Rick Barker
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| Parl. | Electorate | List Pos. | Party |
| 44th | Hastings | n/a | Labour |
| 45th | Tukituki | 28 | Labour |
| 46th | Tukituki | 31 | Labour |
| 47th | Tukituki | 24 | Labour |
| 48th | List | 21 | Labour |
Richard John Barker (born 27 October 1951) is a New Zealand politician. He is a member of the Labour Party, and currently serves as a middle-ranking Cabinet minister at number 13 on the party list.
Contents |
[edit] Early life
Barker was born in the town of Greymouth, on New Zealand's West Coast. He attended Greymouth High School and then the University of Otago. After working as a shop assistant, bartender, storeworker, farmhand, driver, factory worker, and quarrier, he became involved in the trade unions, primarily those relating to the service sector. He eventually became National Secretary of the Service Workers' Union.[1]
[edit] Member of Parliament
Barker became a member of the Labour Party in 1973, and served for a time as the Industrial Representative on the party's National Council. In the 1993 elections, he successfully stood as the Labour Party candidate for the Hastings electorate. He was re-elected in 1996, 1999, and 2002 for the reconfigured seat of Tukituki. In 2005 he lost the seat but remains in Parliament as a list MP.
[edit] Cabinet minister
In 2002, when Labour was re-elected for a second term, Barker was elevated to cabinet, becoming Minister of Customs, Minister for Courts, Associate Minister of Justice, and Associate Minister of Social Services and Employment. During the 2002-2005 term, he was given additional responsibility as Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector and Minister for Small Business.
In 2005, Barker was re-elected to Cabinet, becoming Minister of Internal Affairs, Minister for Courts, Minister of Civil Defence and Minister of Veterans' Affairs.
[edit] References
[edit] Further reading
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- Rick's report: newsletter, Wellington, [N.Z.]: New Zealand Labour Party, n.d.
[edit] External links
[edit] Political offices
| Assembly seats | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Jeff Whitaker |
Member of Parliament for Hastings 1993 – 1996 |
Succeeded by Abolished |
| Preceded by (constituency created) |
Member of Parliament for Tukituki 1996 – 2005 |
Succeeded by Craig Foss |
