The Honourable
Brian Donnelly
QSO
Donnelly in 2008
High Commissioner to the Cook Islands
In office
February 2008 – August 2008
Member of the New Zealand Parliament
for New Zealand First party list
In office
12 October 1996 – 14 February 2008
Succeeded byDail Jones[n 1]
Personal details
Born(1949-11-05)5 November 1949
Auckland, New Zealand
Died25 September 2008(2008-09-25) (aged 58)
Sister of Mercy Hospice, Auckland, New Zealand
Political partyNew Zealand First
Spouse(s)Linda Pye
(m. 1970)
Children3
ProfessionTeacher

Brian John Donnelly QSO (5 November 1949 – 25 September 2008) was a New Zealand politician. He was a member of the New Zealand First party.

Early life and career

Donnelly was born in Auckland, New Zealand as the third of five children. His father worked as a fabric cutter and later as a real estate agent.[1] Donnelly attended Sacred Heart College on a scholarship. He studied at Massey University and Auckland University, and received a Bachelor of Arts, a Bachelor of Education, a Master of Educational Administration, a Diploma in Teaching, and a Diploma in Second Language Teaching.[2] He then worked in the education sector in New Zealand and the Cook Islands, which included deputy principal at Titikaveka College in Rarotonga from 1977 to 1980, and principal of Whangarei Intermediate School from 1990 to 1996 (only resigning from the latter on entering parliament).

Member of Parliament

New Zealand Parliament
Years Term Electorate List Party
1996–1999 45th List 6 NZ First
1999–2002 46th List 3 NZ First
2002–2005 47th List 3 NZ First
2005–2008 48th List 3 NZ First

In the 1993 election, he stood for the newly formed New Zealand First in the Whangarei electorate, but was unsuccessful. In the 1996 election, with the advent of the MMP system, Donnelly was ranked third on the New Zealand First list, and entered Parliament. He has retained his third-place position in New Zealand First's list until his retirement.

When New Zealand First formed a coalition with the National Party, Donnelly became Minister Responsible for the Education Review Office, Associate Minister of Education, and Associate Minister of Pacific Island Affairs. When the coalition disintegrated, and New Zealand First itself began to splinter, Donnelly was one of those MPs who remained loyal to the party. He was one of five New Zealand First MPs to avoid the collapse of the party's vote in the 1999 election. After the 2002 election he was appointed chair of Parliament's Education and Science Committee.

Donnelly has been regarded as a social liberal within his caucus, and voted for civil unions in New Zealand as well as Sue Bradford's member's bill to remove the provision allowing parents to use reasonable force in correcting their children. In retaliation, current New Zealand First President Dail Jones threatened demotion of the long-serving List MP, as well as fellow repeal supporter Doug Woolerton. Donnelly was widely respected by Members from other political parties.[1]

In February 2008, Donnelly was appointed as New Zealand's High Commissioner to the Cook Islands, and Dail Jones was sworn in to replace him as a list MP on 15 February 2008. Donnelly was a speaker of Cook Islands Māori, unlike most Foreign Affairs diplomats.

In the 2008 Queen's Birthday Honours, Donnelly was appointed a Companion of the Queen's Service Order, for public services.[3]

Personal life

Donnelly met his wife Linda through teaching and they married in 1970. They had three children, Theresa, Ioane, and Erena.[1]

Illness and death

In August 2008, Donnelly resigned from his position due to ill health.[4] He died on 25 September 2008.[5]

Notes

  1. ↑ Normally, list MPs do not have individual predecessors or successors, but Donnelly resigned during a sitting parliament and therefore was succeeded by Jones.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Brian Donnelly: Politician without enemies". Stuff.co.nz. 2 October 2008. Retrieved 30 October 2012.
  2. ↑ "Obituaries — Hon Brian Donnelly". Hansard, New Zealand Parliament. 23 September 2008. Retrieved 30 October 2012.
  3. ↑ "Queen's Birthday honours list 2008". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 2 June 2008. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  4. ↑ Ill health forces NZ High Commissioner to Cooks to resign, 14 August 2008
  5. ↑ "Ex-NZ First MP dies". The New Zealand Herald. 25 September 2008.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.