Annette King

Annette Faye King (born 13 September 1947) is a New Zealand politician. She is a member of the governing Labour Party, and currently serves in Cabinet as Minister of Police, Minister of Justice, Minister of Transport and Minister Responsible for the Law Commission.cite press release|publisher=New Zealand Government|date=31 October 2007|title=Ministerial List for Announcement on 31 October 2007|url=http://www.beehive.govt.nz/Documents/Files/Ministerial%20List.DOC|format=DOC]

Early life

King was born in Murchison, a town in the Tasman region of the South Island. After receiving primary and secondary education in Murchison, she attended the University of Waikato and gained a BA degree. She then obtained a post-graduate diploma in dental nursing, and worked as a dental nurse from 1967 to 1981. She was a tutor of dental nursing in Wellington from 1982 to 1984.

Entry into politics

King joined the Labour Party in 1972, and has held various offices within the party (including a term on the party's Executive).

Member of Parliament

In the 1984 elections, she stood as the party's candidate for Horowhenua, and was successful. She was re-elected in the 1987 election.

Cabinet minister

In 1989, she was elevated to Cabinet, becoming Minister of Employment, Minister of Immigration, and Minister of Youth Affairs. She was also given special responsibility for liaising between Cabinet and the party caucus.

In the 1990 election, King lost her Horowhenua seat, and so found herself outside Parliament. She served as Chief Executive of the Palmerston North Enterprise Board from 1991 until the 1993 election, when she was returned to Parliament as the MP for Miramar. In the 1996 election, when the shift to MMP prompted a reorganization of electorates, King successfully contested the new seat of Rongotai, which she still represents. She was also ranked in sixth place on the Labour Party's first MMP party list.

When Labour won the 1999 election, and Helen Clark became Prime Minister, King was appointed Minister of Health. She is ranked sixth within Cabinet. After winning a third term at the 2005 election, King took on the roles of Minister of Transport and Minister of Police. Following another reshuffle in late 2007, King became the new Minister of Justice.

References