Warren Cooper

Warren Ernest Cooper CNZM JP (born 21 February 1933) is a former New Zealand politician. He was a National Party MP from 1975 to 1996, holding cabinet positions including Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Defence.[1] Cooper also twice served as Mayor of Queenstown, from 1968 to 1975 and 1995 to 2001.[2]

The Honourable

Warren Cooper

CNZM JP
Warren Cooper as Minister of Foreign Affairs, during a meeting with Caspar Weinberger at the Pentagon in 1983
31st Minister of Defence
In office
2 November 1990 – 1 March 1996
Prime MinisterJim Bolger
Preceded byPeter Tapsell
Succeeded byPaul East
Personal details
Born (1933-02-21) 21 February 1933
Political partyNational

Early life

Cooper was born in Dunedin in 1933.[3] He received his education at Musselburgh School and King's High School. He later moved to Queenstown. He worked as a retailer, a painting, decorating and signwriting contractor, and a motel manager, and also became involved in local politics.[4]

Member of Parliament
New Zealand Parliament
Years Term Electorate Party
1975–1978 38th Otago Central National
1978–1981 39th Otago National
1981–1984 40th Otago National
1984–1987 41st Otago National
1987–1990 42nd Otago National
1990–1993 43rd Otago National
1993–1996 44th Otago National

He was first elected to Parliament in the 1975 election as MP for Otago Central,[5] defeating the newly elected Ian Quigley of the Labour Party.[6] In the 1978 election, he successfully contested the replacement electorate Otago.[5]

Just after the 1978 election, his ministerial career started. He was Minister of Tourism (1978–1981), Minister of Regional Development (1978–1981), Postmaster-General (1980–1981), and Minister of Broadcasting (1981).[7] When Brian Talboys retired from Parliament in 1981, Cooper was appointed to replace him as Minister of Foreign Affairs; he held this position until the government of Robert Muldoon was defeated in 1984.[7] Later, in the government of Jim Bolger, Cooper served as Minister of Defence. Cooper remained in Parliament until the 1996 election, when he stepped aside in favour of Gavan Herlihy.

Mayor

Cooper was Mayor of Queenstown Borough from 1968 to 1975, and Mayor of Queenstown-Lakes from 1995 to 2001.[8] He was involved in a public argument with actor Sam Neill in 2000, over development in Queenstown.[9][10]

Honours and awards

In 1977, Cooper was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal, and in 1990 he received the New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal.[11] In the 1997 New Year Honours, Cooper was appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for public services.[12]

Notes
  1. Trevett, Claire (21 April 2007). "Jim Bolger – regrets and legacies". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 4 July 2009.
  2. McKinnon, Malcolm. "Government and politics – Otago Association and Otago province". Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 4 July 2009.
  3. Lambert, Traue & Taylor 1991, p. 133.
  4. Gustafson 1986, p. 305.
  5. Wilson 1985, p. 190.
  6. Wilson 1985, p. 228.
  7. Wilson 1985, p. 96.
  8. "Past Mayors of the QLDC". Queenstown Lakes District Council. Archived from the original on 2 November 2012. Retrieved 15 November 2010.
  9. "Former mayor and Sam Neill make up". New Zealand Herald. 25 May 2005. Retrieved 4 July 2009.
  10. Pavlova Paradise Revisited: Episode One Part 4
  11. Taylor, Alister; Coddington, Deborah (1994). Honoured by the Queen – New Zealand. Auckland: New Zealand Who's Who Aotearoa. p. 106. ISBN 0-908578-34-2.
  12. "New Year honours list 1997". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 31 December 1996. Retrieved 15 December 2019.

References
  • Gustafson, Barry (1986). The First 50 Years : A History of the New Zealand National Party. Auckland: Reed Methuen. ISBN 0-474-00177-6.
  • Lambert, Max; Traue, James Edward; Taylor, Alister (1991). Who's Who in New Zealand, 1991 (12th ed.). Auckland: Octopus. ISBN 9780790001302. Retrieved 29 July 2015.
  • Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First ed. published 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103.
Political offices
Preceded by
Ben Couch		 Postmaster-General
1980–1981		 Succeeded by
John Falloon
New Zealand Parliament
Preceded by
Ian Quigley		 Member of Parliament for Otago Central
1975–1978		 Constituency abolished
New constituency Member of Parliament for Otago
1978–1996		 Succeeded by
Gavan Herlihy
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