Murray McCully

Born in Whangārei, McCully was educated at Arapohue Primary School, Dargaville High School, the University of Auckland, and Victoria University of Wellington.{{cite web|url=http://executive.govt.nz/93-96/minister/mccully/index.html|title=Hon Murray McCully|publisher=New Zealand Government|access-date=17 January 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090421062327/http://executive.govt.nz/93-96/minister/mccully/index.html|archive-date=21 April 2009|url-status=dead}} He has a Bachelor of Laws degree and is a qualified barrister and solicitor, working as a lawyer before entering politics. He had a long-term relationship with political journalist and columnist Jane Clifton, with whom he had two sons,{{Cite web|date=2017-04-27|title=McCully - the private but international face of the John Key Government|url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/91986766/mccully--the-private-but-international-face-of-the-john-key-government|access-date=2020-11-03|website=Stuff |language=en}} which ended in the 2010s.{{Cite web|title='Black Prince' to spin the wheel again|url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/black-prince-to-spin-the-wheel-again/I57DPKDW6ULWKAGBVSAS23Y3XQ/|date=27 February 2016|website=The New Zealand Herald |author=Claire Trevett}}

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McCully first stood for Parliament in 1975 in Auckland Central, reducing Richard Prebble's majority to 289. He next stood for East Coast Bays in 1984, coming second to Gary Knapp.

In 1987, McCully defeated Knapp and entered Parliament as MP for East Coast Bays on Auckland's North Shore. He held that seat at three general elections.

At the 1996 election he became MP for the new seat of Albany before returning, in the 2002 election, as MP for the reconstituted East Coast Bays seat. McCully retired from parliamentary politics in 2017.

Over his career, McCully held senior ministerial appointments in both the Fourth and Fifth National Governments. He had a reputation as a party strategist, "fix-it man" and "Machiavellian Dark Prince."File:New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs (7724357948).jpg (right) in London, England, on 6 August 2012.]]

McCully's first ministerial appointment was as Minister of Customs and Associate Minister of Tourism in 1991. He held later appointments under the premierships of Jim Bolger and Jenny Shipley as Minister of Housing, Minister of Immigration and Minister for Sport, Fitness and Leisure.

As Sport and Tourism Minister, McCully reportedly "headhunted" future Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison to head up the new Office of Sport and Tourism.{{Cite web|date=2020-02-15|title=ScoMo Dundee: A future Aussie PM's role in New Zealand's great tourism wars|url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/119419731/tourism-wars-1m-payouts-and-an-arrogant-future-australian-pm-at-the-centre-of-a-very-kiwi-scandal|access-date=2020-11-03|website=Stuff |language=en}}

Murray McCully resigned from his Tourism portfolio in April 1999{{cite news |url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=6278 |title=Payout recovery vexing National |work=The New Zealand Herald |date=7 May 1999 |access-date=14 December 2010 |first=Andrew |last=Laxon }} after questions were raised regarding his handling of the resignation and subsequent payout of members of the Tourism board.{{cite web|url=http://www.vdig.net/hansard/archive.jsp?y=1999&m=04&d=21&o=25&p=34|title=Parliamentary Hansard – Report on Tourism Board |date=21 April 1999|publisher=NZ Parliament|access-date=12 December 2010}} These questions culminated in a report of the Controller and Auditor General that deemed these payouts "unlawful," although the report accepted that all involved had proceeded on the basis of advice and "their genuine perception of what was in the best interests of New Zealand’s tourism industry."{{cite web|url=http://www.oag.govt.nz/1999/nz-tourism-board|title=Report of the Controller and Auditor General: Inquiry into certain events concerning the New Zealand Tourism Board.|date=19 April 1999|publisher=Controller and Auditor General |access-date=12 December 2010}}

The National Party lost government at the 1999 general election and did not regain the treasury benches until 2008. During nine years of opposition, McCully held various opposition spokesperson roles including in the local government, housing, sport, state services, immigration, foreign affairs and defence portfolios.

McCully is understood to have been a key player in many of the leadership changes the National Party experienced while in opposition. McCully supported Bill English to replace Jenny Shipley as National Party leader in the 2001 New Zealand National Party leadership election,{{Cite web|title=Shipley's night of long knives|url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/shipleys-night-of-long-knives/622O5N24UOXZPHH22QYAEYHMYM/|access-date=2020-11-03|website=The New Zealand Herald |language=en-NZ}} Don Brash to replace English in 2003, and Gerry Brownlee to replace Nick Smith as deputy leader in 2003.{{Cite web|title=McCully at centre of Nats whisper row|url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/mccully-at-centre-of-nats-whisper-row/3JZMH2CXZGIFT225BIUOIVYBME/|access-date=2020-11-03|website=The New Zealand Herald |language=en-NZ}} McCully was appointed "parliamentary assistant" to Brash and was reportedly the only MP Brash told about his decision to stand down in 2006.{{Cite web|last=The Letter Limited|title=The Letter – Wednesday, 29 November 2006|url=https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0611/S00490/the-letter-wednesday-29-november-2006.htm|access-date=2020-11-03|website=www.scoop.co.nz}}File:Rimbink Pato, Julia Bishop and Murray McCully August 2014.jpg (left), Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop (center) and New Zealand Foreign Minister Murray McCully (right) at SIDS, in August 2014.]]

After the National Party won the 2008 election, McCully was sworn in as a Cabinet Minister on 19 November 2008. McCully was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister for Sport and Recreation, and Minister for the Rugby World Cup by New Zealand Prime Minister John Key.{{cite web|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10543509|title=Key's Government |date=17 November 2008|work=The New Zealand Herald |access-date=16 January 2009}}

In November 2015, McCully was off work after surgery for removal of a growth that was found to be benign.{{cite web|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11540084 |title=Murray McCully off work following surgery |date=4 November 2015|work=The New Zealand Herald |access-date=17 November 2015}}

On 15 December 2016, following the announcement that Key would retire from politics and the appointment of Bill English as Prime Minister, McCully announced that he would not stand for parliament in 2017 (in that year's general election).{{cite web|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11767735|access-date=16 December 2016|title=Murray McCully says he won't stand again in next election|date=15 December 2016|work=The New Zealand Herald }} English and McCully had previously had a fractious relationship, relating to when McCully orchestrated the removal of English as party leader in 2003. Reflecting on his time as the Minister of Foreign Affairs, McCully said his most challenging and rewarding work was New Zealand's role in the Pacific: "I’ve put a lot of my personal effort into ensuring that we actually live up to the expectations our neighbours have of us and the responsibilities we should carry."{{Cite web|url=https://www.newsroom.co.nz/2017/04/30/22658?slug=high-flying-mccully-prepares-for-life-on-firm-ground|title=High-flying McCully prepares for life on firm ground|date=2017-05-01|website=Newsroom|access-date=2017-05-13}} He continued as Minister of Foreign Affairs under English until 2 May 2017, when he was succeeded by Gerry Brownlee.

In December 2016, McCully played a critical role in the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334.{{cite news|last1=Ravid|first1=Barak|title=Britain Pulled the Strings and Netanyahu Warned New Zealand It Was Declaring War: New Details on Israel's Battle Against the UN Vote|url=http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.761706|access-date=28 December 2016|work=Haaretz|date=27 December 2016}}

In 2004, McCully voted against a bill to establish civil unions.{{Cite web|title=Civil Unions Act|url=http://votes.wotfun.com/bill/1|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190120144215/http://votes.wotfun.com/bill/1|archive-date=20 January 2019|access-date=13 December 2016}} In 2005, he voted for the Marriage (Gender Clarification) Amendment Bill 2005, which would have amended the Marriage Act to define marriage as only between a man and a woman.{{cite web|date=7 December 2005|title=Marriage (Gender Clarification) Amendment Bill – First Reading|url=http://www.parliament.nz/en-nz/pb/debates/debates/48HansD_20051207_00001276/marriage-gender-clarification-amendment-bill-%e2%80%94-first|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160229232900/http://www.parliament.nz/en-nz/pb/debates/debates/48HansD_20051207_00001276/marriage-gender-clarification-amendment-bill-%E2%80%94-first|archive-date=29 February 2016|access-date=18 July 2012|publisher=New Zealand Parliament}}

In 2013, McCully voted against the Marriage (Definition of Marriage) Amendment Bill, a bill allowing same-sex couples to marry in New Zealand.{{Cite news|date=18 April 2013|title=Gay marriage: How MPs voted|work=The New Zealand Herald |url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10878241|access-date=5 December 2016}}

While still a Member of Parliament, McCully was appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to foreign policy in the 2015 New Year Honours.{{cite web|date=31 December 2014|title=New Year honours list 2015|url=https://www.dpmc.govt.nz/publications/new-year-honours-list-2015|access-date=14 January 2018|publisher=Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet}}

In 2019, McCully was appointed an Honorary Companion of the Order of Fiji, for services to relations between Fiji and New Zealand.{{cite news|last=Raman|first=Venkat|date=14 July 2019|title=Fiji honours Murray McCully with highest award|work=Indian newslink|url=http://www.indiannewslink.co.nz/fiji-honours-murray-mccully-with-highest-award/|access-date=9 February 2020}}

• List of foreign ministers in 2017
• Politics in New Zealand

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• [https://web.archive.org/web/20170407105711/https://murraymccully.national.org.nz/ Profile] at National party{{MPLinksNZ | parliament = MPs/3/3/6/50MP13691-McCully-Murray.htm | beehive = murray-mccully | theywork = murray_mccully }}

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Category:1953 births

Category:Living people

Category:New Zealand National Party MPs

Category:Ministers of foreign affairs of New Zealand

Category:Members of the Cabinet of New Zealand

Category:Ministers of housing of New Zealand

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Category:20th-century New Zealand lawyers

Category:People from Whangārei

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Category:Unsuccessful candidates in the 1984 New Zealand general election

Category:Unsuccessful candidates in the 1975 New Zealand general election

Category:Companions of the New Zealand Order of Merit

Category:Companions of the Order of Fiji

Category:21st-century New Zealand politicians