- Rick Barker
Richard John Barker (born
27 October 1951 ) is aNew Zealand politician . He is a member of the Labour Party, and currently serves as a middle-ranking Cabinet minister at number 13 on the party list.Early life
Barker was born in the town of
Greymouth , on New Zealand's West Coast. He attendedGreymouth High School and then theUniversity 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. [cite web|title=Barker joins cabinet|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?objectid=3501604|date=May 13 ,2003 |work=NZ Herald|accessdate=2007-11-11]Member of Parliament
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. He was re-elected in 1996, 1999, and 2002 for the reconfigured seat of Tukituki. In 2005 he lost the seat but remains in Parliament as a list MP.
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.
References
Further reading
:*citation |title = Rick's report: newsletter |place = Wellington, [N.Z.] |publisher = New Zealand Labour Party |year = n.d.
External links
* [http://www.beehive.govt.nz/Minister.aspx?MinisterID=65 New Zealand Government website biography]
Political offices
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