Jacqui Dean
Encyclopedia
Jacqueline Isobel Dean (born 13 May 1957 in Palmerston North
) is a New Zealand
politician and the current Member of Parliament
for the Waitaki electorate
.
, a children's television programme, but has also acted on stage and been a radio announcer. She has also worked in the education sector.
Early in Dean's political career, she served on the Waitaki District Council, representing the Oamaru
ward. She also unsuccessfully contested the mayoralty.
, she was the National Party
's successful candidate for the Otago seat, a traditional National stronghold which had unexpectedly been taken by the Labour Party
's David Parker
. Dean has campaigned on water issues, saying in her maiden speech to parliament that she believed water to be the "single most important issue facing New Zealand today".
She is currently a member of the Local Government and Environment Committee. Her official roles are Spokesperson, Archives New Zealand and Associate Spokesperson, Environment and RMA. She has no official role on drug issues, though many of her press releases focus on drug use.
", namely Benzylpiperazine
(BZP), over which Associate Health Minister Jim Anderton (Progressive party) has accused her of indulging in political grandstanding, saying - "Perhaps Mrs Dean doesn't subscribe to the idea that any Government must balance the need to act promptly with its responsibilities to act fairly and follow due process, particularly where its actions affect those who are currently acting within existing legal constraints." Dean's press releases refer to BZP as either "cattle drench" or a "worming agent". BZP was developed for this use, but has never been commercially used as a wormer or drench.http://www.emcdda.europa.eu/html.cfm/index875EN.html Evidence that Dean has used to promote the BZP ban (such as the MRINZ report on BZP) has been criticized as consisting of flawed research which does not meet peer review requirements.
, saying - "Salvia divinorum is a hallucinogenic drug, which has been banned in Australia, and yet here in New Zealand it continues to be sold freely." and "We’re dealing with a dangerous drug here, with the minister's wait and see approach like playing Russian Roulette with young people's lives." In March 2008 she was reportedly pleased on hearing about plans for action against salvia, but saying she was not hopeful it would be fast, given that it had taken the Government two and a-half years to move on BZP. Her concern about salvia was that people were self-medicating with it and combining it with other drugs including alcohol. "I don’t think we understand the long-term effects of Salvia divinorum." she said.
Opponents of prohibitive Salvia restrictions argue that such reactions are largely due to an inherent prejudice and a particular cultural bias rather than any actual balance of evidence, pointing out inconsistencies in attitudes toward other more toxic and addictive drugs such as alcohol and nicotine.[i] While not objecting to some form of regulatory legal control, in particular with regard to the sale to minors or sale of enhanced high-strength extracts, most Salvia proponents otherwise argue against stricter legislation.[ii]
MP Tariana Turia
, on why she was unwilling to take the same prohibitory line on smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol
as she took on BZP, Ms Dean said - "Alcohol and tobacco have been with our society for many, many years." It is estimated that alcohol-related conditions account for 3.1% of all male deaths and 1.41% of all female deaths in New Zealand.
Dean's Otago electorate is also home to approximately 5% of New Zealand's wine production, described by the New Zealand Wine Growers Association as a new but aggressively expanding wine area, which is now New Zealand's seventh largest wine region.
members based loosely around the well known Dihydrogen monoxide hoax
, she sent a letter to Associate Health Minister Jim Anderton, asking if there were any plans to ban "Dihydrogen Monoxide", apparently not realizing that this is water.
In September 2007, the Social Tonics Association of New Zealand (STANZ) called for Jacqui Dean to step down from speaking on drug issues after she demonstrated - "a lack of credibility in calling for the ban of dihydrogen monoxide (water.)" STANZ Chairman Matt Bowden said - "The DHMO hoax played on the member this week is not a joke, it highlights a serious issue at the heart of drug policy making. Ms Dean demonstrated a ‘ban anything moderately harmful’ reflex. This approach is just downright dangerous." - "Jacqui Dean has clearly demonstrated a lack of credibility in her requests to the Minister to consider banning water; She has also seriously embarrassed her National Party colleagues who can no longer have confidence in her petitions to ban BZP or anything else."
When interviewed on the radio by Marcus Lush on September 14, 2007, she referred to the members of ACT on Campus
as "left wingers". She also suggested that there were no lessons to be learned from her attempts to call for a ban on water.
Palmerston North
Palmerston North is the main city of the Manawatu-Wanganui region of the North Island of New Zealand. It is an inland city with a population of and is the country's seventh largest city and eighth largest urban area. Palmerston North is located in the eastern Manawatu Plains near the north bank...
) is a New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
politician and the current Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for the Waitaki electorate
Waitaki (New Zealand electorate)
Waitaki is an electorate for the New Zealand House of Representatives that crosses the boundary of North Otago and South Canterbury towns on the East Coast of the South Island. The electorate was first established for the that determined the 5th New Zealand Parliament...
.
Early career
Dean has worked in a number of roles, including professional acting. She is perhaps best known as a former host of Play SchoolPlay School (New Zealand TV series)
Play School was a New Zealand educational television show for children. It was based on the British Play School show.It was first broadcast in New Zealand during the 1970s originally screened twice a day at around 10am and then 2:30pm. Playschool was filmed from the TVNZ studio that was in Dunedin...
, a children's television programme, but has also acted on stage and been a radio announcer. She has also worked in the education sector.
Early in Dean's political career, she served on the Waitaki District Council, representing the Oamaru
Oamaru
Oamaru , the largest town in North Otago, in the South Island of New Zealand, is the main town in the Waitaki District. It is 80 kilometres south of Timaru and 120 kilometres north of Dunedin, on the Pacific coast, and State Highway 1 and the railway Main South Line connects it to both...
ward. She also unsuccessfully contested the mayoralty.
Member of Parliament
In the 2005 electionNew 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...
, she was the National Party
New Zealand National Party
The New Zealand National Party is the largest party in the New Zealand House of Representatives and in November 2008 formed a minority government with support from three minor parties.-Policies:...
's successful candidate for the Otago seat, a traditional National stronghold which had unexpectedly been taken by the Labour Party
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....
's David Parker
David Parker (New Zealand)
David William Parker , a New Zealand politician, served as Minister of State Services, Minister of Energy, Minister for Land Information and Minister Responsible for Climate Change Issues in the Fifth Labour Government of New Zealand....
. Dean has campaigned on water issues, saying in her maiden speech to parliament that she believed water to be the "single most important issue facing New Zealand today".
She is currently a member of the Local Government and Environment Committee. Her official roles are Spokesperson, Archives New Zealand and Associate Spokesperson, Environment and RMA. She has no official role on drug issues, though many of her press releases focus on drug use.
Drug policy
Jacqui Dean speaks for New Zealand National Party on drug issues, although she has no official role in this capacity. She has been criticised in this role for indulging in political grandstanding rather than the evidence based policy required by the Misuse of Drugs Act.'Party pills'
Jacqui Dean campaigned for the banning of the sale of "party pillsParty pills
Party pills, also known as "herbal highs", "pep pills" "dance pills" and "natural power", is a colloquialism for a type of recreational drug whose main ingredient was originally benzylpiperazine , but has now expanded to a wide range of compounds with a variety of effects...
", namely Benzylpiperazine
Benzylpiperazine
Benzylpiperazine is a recreational drug with euphoric, stimulant properties. The effects produced by BZP are comparable to those produced by amphetamine. Adverse effects have been reported following its use including acute psychosis, renal toxicity, and seizures...
(BZP), over which Associate Health Minister Jim Anderton (Progressive party) has accused her of indulging in political grandstanding, saying - "Perhaps Mrs Dean doesn't subscribe to the idea that any Government must balance the need to act promptly with its responsibilities to act fairly and follow due process, particularly where its actions affect those who are currently acting within existing legal constraints." Dean's press releases refer to BZP as either "cattle drench" or a "worming agent". BZP was developed for this use, but has never been commercially used as a wormer or drench.http://www.emcdda.europa.eu/html.cfm/index875EN.html Evidence that Dean has used to promote the BZP ban (such as the MRINZ report on BZP) has been criticized as consisting of flawed research which does not meet peer review requirements.
Salvia divinorum
In November 2007 Jacqui Dean called for the government to take action against Salvia divinorumSalvia divinorum
Salvia divinorum is a psychoactive plant which can induce dissociative effects and is a potent producer of "visions" and other hallucinatory experiences...
, saying - "Salvia divinorum is a hallucinogenic drug, which has been banned in Australia, and yet here in New Zealand it continues to be sold freely." and "We’re dealing with a dangerous drug here, with the minister's wait and see approach like playing Russian Roulette with young people's lives." In March 2008 she was reportedly pleased on hearing about plans for action against salvia, but saying she was not hopeful it would be fast, given that it had taken the Government two and a-half years to move on BZP. Her concern about salvia was that people were self-medicating with it and combining it with other drugs including alcohol. "I don’t think we understand the long-term effects of Salvia divinorum." she said.
Opponents of prohibitive Salvia restrictions argue that such reactions are largely due to an inherent prejudice and a particular cultural bias rather than any actual balance of evidence, pointing out inconsistencies in attitudes toward other more toxic and addictive drugs such as alcohol and nicotine.[i] While not objecting to some form of regulatory legal control, in particular with regard to the sale to minors or sale of enhanced high-strength extracts, most Salvia proponents otherwise argue against stricter legislation.[ii]
Alcohol and tobacco
When questioned by Maori PartyMaori Party
The Māori Party, a political party in New Zealand, was formed on 7 July 2004. The Party is guided by eight constitutional "kaupapa", or Party objectives. Tariana Turia formed the Māori Party after resigning from the Labour Party where she had been a Cabinet Minister in the Fifth Labour-led...
MP Tariana Turia
Tariana Turia
Tariana Turia is a New Zealand politician. She gained considerable prominence during the foreshore and seabed controversy, and eventually broke with her party as a result...
, on why she was unwilling to take the same prohibitory line on smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol
Alcoholic beverage
An alcoholic beverage is a drink containing ethanol, commonly known as alcohol. Alcoholic beverages are divided into three general classes: beers, wines, and spirits. They are legally consumed in most countries, and over 100 countries have laws regulating their production, sale, and consumption...
as she took on BZP, Ms Dean said - "Alcohol and tobacco have been with our society for many, many years." It is estimated that alcohol-related conditions account for 3.1% of all male deaths and 1.41% of all female deaths in New Zealand.
Dean's Otago electorate is also home to approximately 5% of New Zealand's wine production, described by the New Zealand Wine Growers Association as a new but aggressively expanding wine area, which is now New Zealand's seventh largest wine region.
Dihydrogen monoxide hoax
In August 2007, as a result of emails from ACT on CampusACT on Campus
ACT on Campus is the autonomous youth wing of the ACT Party; a classical liberal political party in New Zealand.- Description :ACT on Campus was first formed in 1996 at the Victoria University of Wellington and was originally called 'Prebble's Rebels' after former ACT Party leader Richard...
members based loosely around the well known Dihydrogen monoxide hoax
Dihydrogen monoxide hoax
In the dihydrogen monoxide hoax, water is called by an unfamiliar name, "dihydrogen monoxide", followed by a listing of real negative effects of this chemical, in an attempt to convince people that it should be carefully regulated, labeled as hazardous, or banned...
, she sent a letter to Associate Health Minister Jim Anderton, asking if there were any plans to ban "Dihydrogen Monoxide", apparently not realizing that this is water.
In September 2007, the Social Tonics Association of New Zealand (STANZ) called for Jacqui Dean to step down from speaking on drug issues after she demonstrated - "a lack of credibility in calling for the ban of dihydrogen monoxide (water.)" STANZ Chairman Matt Bowden said - "The DHMO hoax played on the member this week is not a joke, it highlights a serious issue at the heart of drug policy making. Ms Dean demonstrated a ‘ban anything moderately harmful’ reflex. This approach is just downright dangerous." - "Jacqui Dean has clearly demonstrated a lack of credibility in her requests to the Minister to consider banning water; She has also seriously embarrassed her National Party colleagues who can no longer have confidence in her petitions to ban BZP or anything else."
When interviewed on the radio by Marcus Lush on September 14, 2007, she referred to the members of ACT on Campus
ACT on Campus
ACT on Campus is the autonomous youth wing of the ACT Party; a classical liberal political party in New Zealand.- Description :ACT on Campus was first formed in 1996 at the Victoria University of Wellington and was originally called 'Prebble's Rebels' after former ACT Party leader Richard...
as "left wingers". She also suggested that there were no lessons to be learned from her attempts to call for a ban on water.
General references
External links
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