Paul Eagle

Tahere Paul Eagle[1] (born 10 January 1972) is a New Zealand politician and member of the New Zealand House of Representatives for the Rongotai electorate. He was previously a Wellington City Councillor and Deputy Mayor, and was the first person of Māori descent to enter the office of Deputy Mayor of Wellington.[2]

Paul Eagle

MP
Eagle in 2020
Member of the New Zealand Parliament
for Rongotai
Assumed office
23 September 2017
Preceded byAnnette King
Majority19,207
25th Deputy Mayor of Wellington
In office
26 October 2016 – 27 September 2017
MayorJustin Lester
Preceded byJustin Lester
Succeeded byJill Day
Wellington City Councillor (Southern Ward)
In office
9 October 2010 – 27 September 2017
Serving with David Lee (2013–2017) Bryan Pepperell (2010–2013)
Preceded byCelia Wade-Brown
Succeeded byFleur Fitzsimons
Personal details
Born (1972-01-10) 10 January 1972
Political partyLabour
Alma materUniversity of Auckland
Websitewww.pauleagle.co.nz

Early life and career

Eagle's birth mother put him up for adoption and he was adopted by a Methodist minister and his wife who was a hospital worker.[3] He has kept contact with his birth mother who told Eagle she couldn't keep him due to the lack of a domestic purposes benefit. When Eagle was five, his adoptive father ran for the Mt Eden Borough Council as a candidate for the Labour Party, a race in which he was ultimately unsuccessful.[4] When he was aged 12 the family relocated to Wellington and became socially and politically active and agitated against the 1981 Springbok tour.[3]

Eagle was educated first at Wellington High School and then at St. Patrick's College in Wellington, where he showed an aptitude for art, leading him to study the subject at the Elam School of Fine Arts and the University of Auckland. He later found employment in the desktop publishing design profession.[3]

Before entering local government politics Eagle held several jobs working for the New Zealand Police, Sport New Zealand and the Ministry of Economic Development.[5]

Political career

Eagle, a member of the Labour Party, was first elected to Wellington City Council in 2010, replacing long-time Green Party councillor Celia Wade-Brown who was subsequently elevated to the Mayoralty.[6] Eagle was re-elected in 2013[7] and in 2016 with increased majorities.[8] He was frequently referenced as one of the city's most popular and best-performing councillors.[9] Eagle resigned his seat on the council after his election to parliament, necessitating a by-election in the Southern Ward.[10] The by-election was won by Fleur Fitzsimons of the Labour Party, who received Eagle's endorsement.

Member of Parliament
New Zealand Parliament
Years Term Electorate List Party
2017–2020 52nd Rongotai 34 Labour
2020–present 53rd Rongotai 47 Labour

Upon the announcement that Annette King intended to stand in the 2017 general election as a List MP only, Eagle stated that he had encouragement from local constituents to stand for King's Rongotai seat. However he had not yet decided whether or not to contest the Labour nomination for the electorate.[11] On 20 January 2017, days after Labour leader Andrew Little (who also lives in Island Bay) announced he was not intending to stand in the seat, Eagle confirmed he would allow his name to go forward as a nominee for Labour in Rongotai. He also announced that he had the full backing of Wellington Mayor Justin Lester, and if he was successful in entering Parliament he would step down from the position of Deputy Mayor.[12] On 3 February 2017 Eagle was confirmed as the sole applicant for the Rongotai candidacy and nominated unopposed.[13] Eagle was also ranked 34 on Labour's party list for the election.[14] He won the seat with a 10,900 majority.[15]

During the 2020 general election, Eagle was re-elected in Rongotai by a final margin of 19,207 votes.[16]

Personal life

Eagle lives in Wellington with his wife, who is an environmental scientist, and their adopted son.[3]

References
  1. "Daily progress for Tuesday, 7 November 2017". New Zealand Parliament. Archived from the original on 6 December 2017. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
  2. "Paul Eagle confirmed as Wellington's first Maori deputy mayor". Stuff.co.nz. 13 October 2016. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  3. Murphy, Tim (6 July 2017). "The Sure Things: Paul Eagle". Newsroom. Retrieved 7 July 2017.
  4. "A life-changing experience – Paul Eagle – New Zealand Labour Party". Labour.org.nz. 25 January 2015. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  5. "Wellington City Councillor – HOME". Pauleagle.co.nz. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  6. "Elections – Southern Ward – Wellington City Council". Wellington.govt.nz. 11 February 2014. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  7. "Elections – Southern Ward – Wellington City Council". Wellington.govt.nz. 16 October 2013. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  8. "Elections – Southern Ward – Wellington City Council". Wellington.govt.nz. 13 October 2016. Archived from the original on 26 October 2016. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  9. Emma Beer (5 April 2012). "The good, the bad and the strugglers". Stuff. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  10. McAndrew, Ruby (24 September 2017). "Just when you thought it was safe to relax ... it's back to the polls in Wellington and Hastings". Stuff. Retrieved 25 September 2017.
  11. Tom Hunt (18 December 2016). "Paul Eagle looks at running in Rongotai as Annette King heads for list". Stuff. Archived from the original on 13 April 2019. Retrieved 22 December 2016.
  12. Tom Hunt (20 January 2017). "Paul Eagle confirms he will put his name forward for national politics". Stuff. Archived from the original on 16 May 2019. Retrieved 21 January 2017.
  13. Damian George (5 February 2017). "Wellington deputy mayor Paul Eagle set to win Labour's Rongotai nomination in no-contest". Stuff. Archived from the original on 15 December 2018. Retrieved 5 January 2017.
  14. "Revised Labour Party List for the 2017 Election". Scoop. 15 August 2017. Archived from the original on 18 October 2020. Retrieved 15 August 2017.
  15. "Rongotai - Preliminary Count". Electoral Commission. 23 September 2017. Archived from the original on 17 November 2020. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  16. "Rongotai - Official Result". Electoral Commission. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
New Zealand Parliament
Preceded by
Annette King		 Member of Parliament for Rongotai
2017–present		 Incumbent
Political offices
Preceded by
Justin Lester		 Deputy Mayor of Wellington
2016–2017		 Succeeded by
Jill Day
Preceded by
Celia Wade-Brown		 Wellington City Councillor for Southern Ward
2010–2017		 Succeeded by
Fleur Fitzsimons
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