Mike Williams (New Zealand politician)

Kenneth Michael "Mike" Williams (born 1949) is a former president of the New Zealand Labour Party. ^[1]

Williams has been an information technology consultant^[2] and was a director (until December 2008) of Genesis Energy, the New Zealand Transport Agency, and GNS Science.^[3]

He is currently Chief Executive of the anti-P Stellar Trust, a charity which campaigns to raise awareness of the dangers of methamphetamine.^[4]

Williams unsuccessfully stood for several local government positions in the 2010 Auckland local elections. These were the Henderson-Massey Local Board, the Waitakere Licensing Trust, and the Waitemata District Health Board.^[5][6]

Early life

Williams attended Karamu High School and, at the age of 17, joined the New Zealand Labour Party. He attended Victoria University, where he joined the marches against apartheid, nuclear weapons and the Vietnam war. He obtained an Master of Arts in New Zealand History from the University of Auckland. It was here that he first met future Prime Minister Helen Clark, where they were both members of the Princes Street Branch of the Labour Party.^[7]

Commercial activities

Williams set up two successful companies based on his experience of Labour Party organisation. Insight Research (now UMR Insight) was a market research company (which was sold in 1994) and Insight Data, which specialised in direct-mail and marketing and was sold in 1997.^[7]

Labour Party activities

Williams initially started working for the Labour Party as an education officer but rapidly moved into fundraising where he instigated a number of new practices:

- A pledge system, whereby supporters agreed to pay a regular amount using the then-new automatic bank transfer system;

- Sending out requests for donations to the party membership, enclosing pre-paid reply envelopes;

- Visiting businesses to solicit donations;

- Systematic canvassing and direct-mailing.

These activities helped the party to achieve a landslide victory in 1984. After the election, Williams joined the Australian Labor Party in Canberra but had returned to New Zealand within a year.

Williams was appointed as Campaign Manager for the 1999 election which was won by the Labour Party. After the election he was appointed as Party President.^[7]

References