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Paul East

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The Right Honourable
Paul East
CNZM KC
22nd High Commissioner from New Zealand to the United Kingdom
In office
4 January 1999 – 4 January 2002
Preceded byRichard Grant
Succeeded byRussell Marshall
32nd Minister of Defence
In office
1 March 1996 – 5 December 1997
Prime MinisterJim Bolger
Preceded byWarren Cooper
Succeeded byMax Bradford
28th Attorney-General
In office
2 November 1990 – 5 December 1997
Prime MinisterJim Bolger
Preceded byDavid Lange
Succeeded byDoug Graham
Member of the New Zealand Parliament
for Rotorua
In office
25 November 1978 – 12 October 1996
Preceded byHarry Lapwood
Succeeded byMax Bradford
Majority429[1]
Member of the New Zealand Parliament
for National Party list
In office
12 October 1996 – 25 January 1999
Succeeded byAlec Neill[n 1]
Personal details
Born
Paul Clayton East

(1946-08-04)4 August 1946
Ōpōtiki, New Zealand
Died27 February 2023(2023-02-27) (aged 76)
Auckland, New Zealand
Political partyNational

Paul Clayton East CNZM KC PC (4 August 1946 – 27 February 2023) was a New Zealand politician of the National Party.

Early life and family

East was born in Ōpōtiki on 4 August 1946, and was educated at King's College, Auckland.[2] He studied at the University of Auckland, graduating with a Bachelor of Laws degree in 1970, and the University of Virginia, where he completed a Master of Laws degree in 1972.[2]

In 1972, East married Marilyn Kottman, and the couple went on to have three children.[2]

Prior to becoming an MP, East was a lawyer and barrister with East Brewster, a Rotorua-based legal firm, from 1973 to 1978. East also engaged in local politics as a member of the Rotorua City Council, which has now been subsumed into the Rotorua District Council.

Member of Parliament

New Zealand Parliament
Years Term Electorate List Party
1978–1981 39th Rotorua National
1981–1984 40th Rotorua National
1984–1987 41st Rotorua National
1987–1990 42nd Rotorua National
1990–1993 43rd Rotorua National
1993–1996 44th Rotorua National
1996–1999 45th List 5 National

East was first elected to Parliament in the 1978 election as MP for Rotorua, and retained that seat until he became a list MP in the 1996 elections after losing a face-off for National's Rotorua nomination to Max Bradford. In 1990, East was awarded the New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal.[2]

East served in a number of ministerial roles, including those of Minister of Defence and Attorney-General in the fourth National government. When Jenny Shipley replaced Jim Bolger as leader of the National Party, East was one of the minority who remained aligned with Bolger.

East was appointed a member of the Privy Council in 1998.[3] In 1999, he resigned from Parliament to take up the position of New Zealand High Commissioner to the United Kingdom in London.[4] He was replaced in Parliament by Alec Neill, the next candidate on National's party list.

Attorney-general

As attorney-general, East advocated on important international issues, including a case brought before the International Court of Justice in 1995 on behalf of New Zealand against France's nuclear testing in the Pacific Ocean. East also headed the development of an advisory opinion to the UN General Assembly on the legality of nuclear testing in 1995. East was awarded the status of Queen's Counsel (QC) while Attorney-General.

Outside Parliament

From 2002, East had been independent chairman of the Charity Gaming Association (CGA), which is the industry organisation for charitable trusts that operate electronic gaming machines ("pokies") to raise funds for community purposes. In 2008 the CGA's members operated 75% of non-club gaming machines in New Zealand and generated $250 million worth of grants for worthwhile community purposes.

In the 2005 Queen's Birthday Honours, East was appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to Parliament and the law.[5]

Death

East died in Auckland on 27 February 2023, at the age of 76.[6] Fellow former National MP Chester Borrows also died the same day.[7]

Notes

  1. ^ Normally, list MPs do not have individual predecessors or successors, but East resigned during a sitting parliament and therefore was succeeded by Neill.

References

  1. ^ At 1993 election
  2. ^ a b c d Taylor, Alister; Coddington, Deborah (1994). Honoured by the Queen – New Zealand. Auckland: New Zealand Who's Who Aotearoa. p. 130. ISBN 0-908578-34-2.
  3. ^ "Privy Council". dpmc.govt.nz. Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
  4. ^ Paul East to observe Sri Lankan elections
  5. ^ "Queen's Birthday honours list 2005". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 6 June 2005. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
  6. ^ "Paul East obituary". The New Zealand Herald. 1 March 2023. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
  7. ^ "Former Rotorua MP and National Party Cabinet minister Paul East dies". The New Zealand Herald. 27 February 2023. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
  • 1990 Parliamentary Candidates for the New Zealand National Party p. 68 by John Stringer (New Zealand National Party, 1990)
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by High Commissioner from New Zealand to the United Kingdom
1999–2002 		Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Attorney-General
1990–1997 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Minister of Defence
1996–1997 		Succeeded by
New title Minister of Corrections
1996–1997 		Succeeded by
New Zealand Parliament
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Rotorua
1978–1996 		Succeeded by
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