BILL ENGLISH
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister
Bill English is the Deputy Prime Minister, Deputy Leader of the National Party, Minister of Finance, Minister for Regulatory Reform, and MP for Clutha / Southland. He was first elected to Parliament in 1990 as MP for Wallace, a large rural electorate covering the deep south-west end of New Zealand. Bill was born in Dipton, Southland, and farmed in the area.
He completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree at Otago University, followed by a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in English Literature at Victoria University in Wellington.
Bill held ministerial posts in education, health, revenue and finance and he was leader of the National Party from October 2001 to October 2003.
Bill's wife Mary is a General Practitioner and they have six children, Luke, Thomas, Maria, Rory, Bartholomew and Xavier.
Courtesy of http://www.billenglish.co.nz/
PAULA BENNETT
Minister of local government, Minister of Social Housing, Minister of State Services, Associate Minister of Finance, and Associate Minister of Tourism
Paula lives in Waitakere, West Auckland, and has lived in the City of Sails since 1992. She grew up in Taupo.?Paula raised her daughter single-handedly. She worked in hospitality, secretarial and retail roles. Realising her opportunities were limited without an education, Paula went to Massey University as an adult student. Although she originally studied social work, she ended up with a degree in social policy.?Paula has worked in human resources and recruitment with a variety of clients across various industries, from banking and finance to manufacturing. Her rapid promotion saw her managing an Auckland human resources company before resigning to pursue a career in politics.?
Her mantra? "Self-belief - with a dose of hard work - can make anything possible."?Paula became a National Member of Parliament in September 2005. After three years in Opposition as a list MP, the public of Waitakere - her "Westies" chose her as their electorate MP and representative in Wellington.?Paula is passionate about ensuring a brighter future for all New Zealanders. As the Minister for Social Development, she believes she's been given a great opportunity to affect positive change in people's lives, the lives of their families and their communities.
Courtesy of http://www.paulabennett.co.nz/
STEVEN JOYCE
Minister for Economic Development, Regulatory Reform, Minister of Science and Innovation, Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment, Minister Responsible for Novo Pay, Associate Finance Minister
After completing a zoology degree at Massey University, Steven started his first radio station, Energy FM, in his home town of New Plymouth, aged 21. Along with two business partners, he built up RadioWorks over 17 years until, as a listed public company, it consisted of 22 local radio stations and four national radio networks with 650 staff in twenty branches around New Zealand. Along the way he developed nationwide music brands The Edge and The Rock.?In 2000 RadioWorks was purchased by
Canadian company Canwest. Steven retired as Managing Director in April 2001 on his 38th birthday.?Steven then entered politics, chairing the National Party's three person Campaign Review after the 2002 election, and a full reorganisation of the Party in April 2003. He then took on the role of being the Party's first General Manager, and managed the 2005 election campaign for the Party.?
He retained an involvement in the business sector, serving as a director and then Chief Executive of Jasons Travel Media, and as a director and then Chairman of Taranaki-based hospital bed manufacturing and export company Howard Wright.?Steven chaired the National Party's successful 2008 national election campaign and was elected as a list MP at the same election. He was appointed directly to cabinet as Minister of Transport and Minister of ICT and associate Minister of Finance.
Major projects in that first term included the Roads of National Significance, the Kiwirail turnaround, the Ultra-fast Broadband and Rural Broadband packages, and a series of road safety initiatives that helped reduce New Zealand's road toll.?In early 2010 Steven was also appointed Minister of Tertiary Education, where he has led changes to improve results and performance across the tertiary sector, re-launched apprenticeships and industry training, and put an increased emphasis on relevant skills for employers.?After chairing the 2011 election campaign for National, Steven was given responsibility for Economic Development, Science and Innovation, and Skills and Employment while retaining tertiary education. In those roles he has led the Government's Business Growth Agenda, and developed projects as diverse as the National Science Challenges, Callaghan Innovation, the NZ International Convention Centre, and international education marketer, Education New Zealand.?
Steven spends any spare time he has developing his seven acre lifestyle property at Albany, north of Auckland, where he lives with his young family, Gemma the Retrodoodle, and assorted ducks, geese and wild rabbits.
Courtesy of http://www.stevenjoyce.co.nz/
SAM LOTU-IIGA
Minister of Corrections, Minister of Ethnic Communities, Minister for Pacific Peoples, Associate Minister of Health
Peseta Sam was born in Apia, Samoa and moved to New Zealand with his family when he was a child. He grew up in Mangere and was educated at Mangere Central School and Auckland Grammar School. He graduated from the University of Auckland with a Masters in Commerce (Hons), Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Law degrees.?
After graduating, he joined Russell McVeagh McKenzie Bartleet & Co. as a solicitor, working in the area of corporate and commercial law. He later moved to England, where he worked for Bankers Trust as a financial analyst. While in England he graduated with an MBA from the University of Cambridge (Queens College). He has worked as an executive consultant with Macquarie Bank in Sydney before returning to New Zealand to work as a management consultant and advisor.?
In 2008, Peseta Sam was elected as the MP for Maungakiekie and has held the seat since. He is an active leader in the Pacific community and holds the high chief (alii) title of Peseta. Locally, Sam is patron of the Maungarei Cadets, the Dolphin Theatre and the Onehunga Bowling Club. He is an active member of the Royal Oak Baptist Church and belongs to the Rotary Club of Penrose.
?Prior to parliament, Peseta Sam was elected to the Tamaki-Maungakiekie seat on the Auckland City Council and was appointed Chairman of the City Development Committee. In January 2014, he was appointed as Minister of Pacific Island Affairs and Associate Minister of Local Government. ?Peseta Sam is currently the Minister of Corrections, Minister for Ethnic Communities and Minister for Pacific Peoples (formally Minister of Pacific Island Affairs). He is also the Associate Minister of Health.?Peseta Sam lives in Onehunga with his wife Jules and daughter Hope.
Courtesy of http://www.lotu-iiga.com/
NIKKI KAYE
Minister for ACC, Minister for Civil Defence, Minister for Youth, Associate Minister for Education
Nikki Kaye was elected as the Member of Parliament for the Auckland Central electorate in 2008, winning the seat for the National Party for the first time in New Zealand’s history. She was re-elected as the MP for Auckland Central in the 2011 election. Following her re-election in 2011, Nikki held the role of Chair of the Education and Science select committee. In April 2012 she successfully called for a Parliamentary inquiry into Digital literacy and 21st century learning environments, the select committee reported back to Parliament in December 2012.
In January 2013, Nikki was promoted to the National Government’s Cabinet and given responsibility for Ministerial portfolios of Food Safety, Civil Defence and Youth Affairs. She was also made Associate Minister of both Immigration and Education. Nikki is proud to have been given these portfolios and to have been promoted into Cabinet.
While assuming this additional responsibility, she remains determined to be a strong voice for Auckland Central. She has established a track record for being very active in her electorate, having handled more than 11000 constituency cases between 2008 and 2012. Since being elected as a Member of Parliament, Nikki has been a strong advocate for environmental and local government issues and has delivered a number of projects locally in Auckland central. She was an integral member of the Select Committee that reformed Auckland’s Local Government system.
Prior to entering Parliament as an electorate MP, Nikki worked in both the public and private sector. She has held roles in the United Kingdom at the Halifax Bank of Scotland, Transport for London, and in Social Services. She also worked as a researcher in the Office of the Leader of the Opposition in New Zealand while still studying at university.
Nikki was born and educated in Auckland. She attended Corran School where she was Head Prefect. She gained a Bachelor of Science from the University of Otago, majoring in Genetics. She has also completed a Bachelor of Laws in 2009. Nikki’s interests include reading and films, and she is a keen participant in sporting events, she has completed several marathons and the Coast to Coast in both 2008 and 2013 – a 240km multi-sport race from the West Coast to the East Coast of New Zealand’s South Island.
Courtesy of http://www.nikkikaye.co.nz/
The other ministers and their ministries that are not mentioned here, hold equal importance. The names cited in this article are a random selection by the editorial team.