Anne Tolley

The Honourable Anne Tolley JP
Tolley in 2019
Commission Chair of the Tauranga City Council
In office 9 February 2021 – 2 August 2024
Preceded by	Tenby Powell (as Mayor)
Succeeded by	Mahe Drysdale (as Mayor)
Deputy Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives
In office 8 November 2017 – 17 October 2020
Preceded by	Chester Borrows
Succeeded by	Adrian Rurawhe
26th Minister of Social Development
In office 13 October 2014 – 26 October 2017
Prime Minister	John Key Bill English
Preceded by	Paula Bennett
Succeeded by	Carmel Sepuloni
44th Minister of Education
In office 19 November 2008 – 25 November 2011
Prime Minister	John Key
Preceded by	Chris Carter
Succeeded by	Hekia Parata
Minister for Tertiary Education
In office 19 November 2008 – 27 January 2010[1]
Prime Minister	John Key
Preceded by	Pete Hodgson
Succeeded by	Steven Joyce
Member of the New Zealand Parliament for East Coast
In office 17 September 2005 – 17 October 2020
Preceded by	Janet Mackey
Succeeded by	Kiri Allan
Majority	6,413
Member of the New Zealand Parliament for National Party list
In office 27 November 1999 – 27 July 2002
Personal details
Born	Anne Merrilyn Hicks (1953-03-01) 1 March 1953 (age 71) Wellington, New Zealand
Political party	National Party
Spouse	Allan Hunt Tolley ​ (m. 1973)​
Children	Three
Occupation	Hotelier, Local Government
Website	annetolley.co.nz

Anne Merrilyn Tolley JP (née Hicks; born 1 March 1953) is a New Zealand politician.

Tolley was elected as a member of the Napier City Council in 1986 and served as deputy mayor from 1989 until 1995. In 1999 she was elected to Parliament as a list MP representing the National Party. She was unseated in 2002 but returned in 2005 as the new East Coast MP. Between 2008 and 2017 she was a senior minister in the Fifth National Government, holding the offices of Minister of Education, Minister of Social Development, Minister of Corrections, Minister of Police and Minister of Local Government. She established Oranga Tamariki and was the first Minister for Children from 2016 to 2017.

She was Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives from 2017 to 2020. In 2021 she was appointed chair of the commission overseeing the Tauranga City Council.^[2]