Jonathan Hunt (New Zealand politician)

Jonathan Lucas Hunt ONZ PC (born 2 December 1938) is a New Zealand politician, and was New Zealand's High Commissioner to the United Kingdom from 2005 to March 2008.[1] He formerly served as Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives. He is a member of the Labour Party, and was until recently the longest-serving MP in Parliament. Hunt is a member of the Order of New Zealand, New Zealand's highest civilian honour. Hunt was given the nickname the "Minister for Wine and Cheese" after his well-known liking of the combo.[2]


Jonathan Hunt

Jonathan Hunt in 2006, in the penthouse in New Zealand House, London
26th Speaker of the House of Representatives
In office
20 December 1999  3 March 2005
Prime MinisterHelen Clark
Preceded byDoug Kidd
Succeeded byMargaret Wilson
3rd Leader of the House
In office
24 August 1987  2 November 1990
Prime MinisterDavid Lange
Geoffrey Palmer
Mike Moore
Preceded byGeoffrey Palmer
Succeeded byPaul East
16th Minister of Housing
In office
14 August 1989  2 November 1990
Prime MinisterGeoffrey Palmer
Mike Moore
Preceded byHelen Clark
Succeeded byJohn Luxton
50th Postmaster-General
In office
26 July 1984  24 August 1987
Prime MinisterDavid Lange
Preceded byRob Talbot
Succeeded byRichard Prebble
Member of the New Zealand Parliament
for New Lynn
In office
26 November 1966  12 October 1996
Preceded byRex Mason
Succeeded byPhil Goff
Personal details
Born
Jonathan Lucas Hunt

(1938-12-02) 2 December 1938
Lower Hutt, New Zealand
NationalityNew Zealand
Political partyLabour
ProfessionHigh school teacher

Early life

Hunt was born in Lower Hutt, but grew up in Palmerston North. He had a twin brother, David, who died four days after they were born.[2] Hunt's father was a child welfare officer, reassigned to the Manawatu in 1942. Hunt was educated at Palmerston North Boys' High School and later Auckland Grammar School, later he enrolled at the University of Auckland, where he gained a BA (Hons) degree in history.[3]

In 1958 Hunt was elected editor of the Auckland University Students' Association's (AUSA) Craccum magazine for the 1959 year. While at University Hunt is also credited with founding the Princes Street Labour branch.

After graduating, Hunt became a History, English and Latin teacher from 1961 to 1966 at Kelston Boys High School in West Auckland where he also coached cricket.[2] He was then a university tutor. Hunt also has a long-standing relationship with the Department of Political Studies at the University, which for many years has collected and archived Hunt's personal and professional papers.

Member of Parliament

New Zealand Parliament
Years Term Electorate List Party
19661969 35th New Lynn Labour
19691972 36th New Lynn Labour
19721975 37th New Lynn Labour
19751978 38th New Lynn Labour
19781981 39th New Lynn Labour
19811984 40th New Lynn Labour
19841987 41st New Lynn Labour
19871990 42nd New Lynn Labour
19901993 43rd New Lynn Labour
19931996 44th New Lynn Labour
19961999 45th List 7 Labour
19992002 46th List 6 Labour
20022005 47th List 3 Labour

In 1966, Hunt was elected to Parliament in Auckland's New Lynn electorate replacing the retiring Rex Mason, whom Hunt was to later write a biography of in the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography.[4] He remained MP for New Lynn until 1996, when he became a list MP after losing in Tamaki to National's Clem Simich. Hunt was returned twice more as a list MP; losing Waitakere to National's Brian Neeson in the 1999 election, and as a list-only candidate in the 2002 election.

In mid-January 1970, United States Vice President Spiro Agnew visited Wellington. Hunt along with several other Labour Members of Parliament including Bob Tizard, Arthur Faulkner, and Martyn Finlay boycotted the state dinner to protest American policy in Vietnam. However, other Labour MPs including Opposition Leader Norman Kirk attended the function which dealt with the Nixon Doctrine.[5]

Hunt was appointed junior government whip upon Labour's victory in 1972 election.[6] He was later promoted further in 1974 by Prime Minister Bill Rowling to the position of Chairman of Committees.[7]

Cabinet Minister

During the Fourth Labour Government he served as Minister of Telecommunications and Broadcasting, Minister of Tourism, Minister of Housing, and Postmaster-General.[2] In 1989, Prime Minister Geoffrey Palmer nominated Hunt a member of the Privy Council in recognition of his long service.

Upon the retirement of Sir Robert Muldoon, Hunt was the longest-serving member of Parliament between 1991 and 2005, earning him the unofficial title of 'Father of the House'.

Speaker of the House of Representatives

Hunt (right) and Australian cricket captain Allan Border in 1986.

He was elected Speaker unopposed when the fifth Labour government came to power in 1999. Hunt had previously served as Chairman of Committees from 1974 to 1975 which had since been rebranded as the Deputy-Speaker. Hunt became the eighth Chairman of Committees to later serve as Speaker. He retained his position following the election in 2002 serving in total as Speaker for six years from 1999–2005.[2]

High Commissioner to the United Kingdom

In December 2004, it was announced that he would retire from politics and replace Russell Marshall as New Zealand High Commissioner in London, a move that had long been anticipated. He was replaced as Speaker by Margaret Wilson on 3 March 2005, and left Parliament on 30 March. As a list MP, his vacant parliamentary seat was filled by the next available candidate on the Labour Party list, Lesley Soper.

Some controversy arose in mid-2005, when recently after he arrived in London, Hunt was told publicly by the New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark that he could not apply for the U.K pension as it was not appropriate given his position of New Zealand High Commissioner and the fact that he was already collecting a New Zealand parliamentary pension.[8]

On 21 November 2007 the New Zealand Foreign Minister, Winston Peters, announced that the next High Commissioner to London would be Derek Leask from March 2008.[9]

Personal life

Hunt has never been married and has no children. He is the patron of the University of Auckland Debating Society.[10]

Honours

In the 2005 New Year Honours, Hunt was appointed as a Member of the Order of New Zealand.[11]

Documentary

Hunt was also the subject of a documentary, "Father of the House", directed by Simon Burgin and Xavier Forde, which was filmed in Wellington in 2005. The film was a finalist in the DocNZ film festival in the same year. It has also been regularly screened on the Documentary Channel on Sky Television since 2006.

Notes

  1. New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade web site
  2. "More than just wine and cheese". Stuff.co.nz. 18 April 2008. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
  3. Hill, Alan (12 November 1969). "Labour Seems Entrenched in the West". The New Zealand Herald. p. 16.
  4. Hunt, Jonathan. "Mason, Henry Greathead Rex". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 17 July 2013.
  5. Rabel, Roberto (2005). New Zealand and the Vietnam War: Politics and Diplomacy. Auckland: Auckland University Press. pp. 299–300. ISBN 1-86940-340-1.
  6. Wilson 1985, pp. 279–80.
  7. Wilson 1985, pp. 251–252.
  8. "Hunt not allowed British pension". Television New Zealand. 3 May 2005. Retrieved 8 October 2011.
  9. New Zealand High Commission web site
  10. "UoA Debating Society". Debating.co.nz. Retrieved 27 March 2017.
  11. "New Year honours list 2005". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 31 December 2004. Retrieved 3 September 2018.

References

  • Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First ed. published 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103.
New Zealand Parliament
Preceded by
Rex Mason
Member of Parliament for New Lynn
1966–1996
Succeeded by
Phil Goff
Political offices
Preceded by
Ron Bailey
Chairman of Committees of the House of Representatives
19741975
Succeeded by
Richard Harrison
Preceded by
Helen Clark
Postmaster-General
1984–1987
Succeeded by
Richard Prebble
Preceded by
Ian Shearer
Minister of Broadcasting
1984–1987

1988–1990
Preceded by
Richard Prebble
Succeeded by
Maurice Williamson
Preceded by
Geoffrey Palmer
Leader of the House
1988–1989
Succeeded by
Paul East
Preceded by
Phil Goff
Minister of Tourism
1988–1989
Succeeded by
Fran Wilde
Preceded by
Rob Talbot
Minister of Housing
1989–1990
Succeeded by
John Luxton
Preceded by
Doug Kidd
Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives
1999–2005
Succeeded by
Margaret Wilson
Party political offices
Preceded by
Russell Marshall
Senior Whip of the Labour Party
1980–1984

1990–1996
Succeeded by
Michael Cullen
Preceded by
Trevor Mallard
Succeeded by
Mark Burton
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by
Russell Marshall
High Commissioner of New Zealand to the United Kingdom
2005–2008
Succeeded by
Derek Leask
Honorary titles
Preceded by
Robert Muldoon
Father of the House
1991–2005
Succeeded by
Helen Clark
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