Matt Robson

{{Infobox officeholder

| honorific-prefix = The Honourable

| name = Matt Robson

| honorific-suffix =

| image =

| caption =

| order = 5th Minister of Corrections

| term_start = 10 December 1999

| term_end = 15 August 2002

| primeminister = Helen Clark

| predecessor = Clem Simich

| successor = Mark Gosche

| order1 = 4th Minister for Courts

| term_start1 = 10 December 1999

| term_end1 = 15 August 2002

| primeminister1 = Helen Clark

| predecessor1 = Georgina te Heuheu

| successor1 = Margaret Wilson

| constituency_MP3 = Progressive Party list

| parliament3 = New Zealand

| term_start3 = 27 July 2002

| term_end3 = 17 September 2005

| constituency_MP4 = Alliance list

| parliament4 = New Zealand

| term_start4 = 12 October 1996

| term_end4 = 27 July 2002

| birth_name = Matthew Peter Robson

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1950|1|5}}

| birth_place = Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

| death_date =

| death_place =

| restingplace =

| restingplacecoordinates =

| birthname =

| nationality = Australian
New Zealander

| party = Progressive (2002–2012)
Alliance (1991–2002)
Labour (before 1989)

| otherparty =

| spouse = Petronella Townsend

| partner =

| relations =

| children =

| residence =

| alma_mater =

| occupation = Teacher

| profession = Lawyer

| religion =

| signature =

| website =

}}

Matthew Peter Robson (born 5 January 1950) is an Australian-born New Zealand politician. He was deputy leader of the Progressive Party, and served in the Parliament from 1996 to 2005, first as a member of the Alliance, then as a Progressive.

Biography

=Early life=

Robson was born in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. He attained an MA (Hons) in Political Studies and later studied law, and worked both as a lawyer and a teacher. He also spent three years in the Netherlands as a technical editor.

Robson was originally a member of the Labour Party, holding several positions within the party organisation. In 1981 he became chairman of Labour's {{NZ electorate link|Otara}} electorate committee and was campaign manager to Colin Moyle in the seat at the {{NZ election link|1984}} before resigning as chairman and from the party itself in 1989, taking almost 300 members with him.{{cite news |first=Fue |last=Ualesi |title=Otara |date=22 October 1990 |work=The New Zealand Herald |page=7, section 3 }} He was deeply opposed to the neo-liberal economic policies of Roger Douglas, the Labour Party's Minister of Finance, and when Jim Anderton, a Labour MP, quit the party, Robson followed him. Robson was heavily involved in the establishment of Anderton's NewLabour Party (NLP), which later became the core of the Alliance. He was NLP spokesperson for industrial relations and immigration.{{cite news |last1=Collins |first1=Simon |title=Anderton in finance role |work=New Zealand Herald |date=23 April 1990 |page=3 }} He contested the {{NZ electorate link|Otara}} electorate for NewLabour in the {{NZ election link|1990}}. At the 1992 local-body elections he put himself forward as a candidate for the Maungakiekie ward of the Auckland City Council. Standing as an Alliance candidate (the NLP was a component party of the Alliance) he was unsuccessful.{{cite news |title=Where the votes went in the local polls |work=The New Zealand Herald |date=12 October 1992 |page=8, section 2 }}

In December 1992, following the Wellington Central by-election, Robson was designated NLP spokesperson for defence to replace Keith Locke whom Anderton considered too left-wing.{{sfn|Grant|2022|p=452}} Later he was the Alliance candidate for {{NZ electorate link|Onehunga}} in the {{NZ election link|1993}}.{{cite tech report |ref={{sfnref|Election results|1993}} |title=Part 1: Votes recorded at each polling place |publisher=New Zealand Chief Electoral Office |year=1993 |pages=}} In 1994 when Anderton briefly resigned as Alliance leader, and co-deputy leader Sandra Lee was temporarily elevated to the leadership, Robson was elected her temporary replacement co-deputy leader beating Democrats leader John Wright for the position.{{sfn|Grant|2022|p=255}} He also became acting president of NewLabour during Anderton's absence between May and August 1995.{{sfn|Grant|2022|p=259}}

=Member of Parliament=

{{NZ parlbox|term=45th|start={{NZ election link year|1996}}|end=1999|electorate=List|list=7|party=Alliance (New Zealand political party)}}

{{NZ parlbox|term=46th|start={{NZ election link year|1999}}|end=2002|electorate=List|list=3|party=Alliance (New Zealand political party)}}

{{NZ parlbox|start={{NZ election link year|2002}}|end=2005|term=47th|electorate=List|list=2|party=Jim Anderton's Progressive Party}}

Robson was elected to Parliament as an Alliance list MP in the {{NZ election link|1996}}, and again in the {{NZ election link|1999}}, having stood in {{NZ electorate link|Maungakiekie}}, and coming in third place at both elections. In the Labour-Alliance coalition government (1999–2002), Robson was Minister of Corrections, Minister for Courts, Minister for Land Information, and Associate Minister of Foreign Affairs (with responsibility for foreign aid). Towards the end of 1999, however, the Alliance began to collapse, with a rift opening between the party organisation and its parliamentary leadership. In this dispute, Robson sided with the parliamentary leader, Anderton. When Anderton finally left the Alliance and established the Progressive Coalition (later renamed as the Progressive Party), Robson followed him and became the new party's deputy leader. In the {{NZ election link|2002}}, the Progressives only won 1.7% of the vote. However, Anderton easily held onto his seat, allowing Robson (standing in {{NZ electorate link|Manukau East}}, where he came fifth), as the 2nd-ranked person on the Progressive list, to return to Parliament. However, the Progressives' strength was considerably weaker compared to that of the Alliance in 1999, so Robson lost his cabinet posts.

Robson has a relatively high public profile, compared to the size of his party, and is known for his views on foreign affairs and justice. Along with the Green Party's Keith Locke, Robson campaigned on behalf of detained asylum-seeker Ahmed Zaoui. In 2002, Robson introduced a Private Member's bill providing for four weeks of paid annual leave for all workers, a proposal that the Labour Party initially opposed. Robson's legislation, however, ultimately forced Labour to either vote in favour of the bill or risk alienating its trade union supporters, who vociferously advocated it. The legislation was passed into law with Labour's support and took effect in 2007. Robson also introduced legislation to raise the minimum alcohol purchasing age to 20, and in Parliament espoused policies to combat drug and alcohol abuse.

In the {{NZ election link|2005}}, the Progressive vote collapsed further, and this time was not enough for Robson to remain in Parliament. He returned to practising law. In the {{NZ election link|2008}} he was again a candidate in {{NZ electorate link|Maungakiekie}}, but did poorly, finishing fifth, with 2.22% of the vote.[http://2008.electionresults.govt.nz/electorate-25.html Maungakiekie results 2008.] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20081112063601/http://2008.electionresults.govt.nz/electorate-25.html |date=12 November 2008 }} The Progressives received just under one percent of the party vote, not enough for Robson to be returned to Parliament.[http://2008.electionresults.govt.nz/partystatus.html Party results, 2008.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090209051141/http://2008.electionresults.govt.nz/partystatus.html |date=9 February 2009 }} At the 2009 Mount Albert by-election Robson campaigned for Labour candidate David Shearer.{{sfn|Grant|2022|p=419}}

On 14 July 2022, Robson had the rare distinction of appearing twice, in positions 47 and 72, in the list of politicians, academics, activists promoting Russian propaganda published by the Ukraine Government.{{cite web | url=https://cpd.gov.ua/reports/%D1%81%D0%BF%D1%96%D0%BA%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B8-%D1%8F%D0%BA%D1%96-%D0%BF%D1%80%D0%BE%D1%81%D1%83%D0%B2%D0%B0%D1%8E%D1%82%D1%8C-%D1%81%D0%BF%D1%96%D0%B2%D0%B7%D0%B2%D1%83%D1%87%D0%BD%D1%96-%D1%80%D0%BE/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220804135517/https://cpd.gov.ua/reports/%D1%81%D0%BF%D1%96%D0%BA%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B8-%D1%8F%D0%BA%D1%96-%D0%BF%D1%80%D0%BE%D1%81%D1%83%D0%B2%D0%B0%D1%8E%D1%82%D1%8C-%D1%81%D0%BF%D1%96%D0%B2%D0%B7%D0%B2%D1%83%D1%87%D0%BD%D1%96-%D1%80%D0%BE/ | archive-date=4 August 2022 | title=Спікери, які просувають співзвучні російській пропаганді наративи | date=14 July 2022 }}

Personal life

Despite having achieved high political office in New Zealand, Robson did not become a naturalised citizen until 2000. Under the terms of New Zealand's Electoral Act 1993, any permanent resident before August 1975 has the right to vote and stand for election.{{cite news |url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=128859 |title=No longer a 'foreign' minister |author=Bingham, Eugene |date=5 April 2000 |work=The New Zealand Herald |accessdate=14 July 2017}}

Robson is married to Petronella Townsend who was an influential organisational figure in the Alliance and Progressive parties.{{sfn|Grant|2022|p=259}} At the {{NZ election link|2005}} she was a Progressive list candidate and stood in the seat of {{NZ electorate link|Auckland Central}}.{{cite web |url=https://www.electionresults.govt.nz/electionresults_2005/electorate-2.html |title=Official Count Results -- Auckland Central |date=1 October 2005 |website=Electoral Commission |access-date=4 March 2020 }}

Notes

References

{{cite book |last=Grant |first=David |title=Anderton: His Life and Times |year=2022 |publisher=Te Herenga Waka University Press |location=Wellington |isbn=9781776920563 }}