David Butcher

Butcher was born in Brighton, England, on 19 September 1948, the son of Dorothy May Butcher (née Guppy) and Frank George Butcher.[1] The family migrated to New Zealand, and he attended Karamu High School in Hastings with broadcaster Paul Holmes, and Victoria University of Wellington. While at Victoria, he was President of the Victoria University Labour Club.[2] From 1972 to 1974, he worked as an economist in the Labour Department, Wellington. During 1974–75 he travelled overseas in Asia and Europe. From 1976 until 1978, he was a field officer for the Wellington Clerical Workers' Union and the New Zealand Labourers' Union in Hawke's Bay.

Butcher became a naturalised New Zealand citizen in 1975,[3] and in 1980, Butcher married Mary Georgina Hall.[1]

Butcher stood unsuccessfully for the seat of Hawkes Bay three times, in the 1969 election, 1972 election and 1975 election, before becoming an MP for the seat of Hastings in the 1978 election.[4] He represented the electorate in Parliament until 1990, when he was defeated by Jeff Whittaker, one of a number of losses contributing to the fall of the Fourth Labour Government. In 1983 he was appointed as Labour's spokesperson for State Insurance and the Government Life Office by Labour leader David Lange.[5]

During the Fourth Labour Government, Butcher served as a Cabinet minister, with posts including Minister of Commerce, Minister of Trade and Industry, Postmaster-General and Minister of Energy. In the latter office, Butcher had responsibility for ensuring that privatised utilities operated in a competitive environment, or were subjected to appropriate regulation.

In 1990, Butcher was awarded the New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal.[1]

Since 1990, Butcher has been the manager of David Butcher and Associates (DBA), and has worked on assignments in several countries.[6] In 2000, he was fined $10,000 plus reparations, for fraudulently claiming expenses on airline tickets under a travel rebate scheme for former MPs.[7][8]