Labour Party.[2]
References
- ^ "Election 2020: The 40 diverse new MPs entering Parliament". Newstalk ZB. 18 October 2020. Archived from the original on 22 October 2020. Retrieved 16 November 2020 – via The New Zealand Herald.
- ^ a b c "The Sure Things: Tracey McLellan". Newsroom. 7 January 2020. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
- ^ McLellan, Tracey (2002). New Zealand women's preference for treatment decision-making when considering hormone replacement therapy (Masters thesis). Massey Research Online, Massey University. hdl:10179/10982.
- ^ McLellan, Tracey (2008). Sensitivity to Emotion Specified in Facial Expressions and the Impact of Aging and Alzheimer's Disease (Doctoral thesis). UC Research Repository, University of Canterbury. doi:10.26021/7757. hdl:10092/1979.
- ^ a b "Labour selects Dr Tracey McLellan for Banks Peninsula seat". Scoop.co.nz. 25 November 2019. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
- ^ a b c Law, Tina (24 November 2019). "Labour selects Tracey McLellan as 2020 Port Hills candidate". Stuff. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
- ^ McCulloch, Craig (16 September 2019). "Labour abuse allegations investigator brings in computer expert". Radio NZ. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
- ^ "Banks Peninsula – Official Result". Electoral Commission. 6 November 2020. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
- 1970 births
- Living people
- New Zealand Labour Party MPs
- New Zealand MPs for Christchurch electorates
- Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives
- 21st-century New Zealand politicians
- 21st-century New Zealand women politicians
- Women members of the New Zealand House of Representatives
- Massey University alumni
- University of Canterbury alumni
- Candidates in the 2020 New Zealand general election
- Candidates in the 2023 New Zealand general election