Margaret Austin

Margaret Elizabeth Austin, CNZM (born 1933) is a former New Zealand politician. She was an MP from 1984 to 1996, representing first the Labour Party and then briefly United New Zealand. Prior to this she was Senior Mistress at Riccarton High School.

She was first elected to Parliament in the 1984 elections as the MP for Yaldhurst, an electorate in western Christchurch. During her time in Parliament, Austin served as a Minister of Research and Development, Internal Affairs and of Arts, Culture and Heritage. She held the seat for the Labour Party until 1995 when the seat was abolished, in preparation for the changeover to MMP, and she joined with six other MPs to found the centrist United New Zealand Party. Like all United New Zealand MPs (but Peter Dunne), however, Austin was not re-elected in the 1996 elections.

She later became Chancellor of Lincoln University.

Further reading

• A Guide to quality education: handbook for quality, access and participation in New Zealand education prepared by the Labour Opposition, Wellington, [N.Z.]: New Zealand Labour Party, 1992 

• Ministerial brief: Margaret Austin, Wellington, [N.Z.]: Department of Internal Affairs, 1990 

• NZPPTA Principals' Council Conference 1993, Auckland: education for an effective society, Sheraton Hotel, Auckland, July 11–14 [NZPPTA Principals' Council Conference (1993: Auckland, N.Z.)], Wellington, [N.Z.]: The Association, 1993 

• Austin's contribution is: "Speech notes."

• Positioning Polytechnics for the 90s: Association of Polytechnics in New Zealand Annual Conference, October 1991, hosted by Carrington Polytechnic at the Sheraton Hotel, Auckland : edited proceedings [Association of Polytechnics in New Zealand. Annual Conference (1991 : Auckland, N.Z.)], Auckland, [N.Z.]: Carrington Polytechnic, 1991 

• Austin's contribution is noted under the title: "Opposition Spokesperson on Education."

• Strategies to achieve excellence: expanding the potential of young Maori through education: 7 September 1993, the James Cook Centra, Wellington [prepared by Institute for International Research], Auckland, [N.Z.]: The Institute, 1993 

• Austin's contribution is a paper entitled: "[T]he agenda for change and it's [sic] effects on education."

• Austin, Margaret E. (chair) et al. (1997), Achieving excellence: a review of the education external evaluation services: self management, self-review, self improvement, whaia te iti kahurangi (strive for the ultimate), Wellington, [N.Z.]: State Services Commission, ISBN 0-478-08931-7 

• Ogonowska-Coates, Halina (ed.) (1995), Invincible women : a collection of herstories / commissioned by the Christchurch College of Education Te Whare Whai Matauraka ki Otautahi, Christchurch, [N.Z.]: The College, ISBN 0-908858-01-9 

• This book contains a profile of Austin, with eleven other women.

• Interim report of Government Committee on Transition Education to Hon. Russell Marshall, Minister of Education, Hon. Kerry Burke, Minister of Employment, Wellington, [N.Z.]: The Committee, 1985