Paul Swain

Paul Desmond Swain QSO (born 20 December 1951) is a New Zealand politician. He is a member of the Labour Party.[1]

The Honourable Paul Swain QSO
Swain in 2020
50th Minister of Immigration
In office 21 February 2004 – 19 October 2005
Prime Minister	Helen Clark
Preceded by	Lianne Dalziel
Succeeded by	David Cunliffe
6th Minister of Corrections
In office 19 May 2003 – 19 October 2005
Prime Minister	Helen Clark
Preceded by	Mark Gosche
Succeeded by	Damien O'Connor
5th Minister of Commerce
In office 10 December 1999 – 15 August 2002
Prime Minister	Helen Clark
Preceded by	Max Bradford
Succeeded by	Lianne Dalziel
Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Rimutaka
In office 12 October 1996 – 8 November 2008
Preceded by	new constituency
Succeeded by	Chris Hipkins
Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Eastern Hutt
In office 27 October 1990 – 12 October 1996
Preceded by	Trevor Young
Succeeded by	discontinued constituency
Personal details
Born	20 December 1951 Palmerston North, New Zealand
Political party	Labour
Spouse(s)	Toni Reeves
Children	5

Early life

Swain was born in Palmerston North on 20 December 1951. He attended St. Patrick's College in Wellington. He has obtained a BA from Victoria University of Wellington.[1] Swain has two daughters and a son with his wife Toni Reeves-Swain, and two sons from an earlier marriage.[2]

Before entering politics, he worked for the Ministry of Social Development from 1975 to 1976 before becoming a bus driver for the Wellington City Council in 1976. He then changed professions again working as a teacher from 1978 to 1982. In 1987 he became a research officer for the New Zealand Federation of Labour (later Council of Trade Unions) until 1990 when he was elected to parliament.[2]

He was the employee coordinator for the Wellington YMCA from 1982 to 1986 and was also chairman of the Wellington Regional Employment and ACCESS Council.[2] At the 1986 local elections he stood for the Wellington Regional Council on the Labour Party ticket. He polled well but did not win a seat.[3]

Member of Parliament

New Zealand Parliament
Years	Term	Electorate	List	Party
1990–1993	43rd	Eastern Hutt		Labour
1993–1996	44th	Eastern Hutt		Labour
1996–1999	45th	Rimutaka	none	Labour
1999–2002	46th	Rimutaka	26	Labour
2002–2005	47th	Rimutaka	18	Labour
2005–2008	48th	Rimutaka	17	Labour

He was MP for the seat of Eastern Hutt from the 1990 election until the 1996 election, when the electorate boundaries were changed and it became Rimutaka. He won Rimutaka in 1996[4] and held the seat until the 2008 election, which he did not contest, retiring from national politics.[5]

In November 1990 he was appointed as Labour's spokesperson for Forestry by Labour leader Mike Moore.[6]

Minister

Swain has held a number of ministerial portfolios, including Associate Minister of Finance, Minister of Commerce, Minister of Communications, Minister of Corrections, Minister of Immigration, Minister for Information Technology, Minister of Labour, Minister of Statistics, Minister for State Owned Enterprises, Minister of Transport, and Associate Minister for Economic Development.[1]

After the 2005 election, Swain decided not to seek a Cabinet post in the new government.[7]

Life after politics

In the 2009 New Year Honours, Swain was appointed a Companion of the Queen's Service Order, for services as a Member of Parliament.[8]

In 2009, he was employed by the Crown as their lead negotiator for a settlement of historical grievances with Ngāti Porou.[9]

In 2016, he became chairman of the New Zealand Fire Service; now Fire and Emergency Service New Zealand.[10]

In July 2019 Swain announced that he would not be standing for re-election to the Wellington Regional Council, on which he has been a councillor since 2010.[11]

Notes

1. "Hon Paul Swain – biography". New Zealand Parliament. Retrieved 14 February 2010.
2. Who's Who 1993, p. 77. sfn error: no target: CITEREFWho's_Who1993 (help)
3. Bly, Ross (24 October 1986). Declaration of Election Results (Report). Wellington City Council.
4. "Electorate Candidate and Party Votes Recorded at Each Polling Place – Rimutaka" (PDF). Retrieved 6 July 2013.
5. "Paul Swain leaves Parliament with sense of humour intact". New Zealand Press Association. The National Business Review. 25 September 2008. Retrieved 24 November 2009.
6. "All Labour's 29 MPs get areas of responsibility". Otago Daily Times. 28 November 1990. p. 4.
7. "Swain not seeking Cabinet post". New Zealand Labour Party. 4 October 2005. Retrieved 14 February 2010.
8. "New Year honours list 2009". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 31 December 2008. Retrieved 30 October 2018.
9. "Former Labour cabinet minister takes on Treaty role". NZPA. 2 March 2009. Retrieved 14 February 2010.
10. "NZ Fire Service announces new board chair Paul Swain". Stuff (Fairfax). 25 February 2016.
11. "Fourth Wellington regional councillor drops out of local elections". Stuff (Fairfax). 29 July 2019.

References

• Who's Who in the New Zealand Parliament 1993. Wellington: Parliamentary Service. 1993.