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Judith Tizard

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Judith Tizard
Tizard at the 2007 Kiwi Foo Camp
6th Minister of Consumer Affairs
In office
15 August 2002 – 19 November 2008
Prime MinisterHelen Clark
Preceded byJim Anderton
Succeeded byHeather Roy
Member of the New Zealand Parliament
for Auckland Central
In office
12 October 1996 – 8 November 2008
Preceded bySandra Lee
Succeeded byNikki Kaye
Member of the New Zealand Parliament
for Panmure
In office
27 October 1990 – 12 October 1996
Preceded byBob Tizard
Succeeded bySeat abolished
Personal details
Born
Judith Ngaire Tizard

(1956-01-03) 3 January 1956 (age 68)
Auckland, New Zealand
Political partyLabour
Parents
Alma materUniversity of Auckland
ProfessionRestaurant owner and manager

Judith Ngaire Tizard (born 3 January 1956) is a former New Zealand politician, and a member of the Labour Party.

Early life and career

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Tizard was born at Auckland's St Helen's maternity hospital in Pitt Street in 1956.[1] She was educated at Glendowie College.[2] Born into a political family, her mother, Dame Catherine Tizard, served as Mayor of Auckland and as Governor-General and her father, Bob Tizard, was a prominent Labour Party cabinet minister and Deputy Prime Minister. She followed her parents into politics, joining the Labour Party herself in 1973.[2]

After moving from Auckland to Wellington, when her father became a cabinet minister, Tizard began studying politics at Victoria University and got a job in the Labour Party Research Unit from 1976 to 1977. She became more enthusiastic about her work, spending more time in that than study before returning to Auckland and working as a cook in a restaurant owned by one of her friends.[3] She was elected a member of the Auckland Electric Power Board in 1977, remaining a member until 1983.[4] Her mother commented that it was "...another telling demonstration of the power of a recognisable name on a ticket. As she (Judith) said herself, who in their right mind would elect a 21-year-old barmaid to run a power board? That's how she had described herself on the ticket."[3]

Later, Tizard finished her Bachelor of Arts (BA) in History from the University of Auckland.[5] She became a waitress, restaurant owner, and manager of O'Connells Restaurant on O'Connell St in Auckland (1978–1982), and was involved in the catering industry (1981–1984).[2] In 1986 she stood unsuccessfully for a seat on the Auckland City Council in 1986 in the central ward, but narrowly missed out on election.[6] She was elected a member of the Auckland Regional Council in 1988. She was re-elected in 1989 before resigning in 1991.[4]

Member of Parliament

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New Zealand Parliament
Years Term Electorate List Party
1990–1993 43rd Panmure Labour
1993–1996 44th Panmure Labour
1996–1999 45th Auckland Central 11 Labour
1999–2002 46th Auckland Central 19 Labour
2002–2005 47th Auckland Central 21 Labour
2005–2008 48th Auckland Central 18 Labour

Tizard stood unsuccessfully for the safe National seat of Remuera in the 1981 election. She was an electorate secretary in the Mount Albert electorate for Helen Clark from 1984 to 1987.[2] In 1986 Tizard sought the Labour nomination for the seat of Papatoetoe, but lost out to Ross Robertson.[7] At the 1987 election she contested Remuera again, reducing the majority of Doug Graham to just 406. From 1987 to 1990 she was an electorate secretary in the Panmure electorate for her father. From 1987 to 1989 she was vice-president of the Auckland Regional Council of the Labour Party.[2]

On his retirement she succeeded her father as Labour's candidate for Panmure. She entered Parliament at the 1990 election and in November 1990 she was appointed Labour's spokesperson for Immigration and Arts & Culture by Labour leader Mike Moore.[8] After being re-elected in 1993, she shifted her candidacy to Auckland Central, which she won in the 1996 election, defeating Sandra Lee. In 1993, Tizard was awarded the New Zealand Suffrage Centennial Medal.[9] In 1999, Tizard served as the Minister assisting the Prime Minister on Auckland issues, which would develop into the portfolio of Minister for Auckland Issues in 2002.[10]

She became a Minister outside of Cabinet, serving as Minister of Consumer Affairs, Associate Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage, Associate Minister of Transport, Associate Minister of Commerce, and Minister responsible for Archives New Zealand and the National Library.

Before the 2008 general election Tizard was given the list placing of 38, a relatively low one for a minister. She was then defeated in her electorate by National's Nikki Kaye by a margin of 1,497 votes.[11] Her list placing meant she would not return to parliament unless Labour list MPs quit.[12]

On 25 March 2011, Labour list MP Darren Hughes resigned from Parliament. Whilst Tizard was next in line, Labour Party president Andrew Little expressed preference for Louisa Wall to replace Hughes as she intended to contest the upcoming 2011 general election,[13] unlike Tizard and the four other list candidates preceding Wall (Mark Burton, Mahara Okeroa, Martin Gallagher and Dave Hereora). Tizard, like her lower-ranked colleagues, decided not to take the seat.[14]

Tizard now works in the constituency office of Phil Twyford, incumbent Member for Te Atatū.

Controversy

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In 2008 Tizard championed an amendment to the Copyright Act, which required internet service providers (ISPs) to develop policies to terminate the Internet account of repeat copyright infringers. She defended this position when meeting Internet lobby groups, saying it is necessary to protect New Zealand artists, and referred to the release of New Zealand film Sione's Wedding, which, she claimed, was damaged by unlawful distribution on the Internet.[citation needed]

On 16 October 2008, a press release[15] was published by Tizard responding to "alarmist claims made by a small group of IT commentators in the media that recent amendments to the Copyright Act would have ISPs cutting off the accounts of their users based on unsubstantiated accusations of copyright infringement. [...] This is quiet [sic] simply untrue, and I am sure they know it." That press release seems to have been retracted.[16]

On 23 March 2009, the Prime Minister John Key announced that the law would not take effect and would be re-written.[17]

Personal life

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In 1993, aged 37, Tizard had a hysterectomy and surgery for uterine cancer from which she recovered.[18]

Notes

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  1. ^ Phare, Jane (11 May 2008). "Jude packs punch". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
  2. ^ a b c d e Who's Who 1996, p. 90.
  3. ^ a b Tizard 2010.
  4. ^ a b Armstrong, John (29 August 1989). "... and don't forget about me, says Judith". The New Zealand Herald. p. 1.
  5. ^ Who's Who 1993, p. 80.
  6. ^ Bush 1991, p. 442.
  7. ^ "Auckland unionist a candidate". The Press. 19 May 1986. p. 4.
  8. ^ "All Labour's 29 MPs get areas of responsibility". Otago Daily Times. 28 November 1990. p. 4.
  9. ^ "The New Zealand Suffrage Centennial Medal 1993 – register of recipients". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 26 July 2018. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
  10. ^ Hon Judith Tizard, 8 November 2008, retrieved 31 January 2023
  11. ^ Auckland Central results 2008 Archived 11 December 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  12. ^ McKenzie-Minifie, Martha (10 November 2008). "Tizard takes time out to think". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 8 October 2011.
  13. ^ Trevett, Claire; Adam Bennett (26 March 2011). "Wall, not Tizard, tipped to fill vacancy". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 26 March 2011.
  14. ^ "Tizard rejects return to Parliament". The New Zealand Herald. 3 April 2011. Retrieved 3 April 2011.
  15. ^ Judith Tizard, Ministers call for end to fear mongering over copyright changes Archived 24 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine, press release, 16 October 2008. Accessed 19 February 2008. Originally available at http://feeds.beehive.govt.nz/release/ministers+call+end+fear+mongering+over+copyright+changes[permanent dead link].
  16. ^ "Ministers call for end to fear mongering over copyright changes | coffee.geek.nz". Archived from the original on 10 November 2008. Retrieved 4 November 2008.
  17. ^ 'Why did New Zealand drop plans to cut off net users?'
  18. ^ "MP comfortable". The New Zealand Herald. 17 July 1993. p. 3.

References

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[edit]
Political offices
Preceded by Minister of Consumer Affairs
2002–2008
Succeeded by
New Zealand Parliament
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Auckland Central
1996–2008
Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Panmure
1990–1996
Constituency abolished