Clayton Cosgrove
Encyclopedia
Clayton James Cosgrove (born 31 October 1969) is a New Zealand politician. He is a member of the Labour Party
.
. He received a BA, in American Studies and Political Science, from the University of Canterbury
in 1992 and received an MBA in 1996. Before entering politics, he worked in the public relations
industry.
since he was fourteen, and has held a number of posts within the party. He was chairman of the party's Canterbury
branch from 1989 to 1994, and served as campaign manager to Labour Party leader Mike Moore in the 1990 election
and the 1993 election
.
He was a strong supporter of Moore, and opposed Moore's replacement by Helen Clark
. Before the 1996 election
he was involved in discussions with Moore to form a new party
but this failed to eventuate.
seat in the 1999 election
, and was successful. He was re-elected in the 2002
, 2005
and 2008
general elections.
Cosgrove was selected to attend the World Economic Forum
's annual conferences in 2001 and 2002, and was appointed to the Forum's task force on global trade liberalisation. He is generally considered to be on the right of the Labour Party.
.
Boy racers attempted to intimidate Cosgrove in a number of ways, including defacing billboards and driving past his house on Saturday nights.
New Zealand has considerable problems with boy racers, leading to many car seizures and a new law being mooted to crush the vehicles of the worst offenders.
New Zealand Labour Party
The New Zealand Labour Party is a New Zealand political party. It describes itself as centre-left and socially progressive and has been one of the two primary parties of New Zealand politics since 1935....
.
Early life
Cosgrove was born in Nelson, New ZealandNelson, New Zealand
Nelson is a city on the eastern shores of Tasman Bay, and is the economic and cultural centre of the Nelson-Tasman region. Established in 1841, it is the second oldest settled city in New Zealand and the oldest in the South Island....
. He received a BA, in American Studies and Political Science, from the University of Canterbury
University of Canterbury
The University of Canterbury , New Zealand's second-oldest university, operates its main campus in the suburb of Ilam in the city of Christchurch, New Zealand...
in 1992 and received an MBA in 1996. Before entering politics, he worked in the public relations
Public relations
Public relations is the actions of a corporation, store, government, individual, etc., in promoting goodwill between itself and the public, the community, employees, customers, etc....
industry.
Labour Party involvement
Cosgove has been a member of the Labour PartyNew Zealand Labour Party
The New Zealand Labour Party is a New Zealand political party. It describes itself as centre-left and socially progressive and has been one of the two primary parties of New Zealand politics since 1935....
since he was fourteen, and has held a number of posts within the party. He was chairman of the party's Canterbury
Canterbury, New Zealand
The New Zealand region of Canterbury is mainly composed of the Canterbury Plains and the surrounding mountains. Its main city, Christchurch, hosts the main office of the Christchurch City Council, the Canterbury Regional Council - called Environment Canterbury - and the University of Canterbury.-...
branch from 1989 to 1994, and served as campaign manager to Labour Party leader Mike Moore in the 1990 election
New Zealand general election, 1990
The 1990 New Zealand general election was held on 27 October to determine the composition of the 43rd New Zealand parliament. The governing Labour Party was defeated, ending its controversial two terms in office...
and the 1993 election
New Zealand general election, 1993
The 1993 New Zealand general election was held on 6 November 1993 to determine the composition of the 44th New Zealand Parliament. It saw the governing National Party, led by Jim Bolger, win a second term in office, despite a major swing back towards the Labour Party. The new Alliance and New...
.
He was a strong supporter of Moore, and opposed Moore's replacement by Helen Clark
Helen Clark
Helen Elizabeth Clark, ONZ is a New Zealand political figure who was the 37th Prime Minister of New Zealand for three consecutive terms from 1999 to 2008...
. Before the 1996 election
New Zealand general election, 1996
The 1996 New Zealand general election was held on 12 October 1996 to determine the composition of the 45th New Zealand Parliament. It was notable for being the first election to be held under the new Mixed Member Proportional electoral system, and produced a parliament considerably more diverse...
he was involved in discussions with Moore to form a new party
New Zealand Democratic Coalition
The New Zealand Democratic Coalition was a proposed moderate political party intended to contest the 1996 General Election. It would have been led by former Prime Minister Mike Moore and was intended to capture the balance of power on election night...
but this failed to eventuate.
Member of Parliament
Cosgrove himself stood for election in Moore's former WaimakaririWaimakariri (New Zealand electorate)
Waimakariri is a New Zealand Parliamentary electorate, formed in 1996 and returning one Member of Parliament to the New Zealand House of Representatives. The current MP for Waimakariri is Clayton Cosgrove of the Labour Party. He has held this position since the 1999 election...
seat in the 1999 election
New Zealand general election, 1999
The 1999 New Zealand general election was held on 27 November 1999 to determine the composition of the 46th New Zealand Parliament. The governing National Party, led by Prime Minister Jenny Shipley, was defeated, being replaced by a coalition of Helen Clark's Labour Party and the smaller Alliance...
, and was successful. He was re-elected in the 2002
New Zealand general election, 2002
The 2002 New Zealand general election was held on 27 July 2002 to determine the composition of the 47th New Zealand Parliament. It saw the reelection of Helen Clark's Labour Party government, as well as the worst-ever performance by the opposition National Party.Arguably the most controversial...
, 2005
New Zealand general election, 2005
The 2005 New Zealand general election held on 17 September 2005 determined the composition of the 48th New Zealand Parliament. No party won a majority in the unicameral House of Representatives, but the Labour Party of Prime Minister Helen Clark secured two more seats than nearest rival, the...
and 2008
New Zealand general election, 2008
The 2008 New Zealand general election was held on 8 November 2008 to determine the composition of the 49th New Zealand parliament. The conservative National Party, headed by its Parliamentary leader John Key, won a plurality of votes and seats, ending 9 years of government dominated by the social...
general elections.
Cabinet minister
He was appointed Minister for Building and Construction, Minister of Statistics, Associate Minister of Finance, Associate Minister of Justice and Associate Minister of Immigration (responsible for individual immigration cases) after the 2005 election. At the October 2007 Cabinet reshuffle, he lost his Building and Construction and Statistics portfolio responsibilities; and was given the Immigration, Sport and Recreation portfolios, and ministerial responsibility for the Rugby World Cup. He retained his roles as Associate Minister of Justice and Finance. Cosgrove lost his ministerial position when Labour was defeated in the 2008 election.Cosgrove was selected to attend the World Economic Forum
World Economic Forum
The World Economic Forum is a Swiss non-profit foundation, based in Cologny, Geneva, best known for its annual meeting in Davos, a mountain resort in Graubünden, in the eastern Alps region of Switzerland....
's annual conferences in 2001 and 2002, and was appointed to the Forum's task force on global trade liberalisation. He is generally considered to be on the right of the Labour Party.
Boy racers
In August 2007 Cosgrove was targeted after raising considerable concerns about "boy racers". Boy racers have caused numerous and significant problems throughout his electorate and Christchurch in general.
Boy racers attempted to intimidate Cosgrove in a number of ways, including defacing billboards and driving past his house on Saturday nights.
New Zealand has considerable problems with boy racers, leading to many car seizures and a new law being mooted to crush the vehicles of the worst offenders.