Margaret Austin

The Honourable Margaret Austin CNZM
Minister of Internal Affairs
In office 1990–1990
Prime Minister	David Lange Geoffrey Palmer
Preceded by	Michael Bassett
Succeeded by	Graeme Lee
Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Yaldhurst
In office 14 July 1984 – 1996
Preceded by	Mick Connelly
Succeeded by	Constituency abolished
Personal details
Born	1 April 1933 Christchurch, New Zealand
Political party	Labour Party and United New Zealand

Parliament of New Zealand
Years	Term	Electorate		Party
1984–1987	41st	Yaldhurst		Labour
1987–1990	42nd	Yaldhurst		Labour
1990–1993	43rd	Yaldhurst		Labour
1993–1995	44th	Yaldhurst		Labour
1995–1996	Changed allegiance to:			United NZ

Margaret Elizabeth Austin, CNZM (born 1 April 1933) is a former New Zealand politician.

She was born in Dunedin in 1933. She was Senior Mistress at Riccarton High School. She was then an MP from 1984 to 1996, representing first the Labour Party and then briefly United New Zealand.

She was first elected to Parliament in the 1984 election as the MP for Yaldhurst, an electorate in western Christchurch. During her time in Parliament, Austin served as a Minister of Research and Development, Internal Affairs and of Arts, Culture and Heritage. She held the seat for the Labour Party until 1995 when the seat was abolished, in preparation for the changeover to MMP, and she joined with six other MPs to found the centrist United New Zealand Party. Like all United New Zealand MPs (but Peter Dunne), Austin was not re-elected in the 1996 election; Austin stood in the new Ilam electorate where she came third.

She later became Chancellor of Lincoln University.

Further reading

• Austin's contribution is: "Speech notes."

• Austin's contribution is noted under the title: "Opposition Spokesperson on Education."

• Austin's contribution is a paper entitled: "[T]he agenda for change and it's [sic] effects on education."

• This book contains a profile of Austin, with eleven other women.

References

New Zealand Parliament
Preceded by Mick Connelly	Member of Parliament for Yaldhurst 1984–1996	Constituency abolished