Gareth Hughes (politician)

Gareth Thomas Llewelyn Hughes[1] (born 31 October 1981) is a New Zealand politician and member of the Green Party. He was a member of the New Zealand Parliament for eleven years, from 2010 to 2020. He first took a seat part way through the 49th Parliament as the next person on the Green party list following the retirement of Jeanette Fitzsimons in February 2010.[2] He did not stand for re-election in the 2020 general election.[3]

Gareth Hughes
Hughes in 2010
Member of the New Zealand Parliament
for Green party list
In office
11 February 2010 – 17 October 2020
Preceded byJeanette Fitzsimons
Personal details
Born (1981-10-31) 31 October 1981
Gisborne, New Zealand
Political partyGreen
Spouse(s)Meghan Hughes
ChildrenArlo (b. 2008) and Zoe (b. 2010)
ResidenceDunedin, New Zealand
Websitehttps://www.greens.org.nz/gareth_hughes Green Party Profile

Early life

Hughes grew up in Gisborne,[4] and, after attending Gisborne Boys' High School,[5] studied religious studies, history and politics at Victoria University of Wellington.[6] He became a vegetarian while a student.[7] He worked for Greenpeace in Australia and New Zealand from 2000–2005, and then worked for the Green Party on climate change issues. He is married with two children, Arlo and Zoe.[8]

In May 2004, Hughes was arrested after dressing as Ronald McDonald and chaining himself to the gates of McDonald's New Zealand distribution centre in Wiri, Auckland, protesting against the use of genetically modified chicken feed.[9]

In 2009 Hughes co-ordinated Greenpeace New Zealand's 'Sign On' campaign, which called for stronger action on climate change.[6][10]

Member of Parliament
New Zealand Parliament
Years Term Electorate List Party
2010–2011 49th List 11 Green
2011–2014 50th List 7 Green
2014–2017 51st List 5 Green
2017–2020 52nd List 5 Green

Hughes contested the 2008 election for the Green Party. Placed at 11 on the party list and campaigning mostly for the party vote,[10][11] Hughes finished fourth in the Ōhariu electorate. The party did not poll sufficiently high for Hughes to be elected immediately, but he was declared elected after the retirement of list MP and former co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons.[12][13] Hughes was sworn in as an MP on 16 February 2010.[14] He was the youngest MP in Parliament at the time of his election.[4]

In his maiden speech on 24 February 2010, Hughes declared his support for a New Zealand republic.[15][16] In his first term, Hughes was the Green Party's spokesperson on housing, ICT, libraries and archives, tertiary education, GE, food, oceans,[17] transport,[18] and youth.[6]

Hughes at the Asia Pacific Parliamentary Forum, 2015

In the 2011 general election he stood in the Ōhariu electorate again and was ranked seventh on the Green party list, and was re-elected as a list MP. In the 2014 general election he stood only on the party list, ranked fifth, and was elected for a third time. During this term of Parliament, the male co-leader of the Party, Russel Norman, resigned and Hughes stood for the vacant co-leadership role as the self-described "underdog."[19] Ultimately, the contest was won by first-term MP James Shaw.[20]

Hughes, along with the rest of the Green Party, voted in support of Marriage (Definition of Marriage) Amendment Act 2013, allowing same-sex couples to legally marry in New Zealand.[21]

In November 2016, it was announced that Hughes would be running for the East Coast electorate against National Party MP Anne Tolley. This electorate is the one he was raised in.[22] He was returned to Parliament as the Greens' fifth-ranked and longest serving list MP.[23] When the Greens agreed to support a Labour-New Zealand First coalition Government, Hughes was not appointed to a Ministerial position and instead continued as the party musterer.[24] In 2019, he announced his intention to retire at the next general election.[3] Ahead of his retirement, and for family reasons, he relocated himself to be the Green Party's member of Parliament based in Dunedin.[25]

References
  1. Speaker of the House, Dr Lockwood Smith (16 February 2010). "List Member Vacancy". New Zealand Parliament. Retrieved 26 February 2010.
  2. "Fitzsimons steps down as MP – effective immediately". The New Zealand Herald. 28 January 2010. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
  3. "Gareth Hughes to stand down at next election". RNZ. 17 November 2019. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
  4. Menkes, Emily (5 March 2010). "Introducing NZ's youngest MP". Otago Daily Times. Archived from the original on 8 June 2011. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
  5. "Gareth Hughes – List member, Green Party". Current MPs. New Zealand Parliament. Retrieved 3 November 2010.
  6. "Gareth Hughes". Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand. Retrieved 24 February 2010.
  7. "Meet the Green Party's new MP", Stuff.co.nz, 28 January 2010
  8. "Election08 Green Party Candidates". Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand. www.greens.org.nz. Retrieved 28 January 2010.
  9. "Young blood for Green". New Zealand Press Association. 28 January 2010.
  10. "Young blood for Greens". New Zealand Press Association. Television New Zealand. 28 January 2010. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
  11. "Meet the Green Party's new MP". New Zealand Press Association. Stuff.co.nz. 28 January 2010. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
  12. "New list MP for Green Party". Chief Electoral Office. 12 February 2010. Retrieved 24 February 2010.
  13. Wood, Jackson (11 August 2008). "Politics: Gareth Hughes Interview". Salient. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
  14. "Journals of the House for the week beginning Tuesday, 16 February 2010". New Zealand Parliament. Retrieved 24 February 2010.
  15. "Gareth Hughes: Maiden Speech". voxy.co.nz. 24 February 2010. Retrieved 24 February 2010.
  16. Gareth Hughes (25 February 2010). "Gareth Hughes Maiden Speech" (Press release). Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
  17. "Bethune needs report for his defence, Greens say". New Zealand Press Association. Guide2.co.nz. 11 May 2010. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
  18. "KiwiRail focus off the track, says expert". ONE News and New Zealand Press Association. Television New Zealand. 18 May 2010. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
  19. "Gareth Hughes 'underdog' for Green Party leadership". Stuff. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
  20. "James Shaw named new Greens co-leader". NZ Herald. 30 May 2015. ISSN 1170-0777. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
  21. Harkanwal Singh; Andy Ball (17 April 2013). "Marriage equality bill – How MPs voted". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
  22. Ashton, Andrew (22 November 2016). "Hughes gets Greens light to take on Tolley". The Gisborne Herald.
  23. "Longest-serving Greens MP Gareth Hughes plans to 'reconnect with activist roots' after retirement". TVNZ. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
  24. "Green Party announces ministers". RNZ. 21 October 2017. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
  25. Houlahan, Mike (17 March 2020). "Veteran Greens MP Hughes happy to represent Dunedin". Otago Daily Times Online News. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
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