Lianne Dalziel: Difference between revisions

{{shortShort description|New Zealand politician}}

| honorific-prefix = [[The Honourable]]

| name = Lianne Dalziel

| honorific-suffix = {{post-nominals|country=NZL|CNZM|size=100%}}

| image = File:Lianne Dalziel SeptemberCNZM 2017(cropped).jpg

| caption = Dalziel in September 20172023

|office term_start = Mayor24 ofOctober Christchurch2013

|term_start term_end = 248 October 20132022

|predecessor successor = [[Bob Parker (mayor)|BobPhil ParkerMauger]]

| term_end3successor3 = 21 February= [[Margaret 2004Wilson]]

| predecessor3term_start4 = [[Paul19 October Swain]]2005

| successor3term_end4 = [[Margaret19 November Wilson]]2008

| term_start4predecessor4 = 19 October= [[Pete 2005Hodgson]]

| term_end4successor4 = 19[[Simon Power November(politician)|Simon 2008Power]]

| successor4 primeminister5 = [[SimonHelen PowerClark]]

| term_start5successor5 = 28 March 2001 = [[Ruth Dyson]]

| successor5term_start6 = [[Ruth10 December Dyson]]1999

| term_end6parliament7 = 21= FebruaryNew 2004Zealand

| successor6predecessor7 = [[PaulGeoffrey Palmer (politician)|Geoffrey SwainPalmer]]

| parliament7term_end7 = New12 October Zealand1996

| successor7term_start8 = [[Tim Barnett= 12 (politician)|TimOctober Barnett]]1996

| term_start7term_end8 = 27 OctoberNovember 19901999

| parliament8predecessor9 = New[[Larry ZealandSutherland]]

| term_start8successor9 = 12 October 1996 = [[Poto Williams]]

| term_end8term_start9 = 27 November 1999

| parliament9birth_place = [[Christchurch]], New Zealand

| majority9death_date =

| predecessor9death_place = [[Larry Sutherland]] =

| successor9nationality = [[PotoNew Williams]]Zealander

| term_end9party = 11[[New Zealand OctoberLabour 2013Party|Labour]]

| birth_datechildren = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1960|6|7}}

| birth_placeresidence = [[Christchurch]], New Zealand =

| death_datealma_mater =

| death_placeoccupation = Trade unionist

| nationalityprofession = New Zealander =

| spousecabinet =

| party committees = [[NewCommerce ZealandCommittee Labour(chairperson)<br> Party|Labour]]Privileges Committee

| relationsportfolio =

| childrenreligion =

| residencesignature =

| alma_materwebsite =

| occupationfootnotes = Union Worker =

'''Lianne Audrey Dalziel''' {{post-nominals|country=NZL|CNZM|size=85%}} ({{IPAc-en|d|æ|l|ˈ|z|ɛ|l}}; born 7 June 1960) is a New Zealand politician and the currentformer [[Mayor of Christchurch]]. Prior to this position, she was a member of the [[New Zealand Parliament]] for 23 years, serving as Minister of Immigration, Commerce, Minister of Food Safety and Associate Minister of Justice in the [[Fifth Labour Government of New Zealand|Fifth Labour Government]].<ref name="reshuffleOct07">{{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 |url-status=dead |archiveurlarchive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081001195125/http://www.beehive.govt.nz/Documents/Files/Ministerial%20List.DOC |archivedatearchive-date=1 October 2008}}</ref> She resigned from [[Cabinet of New Zealand|Cabinet]] on 20 February 2004 after apparently lying about a [[leak]] of documents to the media, but was reinstated as a Minister following [[New Zealand Labour Party|Labour]]'s return to office after the [[2005 New Zealand general election|2005 election]]. She resigned from Parliament effective 11 October 2013 to contest the [[2013 Christchurch mayoral election|Christchurch mayoral election]]. The incumbent, [[Bob Parker (mayor)|Bob Parker]], decided not to stand again,. and sheShe was widely regarded as the top favourite and won with a wide margin to become the 46th Mayor of Christchurch.

Dalziel was born in 1960,<ref>{{cite web | publisher=[[New Zealand Parliament]] | url= http://www.parliament.nz/en-NZ/MPP/MPs/MPs/f/5/1/50MP621-Dalziel-Lianne.htm | title= Hon Lianne Dalziel | accessdateaccess-date =25 May 2009}}</ref> raised in [[Christchurch]], and attended [[University of Canterbury|Canterbury University]]. She graduated with a law degree and was admitted to the Bar in 1984. She served as the legal officer for the Canterbury Hotel and Hospital Workers' Union, and later became the union's Secretary. She also participated in national groups such as the Federation of Labour and the [[New Zealand Council of Trade Unions]].

In the new government formed by [[New Zealand Labour Party|Labour]], Dalziel became [[Minister of Immigration (New Zealand)|Minister of Immigration]], [[Minister for Seniors|Minister for Senior Citizens]], and Minister for Disability Issues. When Labour won re-election in the [[2002 New Zealand general election|2002 election]], Dalziel also became [[Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs|Minister of Commerce]] (while ceasing to be Minister for Disability Issues). In 2003, she ceased to be Minister for Senior Citizens. As Minister of Immigration, Dalziel was often in the spotlight. In particular, she often clashed with [[Winston Peters]], leader of the anti-immigration [[New Zealand First]] party.

[[Mike Williams (New Zealand politician)|Mike Williams]], President of the Labour Party from 2000 to 2009, states that he was surprised by Clark appointing Dalziel Minister of Commerce and thought of it as an "odd choice". But she worked herself into the portfolio, paid attention to detail, and within a year had "proved herself". Williams believes this is due to her high intelligence and her ability to listen.<ref name="Point of Principle" /> [[Tim Barnett (politician)|Tim Barnett]], MP for [[Christchurch Central]] from 1996 to 2008, and today General Secretary of the Labour Party (equivalent to [[Chief executive officer|CEO]]), credits her training as a lawyer and "having a bigger brain than most of us" for her success.<ref name="Point of Principle" /> Williams states that as Minister of Commerce, Dalziel worked closely with National's [[Simon Power (politician)|Simon Power]] and built "cross-party unity on various issues".<ref name="Point of Principle" />

Dalziel's position became difficult after she was accused of giving certain documents to the press to bolster the case for a decision her Associate Minister had made. The decision, concerning the deportation of a [[Sri Lanka]]n teenager who was seeking asylum but who had originally lied about the reasons, was controversial, and Dalziel leaked the notes of the teenager's lawyer to [[TV3 (New Zealand)|TV3]], attempting to discredit the teenager's case for asylum.<ref>{{cite news |title=Dalziel loses job over leak |url= http://tvnz.co.nz/content/256921/2591754/article.html |accessdateaccess-date=20 April 2013 |work=TVNZ |date=20 February 2004 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130426204142/http://tvnz.co.nz/content/256921/2591754/article.html |archive-date=26 April 2013}}</ref> Dalziel tried to avoid admitting to being the source of the documents, but was forced to admit that the leak had been at her direction. There was also significant controversy about how Dalziel had obtained the documents in the first place. Dalziel offered her resignation which Prime Minister [[Helen Clark]] accepted.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/dalziel-forced-to-quit/YKHNS6566R2NAYWK7ELZ7O63FU/ |title=Dalziel forced to quit |first=Scott |last=MacLeod |work=The New Zealand Herald |date=20 February 2004 |access-date=17 June 2021}}</ref>

After Labour was defeated in the [[2008 New Zealand general election|2008 general election]], Dalziel became the Opposition spokesperson on Justice and Commerce and, from [[2011 New Zealand general election|2011]], the spokesperson for the [[2011 Christchurch earthquake|Christchurch Earthquake Recovery]], Civil Defence & Emergence Management, Consumer Rights & Standards, and associate spokesperson for Justice.<ref>{{cite web |title=Lianne Dalziel |url=http://www.labour.org.nz/liannedalziel |accessdateaccess-date=30 September 2013 |publisher=[[New Zealand Labour Party]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130810082453/http://www.labour.org.nz/liannedalziel |archive-date=10 August 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Rumours of Dalziel standing as [[Mayor of Christchurch]] go back to at least 2009.<ref name="Point of Principle">{{cite news |last=Matthews |first=Philip |title=A Point of Principle |work=[[The Press]] |date=21 September 2013 |pages=C1–C3}}</ref> Since the February 2011 earthquake, the rumours that Dalziel would contest the [[2013 Christchurch mayoral election|2013 Christchurch mayoralty]] became more consistent. In May 2012, Dalziel tried to put an end to these rumours by announcing: "The job I really want is [[Gerry Brownlee]]'s, rather than [[Bob Parker (mayor)|Bob Parker]]'s."<ref name="Brownlee's job">{{cite news |last=Gorman |first=Paul |title=Dalziel won't run for mayor |url= http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/6908427/Dalziel-won-t-run-for-mayor |accessdateaccess-date=26 August 2012 |work=[[The Press]] |date=12 May 2012}}</ref> Brownlee is Earthquake Recovery Minister, and Parker was the [[Mayor of Christchurch]] at the time.<ref name="Brownlee's job" /> In the February 2013 reshuffle of opposition portfolios, Dalziel dropped out of the top 20 (only the first 20 positions are ranked by the Labour Party).<ref>{{cite news |last=Vance |first=Andrea |title=Dalziel dropped from Labour's top 20 |url= http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/8348590/Dalziel-dropped-from-Labours-top-20 |accessdateaccess-date=3 March 2013 |work=[[The Press]] |date=25 February 2013}}</ref> An editorial in ''[[The Press]]'' presumed that her strong support for [[David Cunliffe]] was part of the reason for her demotion. The editorial also speculated that she might reconsider her political future:<ref>{{cite news |title=Labour's new faces |url= http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/opinion/editorials/8350124/Editorial-Labours-new-faces |accessdateaccess-date=3 March 2013 |work=[[The Press]] |date=26 February 2013 |page=A12}}</ref>

Following months of speculation, ''The Press'' reported on 20 April 2013 that Lianne Dalziel would challenge Parker for the mayoralty, and that she had asked 24-year-old Student Volunteer Army organiser [[Sam Johnson (activist)|Sam Johnson]] to be her running mate, with a view of Johnson becoming deputy mayor. The newspaper expressed surprise by this pairing, given that Dalziel was a Labour Party member, and Johnson a member of the [[New Zealand Young Nationals|Young Nats]], the youth arm of the [[New Zealand National Party|National Party]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Dalziel invites Johnson to join mayoral race |url= http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/8574677/Dalziel-seeks-running-mate-in-mayoral-race |accessdateaccess-date=20 April 2013 |work=[[The Press]] |date=20 April 2013 |location=[[Christchurch]] |page=A1<!-- Note that the online version of this article is somewhat different -->}}</ref> Saying that: "It was a really difficult decision to make, but I don't think it is the right thing for me right now", Johnson eventually decided against running.<ref>{{cite news| url= http://www.3news.co.nz/Student-Army-head-wont-run-for-mayor/tabid/423/articleID/295115/Default.aspx |work=3 News NZ |title= Student Army head won't run for mayor| date=22 April 2013}}</ref> On 19 June, Dalziel formally confirmed that she would contest the mayoralty, also announcing that she would resign from Parliament, which would trigger a [[2013 Christchurch East by-election|by-election in the Christchurch East electorate]].<ref name=Heavyweights>{{cite news |last=Cairns |first=Lois |title=Heavyweights fight for city |url= http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/8811913/Heavyweights-fight-for-City |accessdateaccess-date=19 June 2013 |work=[[The Press]] |date=19 June 2013 |page=A1}}</ref><ref name="enters mayoralty race">{{cite news |last=Cairns |first=Lois |title=Dalziel formally enters mayoralty race |url= http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/local-elections-2013/8940226/Dalziel-formally-enters-mayoralty-race |accessdateaccess-date=26 August 2013 |work=[[The Press]] |date=19 July 2013}}</ref> Dalziel delivered her resignation letter on 17 September and delivered her valedictory speech the following day with her resignation taking effect on Friday, 11 October; the day before the [[2013 New Zealand local elections|local body election]]<ref>{{cite news |last=Conway |first=Glenn |title=Dalziel officially resigns from Parliament |url= http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/local-elections-2013/9175441/Dalziel-officially-resigns-from-Parliament |accessdateaccess-date=17 September 2013 |work=[[The Press]] |date=17 September 2013 }}</ref> so that the by-election campaign did not interfere with the local body election.<ref name="enters mayoralty race" /> In a later interview, Dalziel confirmed that she would have left Parliament even if Shearer had put her onto the [[Frontbench team of David Shearer|front bench]].<ref name="Point of Principle" />

Although some expressed concerns about Dalziel's Labour Party background, including [[Christchurch Central City|central city]] property developer [[Antony Gough]], who talked of her "red apron strings" getting in the way of working with local business owners,<ref name="Point of Principle" /> she also nevertheless open support from the political right for her mayoral ambitions:<ref name="Point of Principle" /> [[Christchurch City Council]]lor Tim Carter, son of Christchurch property developer Philip Carter and nephew of [[Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives|Speaker]] [[David Carter (politician)|David Carter]], encouraged her to stand for the mayoralty;<ref>{{cite news |last=Cairns |first=Lois |url= http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/8593994/Tim-Carter-out-backs-Lianne-Dalziel |title=Carter out, backs Dalziel<!-- this is the title in the printed version; the online title is slightly longer --> |work=[[The Press]] |date=25 April 2013 |location=[[Christchurch]] |page=A1}}</ref> former [[New Zealand National Party|National Party]] cabinet minister [[Philip Burdon]] was one of her nominees when she lodged her nomination for the mayoralty with the returning officer;<ref>{{cite news |last=Cairns |first=Lois |title=Dalziel formally enters mayoralty race |url= http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/local-elections-2013/8940226/Dalziel-formally-enters-mayoralty-race |accessdateaccess-date=30 September 2013 |work=[[The Press]] |date=19 July 2013}}</ref> and blogger [[Cameron Slater]], by many considered a "conduit for factions of the National Party"<ref name="Point of Principle" /> wrote:<ref name="Point of Principle" /><ref>{{cite web |authorlinkauthor-link=Cameron Slater |last=Slater |first=Cameron |title=Onya Lianne |url= http://www.whaleoil.co.nz/2013/06/onya-lianne/#axzz2gOzc0pIC |publisher=Whale Oil Beef Hooked |accessdateaccess-date=30 September 2013 |date=18 June 2013}}</ref>

Dalziel's Earthquake Recovery portfolio in Labour's shadow cabinet was split and given to [[Ruth Dyson]] and [[Clayton Cosgrove]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Cairns |first=Lois |title=Two MPs to take over Dalziel's portfolio |url= http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/8907042/Two-MPs-to-take-over-Dalziels-portfolio |accessdateaccess-date=23 August 2013 |work=[[Stuff.co.nz]] |date=11 July 2013}}</ref>

Dalziel was elected [[Mayor of Christchurch]] in the [[2013 Christchurch mayoral election|October 2013 mayoral election]], with a margin of almost 50,000 votes over the next candidate, businessman Paul Lonsdale.<ref>{{cite press release |title=Elections 2013: Final declaration of results |url=http://ccc.govt.nz/thecouncil/newsmedia/mediareleases/2013/201310181.aspx |publisher=[[Christchurch City Council]] |accessdateaccess-date=20 October 2013 |date=18 October 2013 |url-status=dead |archiveurlarchive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131022215008/http://ccc.govt.nz/thecouncil/newsmedia/mediareleases/2013/201310181.aspx |archivedatearchive-date=22 October 2013}}</ref> She was sworn in on 24 October,<ref>{{cite news |last=Cairns |first=Lois |title=Dalziel chained into office |url= http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/local-elections-2013/9325054/Dalziel-chained-into-office |accessdateaccess-date=26 October 2013 |work=[[The Press]] |date=25 October 2013 |page=A2}}</ref> with a past mayor, [[Vicki Buck]] as her deputy.<ref>[http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/local-body-elections/9312098/Vicki-Buck-named-deputy-mayor Vicki Buck named deputy mayor]. ''Fairfax NZ News''. 22 October 2013.</ref> At the [[2019 Christchurch mayoral election|2019 local election]], she won the mayoralty for a third time.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Law |first1=Tina |title=Christchurch mayor Lianne Dalziel holds on for third term |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/local-body-elections/116524121/christchurch-mayor-lianne-dalziel-holds-on-for-another-term?rm=a |accessdateaccess-date=14 October 2019 |work=[[Stuff.co.nz]] |date=12 October 2019}}</ref>

Dalziel married Mike Pannell in 1988. The pair divorced in 1995 and indicated that the stress of parliamentary life was a major factor in the decision to separate.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Marriage victim of politics |date=9 May 1995 |work=[[The New Zealand Herald]] |page=5 }}</ref> In 2000, DalziellDalziel married Christchurch lawyer Rob Davidson. He died of [[prostate cancer]] in August 20002020, aged 69 years.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/122376934/christchurch-mayors-husband-rob-davidson-dies-after-battle-with-cancer |title=Christchurch mayor's husband Rob Davidson dies after battle with cancer |date=7 August 2020 |work=Stuff.co.nz |accessdateaccess-date=7 August 2020}}</ref>

{{s-aft | after = [[Paul Swain (politician)|Paul Swain]]}}

{{S-bef | before = [[Paul Swain (politician)|Paul Swain]]}}

{{S-aft | after = [[Simon Power (politician)|Simon Power]]}}

{{s-ttl | title = [[Mayor of Christchurch]]|years= 2013–present2013–2022}}

[[Category:20th-century New Zealand lawyers]]

[[Category:21st20th-century New Zealand politicians]]