Peter Neilson (politician born 1954)

Peter Neilson (born 12 July 1954) is a New Zealand businessman and politician, and a former Labour Party Member of Parliament in the New Zealand House of Representatives.

For the Dunedin politician, see Peter Neilson (politician born 1879).

Early life and career

Neilson was born on 12 July 1954 in Birmingham, England and moved to New Zealand in 1958 with his family. He was educated at Glendowie College and University of Auckland, where he graduated with a bachelor of commerce in 1977. He had one son and one daughter with his wife Megan Clark.[1]

Political career

Neilson joined the Labour Party in 1972 and stood for the Auckland Regional Authority in the 1974 local elections on a Labour ticket. He was later Labour's campaign chairman at the 1977 local elections, chair of the Tamaki electorate committee, Secretary of Labour's Youth Council and Treasurer of the Wellington Labour Local Body Committee.[2]

Member of Parliament

New Zealand Parliament
Years	Term	Electorate		Party
1981–1984	40th	Miramar		Labour
1984–1987	41st	Miramar		Labour
1987–1990	42nd	Miramar		Labour

He represented the Wellington electorate of Miramar in Parliament from 1981 to 1990, when he was defeated by Graeme Reeves.[3]

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the construction of New Zealand's first state house located in the Miramar electorate, Neilson and Minister of Housing, Helen Clark, carried a coffee table through the same door that former Prime Minister Michael Joseph Savage had done 50 years before. The stunt was referred to as an act of "overt symbolism".[4]

Cabinet Minister

In 1984 Neilson was appointed a Parliamentary Under-Secretary to Minister of Trade and Industry during Fourth Labour Government of New Zealand.[5] In Labour's second term Neilson was a member of the New Zealand Cabinet from 1987 to 1990. He was Minister of Revenue, Customs, Works and Development and Associate Minister for State‑Owned Enterprises and Finance.[6]

Later activities

From 2011 until 2016 he was chief executive of the New Zealand Financial Services Council.[7]. He is currently the Chairperson of the Simplicity Charitable Trust, which manages a KiwiSaver scheme in New Zealand.[8] He is also a board member for the National Foundation for Deaf & Hard of Hearing.[9]

Neilson made a return to politics and is a Labour Party candidate in the Manurewa-Papakura Ward for the Auckland Council at the upcoming 2019 Auckland local elections.[10]

Notes

1. Who's Who 1987, p. 78. sfn error: no target: CITEREFWho's_Who1987 (help)
2. Who's Who 1987, pp. 78–79. sfn error: no target: CITEREFWho's_Who1987 (help)
3. Wilson 1985, pp. 223.
4. "The first state house". Retrieved 2 November 2017.
5. Wilson 1985, pp. 98.
6. "Business Council for Sustainable Development – Peter Neilson". Retrieved 17 June 2012.
7. Edmunds, Susan (15 February 2016). "Former politician stands down from financial services industry body". Retrieved 2 November 2017.
8. "Simplicity KiwiSaver Low Cost Index Funds".
9. "National Foundation for Deaf & Hard of Hearing".
10. "Labour's Manurewa-Papakura Auckland Council Candidates". Scoop.co.nz. 20 June 2019. Retrieved 6 September 2019.

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.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Who's Who in the New Zealand Parliament 1987. Wellington: Parliamentary Service. 1987.

Political offices
Preceded by Margaret Shields	Minister of Customs 1989–1990	Succeeded by Wyatt Creech
Preceded by David Caygill	Minister of Revenue 1990
Preceded by Bill Jeffries	Minister of Works 1990	Succeeded by Doug Kidd
New Zealand Parliament
Preceded by Bill Young	Member of Parliament for Miramar 1981–1990	Succeeded by Graeme Reeves