Chris Carter (New Zealand politician)

Chris Carter
43rd Minister of Education
In office
5 November 2007 – 19 November 2008
Prime MinisterHelen Clark
Preceded bySteve Maharey
Succeeded byAnne Tolley
21st Minister of Housing
In office
19 October 2005 – 5 November 2007
Prime MinisterHelen Clark
Preceded bySteve Maharey
Succeeded byMaryan Street
2nd Minister for Building Issues
In office
21 December 2004 – 19 October 2005
Prime MinisterHelen Clark
Preceded byMargaret Wilson
Succeeded byClayton Cosgrove
8th Minister of Conservation
In office
15 August 2002 – 5 November 2007
Prime MinisterHelen Clark
Preceded bySandra Lee
Succeeded byStephanie Chadwick
11th Minister of Local Government
In office
15 August 2002 – 19 October 2005
Prime MinisterHelen Clark
Preceded bySandra Lee
Succeeded byNanaia Mahuta
Member of the New Zealand Parliament
for Te Atatu
In office
27 November 1999 – 30 September 2011
Preceded bySeat recreated
Succeeded byPhil Twyford
In office
6 November 1993 – 12 October 1996
Preceded byBrian Neeson
Succeeded bySeat abolished
Personal details
Born (1952-05-04) 4 May 1952 (age 72)
Auckland, New Zealand
Political partyLabour
Domestic partnerPeter Kaiser[1]
Alma materUniversity of Auckland
ProfessionTeacher

Christopher Joseph Carter[2] JP (born 4 May 1952) is a former New Zealand Labour Party and independent Member of the New Zealand Parliament. He was a senior Cabinet Minister in the Fifth Labour Government of New Zealand, serving lastly as Minister of Education, Minister Responsible for the Education Review Office and Minister of Ethnic Affairs.[3] He was the Member of Parliament for the Te Atatu electorate, where he was first elected in 1993. He did not win re-election (to the replacement seat, Waipareira) in 1996, but won a new and expanded Te Atatu seat in 1999. In 2010, he was suspended from the Labour Party caucus following a dispute with party leader Phil Goff, shortly afterwards he became an independent MP.[4][5] He was expelled by the Labour Party for breaching the Party's constitution in bringing the Party in disrepute, on 11 October 2010.[6] In September 2011 Carter resigned from Parliament following his appointment to a United Nations position in Afghanistan where he served for 4 years. In 2015 he was appointed to head UN operations in Rakhine State in Myanmar where he served for 3 years. In 2018 he rejoined the New Zealand Labour Party and stood for election as a Labour Party representative in the 2019 New Zealand local elections. Carter was elected and appointed as Chairperson of the Henderson Massey Local Board with 11,250 votes. He also won election in 2019 as one of the seven elected board members of the Waitemata District Health Board with 14,593 votes. Both positions have three year terms.

  1. ^ Meng-Yee, Carolyne (13 June 2010). "Big-spending MP may quit". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 13 June 2010.
  2. ^ "New Zealand Hansard – Members Sworn Volume:651;Page:2". New Zealand Parliament. Archived from the original on 23 February 2013. Retrieved 26 November 2009.
  3. ^ "Ministerial List for Announcement on 31 October 2007" (Press release). New Zealand Government. 31 October 2007. Archived from the original (DOC) on 1 October 2008. Retrieved 22 November 2007.
  4. ^ "Ousted MP's letter "stupid and disloyal"". Television New Zealand. 29 July 2010. Archived from the original on 13 June 2011. Retrieved 23 September 2011.
  5. ^ "Speaker: Carter now an independent". The New Zealand Herald. 17 August 2010. Archived from the original on 23 October 2012. Retrieved 18 August 2010.
  6. ^ "Carter tells Labour council: I'll dish dirt on senior MPs". The New Zealand Herald. 12 October 2010. Archived from the original on 21 October 2010. Retrieved 25 October 2010.