Current parliamentary roles

• Member, Law and Order Committee
• Spokesperson, Courts
• Spokesperson, Veterans' Affairs

Former parliamentary roles

• Member, State enterprises select committee 1994-1996
• Junior Opposition Whip 1996-1999
• Member, Officers of parliament select committee 4 March 1997-19 October 1999
• Senior Government Whip 1999-2002
• Member, Parliamentary Service Commission 1999-2002
• Member, Standing orders select committee 1999-2002
• Member, Local government and environment select committee 27 August 2002-18 June 2003
• Member, Social services select committee 8 October 2003-3 March 2004
• Minister of Customs 15 August 2002-19 October 2005
• Associate Minister of Justice 15 August 2002-19 October 2005
• Associate Minister of Social Services and Employment 15 August 2002-19 May 2003
• Associate Minister of Social Development and Employment 19 May 2003-19 October 2005
• Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector 24 August 2004-19 October 2005
• Minister of Youth Affairs 3 November 2004-21 December 2004
• Minister for Small Business 21 December 2004-19 October 2005
• Minister of Civil Defence 19 October 2005-19 November 2008
• Minister for Courts 19 October 2005-19 November 2008
• Minister of Internal Affairs 19 October 2005-19 November 2008
• Minister of Veterans' Affairs 19 October 2005-19 November 2008
• Associate Minister of Justice 5 November 2007-19 November 2008

Personal details

Born 27 October 1951, Greymouth, married to Jennifer with three children and two step-children

Education/qualifications

• Greymouth High School
• Otago University

Career

• Former Shop assistant
• Former Bartender
• Former Storeworker
• Former Farmhand
• Former Truck driver
• Former Factory worker
• Former Quarrier
• Former Secretary, Otago Hotel Workers' Union
• Former Secretary, Auckland and Northern Hotel, Hospital and Restaurant Workers' Union
• Former National Secretary, Service Workers' Union
• Former Executive Member, NZ Council of Trade Unions and Federation of Labour

Community activities

• Co-Chairperson, NZ-China parliamentary friendship group
• Member, Commonwealth Parliamentarians' Association
• Member, International Parliamentary Unuion
• Member, Parliamentary friendship groups, Latin America, France and Germany
• Member, Parliamentarians for Global Action
• Patron, Schizophrenics Society
• Patron, SPELD

Party activities

• Member, Labour Party 1973-
• Former Branch Chairperson, Labour Party
• Former Industrial Representative, NZ Council
• Former Junior Vice President, National Executive
• Elected to Hastings Electorate 1993-1996
• Electorate re-named Tukituki 1996-2005
• Labour List MP 2005-

Leisure activities

Reading, riding his motorbike, avidly following his children's sport and their other activities