Allan Peachey

Allan Peachey (born 18 October 1949), is a New Zealand politician and Member of Parliament for Tamaki.

Peachey was most recently employed as the principal of Rangitoto College, the largest secondary school in New Zealand. He had previously been the president of the Secondary Principals Association of New Zealand, and was an outspoken commentator on educational issues. An example of such commentary is his book "What's Up with Our Schools?" which was released in 2005.

Politics

He was selected as a list candidate for the National Party in the 2002 elections, and was viewed by many as one of the party's brighter prospects. His ranking on the party's list (eighteenth, above several sitting MPs) was thought sufficient to guarantee him entry to Parliament, but the National Party's overall performance was poor enough that he narrowly missed out.

Peachey stood for election again in the 2005 elections. He was ranked at thirty on National's party list, but was also selected as the National candidate for Tamaki, traditionally regarded as a safe National seat. This selection caused a certain amount of controversy, as the seat already had a sitting National MP. That MP, Clem Simich, was persuaded to withdraw, and was rewarded with a high list placing and the National Party candidacy in the electorate of Mangere.

Peachey won his Tamaki electorate seat, receiving 20,956 votes of a total 36,946. The immediate runner-up in his electorate was Leila Boyle, a Labour Party candidate who received 11,446 votes.

"Knife in Your Back" Controversy

Controversy arose when Peachey e-mailed Selwyn College co-principal Carol White declining an invitation to the school's prizegiving stating at the bottom: "Yes, I do have a knife in your back, so be careful"; ref|herald Peachey quickly issued an apology. ref|tvnz

Peachey's secretary, Janie Young, later resigned her post. Fact|date=February 2008

References

# [http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10358451] "MP Peachey sent 'knife in back' email", The New Zealand Herald, 5 December 2005
# [http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/411424/635829 Peachey apologises for knife comment] by Radio New Zealand, published on TVNZ, 5 December 2005

External links

* [http://www.allanpeachey.co.nz Allan Peachey's official site] .
* [http://www.parliament.nz/en-NZ/MPP/MPs/MPs/c/7/9/48MP127451-Peachey-Allan.htm Parliamentary website]