Margaret Wilson


Margaret Anne Wilson is a New Zealand academic and former politician. She was Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives during the Fifth Labour Government of New Zealand. She is a member of the Labour Party.

Early life

Born in Gisborne, Wilson received her secondary education at St Dominic's College, Northcote. She had a leg amputated due to cancer at the age of 16, which cut short her plans to be a physical education teacher. Instead, she studied law and graduated LLB from the University of Auckland.
Wilson worked as a lawyer, a Professor of Law and Dean at the University of Waikato, and a trade unionist. From 1984 to 1987, she was president of the Labour Party, and from 1989 to 1990, she worked as chief political advisor to the Prime Minister, Geoffrey Palmer. She has also served on the Law Commission, and was appointed as a director of the Reserve Bank.
In both 1977 and 1980 she stood unsuccessfully for the Auckland City Council on a Labour Party ticket.
In 1993, Wilson was awarded the New Zealand Suffrage Centennial Medal.

Member of Parliament

Wilson contested the electorate in the 1999 election, and although she was 64 votes shy of defeating incumbent Winston Peters, she entered Parliament as a list MP and immediately gained election to the Cabinet. Her portfolios included those of Attorney-General and Minister of Labour.
She remained a list MP after the 2002 election, serving as Attorney-General, Minister of Commerce, Minister in Charge of Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations, Associate Minister for Courts, and Associate Minister of Justice.

Speaker of the House

In December 2004, the Clark Labour Government announced that they would nominate Wilson for the post of Speaker of the House of Representatives, a position which would become vacant with the pending retirement of Jonathan Hunt. Previous speculation had focused on Mark Burton, the Minister of Defence. On 3 March 2005, Parliament elected Wilson as their new Speaker over candidacies by Clem Simich from the New Zealand National Party and Ken Shirley from the ACT Party. Wilson became New Zealand's first female speaker. After the 2005 election, she was re-elected to the position unopposed.
Her style was noticeably different from her predecessor. In July 2006, National attempted a vote of no confidence in Wilson, after she refused to send a report on Labour MP Taito Phillip Field to the Privileges Committee, but Labour blocked the move. The most serious challenge to her authority as speaker came on 26 August 2008, when Act leader Rodney Hide initially refused her order to leave the debating chamber, saying, "I actually won't go now, Madam Speaker." She told him to "think carefully", but did not apply to have Hide named after he left.
Wilson announced in February 2008 that she would not be standing for re-election in 2008, and was considering "academia" rather than a diplomatic posting. She finished her role by closing the 48th Parliament.
In the 2009 New Year Honours, Wilson was appointed a Distinguished Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, in recognition of her services as a Member of Parliament and as Speaker.

Political views

Wilson strongly promotes various social causes such as feminism and multiculturalism, and opponents often painted her as Labour's most "politically correct" minister. She was the Minister responsible for the introduction of the new Supreme Court, which was controversial at the time, as well as changing the law on dividing property between partners after a separation, known now as relationship property law.

Return to academia

Wilson established the University of Waikato School of Law as New Zealand's fifth law school in 1990. She was its first Professor of law and founding Dean before becoming a Member of Parliament. After leaving Parliament, she resumed her academic career at the Waikato University law school, being appointed Professor of Law and Public Policy.