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Iain Lees-Galloway

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The Honourable
Iain Lees-Galloway
Lees-Galloway in 2020
2nd Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety
In office
26 October 2017 – 22 July 2020
Prime MinisterJacinda Ardern
Preceded byMichael Woodhouse
Succeeded byAndrew Little
56th Minister of Immigration
In office
26 October 2017 – 22 July 2020
Prime MinisterJacinda Ardern
Preceded byMichael Woodhouse
Succeeded byKris Faafoi
13th Minister for ACC
In office
26 October 2017 – 22 July 2020
Prime MinisterJacinda Ardern
Preceded byMichael Woodhouse
Succeeded byCarmel Sepuloni
Deputy Leader of the House
In office
26 October 2017 – 22 July 2020
Prime MinisterJacinda Ardern
Preceded byMichael Woodhouse
Succeeded byMichael Wood
Member of the New Zealand Parliament
for Palmerston North
In office
8 November 2008 – 17 October 2020
Preceded bySteve Maharey
Succeeded byTangi Utikere
Majority6,392 (2017)
Personal details
Born (1978-09-18) 18 September 1978 (age 46)
Auckland, New Zealand
Political partyThe Opportunities Party
Residence(s)Palmerston North, New Zealand
Alma materMassey University

Iain Francis Lees-Galloway (born 18 September 1978), initially Iain Galloway, is a New Zealand former politician. He represented the Palmerston North electorate in Parliament for the Labour Party. He was the Minister for Workplace Relations, Immigration, and ACC.[1] He was dismissed by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern from Cabinet on 22 July 2020 after an affair with a staff member over a period of 12 months.[2] He did not stand for reelection in the 2020 election.[3]

Early life

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Lees-Galloway was born on 18 September 1978[4] in Auckland, where he attended Kings College. He moved to Palmerston North to study at Massey University where he was president of the Massey University Students' Association in 2005. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from Massey in 2016.[5]

Professional experience

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Before entering Parliament Lees-Galloway worked for the New Zealand Nurses Organisation as an organiser and subsequently publicity coordinator.[6]

Member of Parliament

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New Zealand Parliament
Years Term Electorate List Party
2008–2011 49th Palmerston North 48 Labour
2011–2014 50th Palmerston North 37 Labour
2014–2017 51st Palmerston North 24 Labour
2017–2020 52nd Palmerston North 14 Labour

Fifth National Government, 2008–2017

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Lees-Galloway joined the Labour Party in 2005 and became chairman of the Palmerston North branch in the following year.[6] He was selected as successor to retiring MP Steve Maharey, who became Vice Chancellor of Massey University, in a contested Labour Party selection for the 2008 election.[6] He defeated the National Party candidate, Malcolm Plimmer, with a majority of 1,117 votes.

Lees-Galloway leading a protest march against privatisation in July 2012

Lees-Galloway was confirmed in the 2011 election with a majority increased from 1,117 in 2008 to 3,285 in the latest election.[7][8] In the 2014 election, Lees-Galloway was challenged by the Mayor of Palmerston North, Jono Naylor, but remained successful.[9] Lees-Galloway had a majority of 2,212 votes over Naylor.[10]

During his tenure, Lees-Galloway has served as the Labour Party's spokesperson for Veteran's Affairs, Transport and, Land Information and has served associate spokesperson for Health. Prior to that, he was associate spokesperson on health (drugs and alcohol) and defence.[4] He served as junior whip for the Labour Party from 2013 to 2014.[11]

He has had three bills drawn from the member's ballot. In September 2010, his Smoke-free Environments (Removing Tobacco Displays) Amendment Bill was drawn from the member's ballot, attempting to ban the display of tobacco products and smoking accessories at points of sale.[12][13] The bill's objective was subsequently adopted in a Government bill which came into force 23 July 2012.[14] Lees-Galloway's Electoral (Adjustment of Thresholds) Amendment Bill was also drawn from the member's ballot in February 2013. It proposed amendments to the Electoral Act 1993, implementing the recommendations of the Electoral Commission with respect to the party vote threshold.[15] In October 2013, his Land Transport (Safer Alcohol Limits for Driving) Amendment Bill, was drawn and progressed to First Reading. This bill would have lowered the allowable blood alcohol content (BAC) from 0.08g to 0.05g per 100mls of blood when driving.[16] The Government announced their own legislation that would do the same after Lees-Galloway's bill was drawn. The legislation was passed July 2014.[17]

As his party's spokesperson for Workplace Relations, Lees-Galloway was a leading voice alongside trade unions in the campaign to eliminate zero-hour contracts in New Zealand. In 2016, after a year and a half long campaign that involved tens of thousands of New Zealanders, industrial action by union members, parliamentary negotiations, agreements were made with the National government.[18] Lees-Galloway submitted an amendment to the Employment Standards Legislation Bill that addressed the issue and was approved overwhelmingly. The bill unanimously passed in parliament on 11 March 2016 and took effect April 2016. The legislation is thought to be one of the first laws in the developed world to end the use of deals criticised as exploitative.[19] Lees-Galloway has declared the reforms "a win for working people" of New Zealand.[20]

Sixth Labour Government, 2017–2020

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During the 2017 election, Lees-Galloway was re-elected in Palmerston North, defeating the National Party's candidate Adrienne Pierce by 6,392 votes.[21] He was designated as Minister of Immigration by the Labour Party caucus following Labour's formation of a coalition government with New Zealand First and the Greens.[22][23]

Because Lees-Galloway had both Workplace Relations and Immigration, both areas where Labour and New Zealand First had great differences of opinion, he had a tough job within the coalition. One minister said that he was “at the front line of the differences between Labour and NZ First”, while a Labour source said, "Every single immigration issue was absolute torture". Tracey Martin, a NZ First MP, said that her party's relationship with Lees-Galloway was “incredibly fraught". A source from NZ First described Lees-Galloway as "arrogant", and a Labour cabinet minister said that he "was not very good at hiding the dismay on his face. Even when he was silent, you could see how pissed off he was."[24]

On 20 July 2018, Lees-Galloway in his capacity as Immigration Minister granted visas for the Canadian alt right activists Lauren Southern and Stefan Molyneux to visit New Zealand for a speaking tour in August 2018. Mayor of Auckland Phil Goff had denied them access to Auckland Council facilities on the grounds that they were there to stir ethnic and political tensions. While Lees-Galloway described Southern and Molyneux's views as counter to the "kind and tolerant values" of the vast majority of New Zealanders, he cleared their visas on the grounds that they had fulfilled immigration character requirements including not having been convicted of a crime or previously barred from Australia and the United Kingdom.[25][26][27]

In October and November 2018, Lees-Galloway was criticised by the opposition National Party over his decision to grant residency to the convicted Czech drug smuggler Karel Sroubek, who had a lengthy criminal record in both the Czech Republic and New Zealand. The case also attracted considerable media interest in New Zealand and led the Czech government to seek Sroubek's extradition.[28][29] In December 2018, Lees-Galloway attributed his decision to Immigration New Zealand's failure to provide information on Sroubek's criminal activities in the Czech Republic.[30]

Dismissal

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On 22 July 2020 Lees-Galloway was dismissed from his immigration, workplace relations and ACC ministerial portfolios by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern after admitting an inappropriate but consensual relationship with a person working in one of his agencies. Prime Minister Ardern dismissed Lees-Galloway after receiving information from Opposition Leader Judith Collins, stating that she had lost confidence in him for "improperly using his position of power." Additionally, there was an official probe into his spending, though this did not find anything inappropriate.[31][32]

Lees-Galloway issued a statement admitting that he had acted "completely inappropriately" in his position and could not continue as a minister. He also apologised to the Prime Minister and his family "for letting them down".[2][3][33] Lees-Galloway kept a generally low profile after the demotion, apart from going to Parliament to give his valedictory speech.[34]

Lees-Galloway did not stand at the 2020 election. Tangi Utikere, the deputy mayor of Palmerston North, replaced Lees-Galloway as the Labour Party candidate for the Palmerston North electorate, and won the electorate.[35][36]

On 29 September 2020, Lees-Galloway was granted retention of the title "The Honourable" for life, in recognition of his term as a member of the Executive Council.[37]

Career after Parliament

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After leaving Parliament, Lees-Galloway took up a temporary role as lead organiser for the New Zealand Nurses Organisation. He also started a business venture called Here’s Good, which would provide information about and promotion for businesses and aid in donating to good causes.[34] On 9 June 2024, he announced on LinkedIn that he had joined the Opportunities Party earlier in the year, but did not plan to stand as a candidate.[38]

Personal life

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Lees-Galloway is married to intermediate teacher Claire; the couple have three children.[39][33]

References

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  1. ^ "Hon Iain Lees-Galloway". New Zealand Labour Party. Archived from the original on 2 July 2020. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
  2. ^ a b Whyte, Anna (22 July 2020). "PM dismisses Iain Lees-Galloway as minister after 'inappropriate relationship'". 1 News. Archived from the original on 21 July 2020. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
  3. ^ a b Devlin, Collette (22 July 2020). "Workplace Relations Minister Iain Lees-Galloway dismissed following relationship with staffer". Stuff. Archived from the original on 21 July 2020. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
  4. ^ a b "Iain Lees-Galloway". New Zealand Parliament. Archived from the original on 19 March 2013. Retrieved 11 December 2011.
  5. ^ "In the hot seat". Massey University. Archived from the original on 20 February 2020. Retrieved 11 November 2018.
  6. ^ a b c Dykes, Mervyn (29 April 2009). "Man about the House". Manawatu Standard. Archived from the original on 19 May 2009. Retrieved 12 December 2011.
  7. ^ "Official Count Results – Palmerston North". Chief Electoral Officer. Archived from the original on 21 January 2020. Retrieved 11 December 2011.
  8. ^ "Official Count Results – Palmerston North". Chief Electoral Officer. Archived from the original on 18 January 2020. Retrieved 11 December 2011.
  9. ^ "Lees-Galloway returned as MP". Manawatu Standard. 20 September 2014. Archived from the original on 10 April 2019. Retrieved 4 October 2014.
  10. ^ "Official Count Results – Palmerston North". Electoral Commission. 4 October 2014. Archived from the original on 22 January 2020. Retrieved 6 October 2014.
  11. ^ "Lees-Galloway, Iain". New Zealand Parliament. Archived from the original on 30 June 2020. Retrieved 26 July 2017.
  12. ^ "Smoke-free Environments (Removing Tobacco Displays) Amendment Bill". New Zealand Parliament. Archived from the original on 23 July 2020. Retrieved 11 December 2011.
  13. ^ "House to debate banning tobacco displays in stores". New Zealand Herald. 10 September 2010. Archived from the original on 14 September 2010. Retrieved 11 December 2011.
  14. ^ "The Complete Ban on the Display of Tobacco Products | HealthEd". www.healthed.govt.nz. Archived from the original on 25 January 2019. Retrieved 26 July 2017.
  15. ^ "Electoral (Adjustment of Thresholds) Amendment Bill". New Zealand Parliament. Archived from the original on 16 January 2019. Retrieved 26 July 2017.
  16. ^ "Land Transport (Safer Alcohol Limits for Driving) Amendment Bill". New Zealand Parliament. Archived from the original on 16 January 2019. Retrieved 26 July 2017.
  17. ^ "Drink-drive limits lowered". Stuff. Archived from the original on 16 April 2019. Retrieved 26 July 2017.
  18. ^ "Zero hour contracts are history". New Zealand Labour Party. Archived from the original on 26 January 2020. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
  19. ^ "New Zealand bans zero-hour contracts". Raidió Teilifís Éireann. 11 March 2016. Archived from the original on 16 June 2019. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
  20. ^ "Labour and National agree to scrap 'zero hour' contracts". Stuff. Archived from the original on 20 April 2019. Retrieved 26 July 2017.
  21. ^ "Palmerston North – Official Result 2017 General election". Electoral Commission. Archived from the original on 15 January 2020. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  22. ^ "Ardern vows to improve Cabinet gender balance?". Radio New Zealand. 20 October 2017. Archived from the original on 20 July 2018. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
  23. ^ "Jacinda Ardern unveils full Cabinet line-up". The New Zealand Herald. 25 October 2017. Archived from the original on 20 July 2018. Retrieved 20 July 2018.
  24. ^ Trevett, Claire (13 December 2020). "Agent of chaos: The inside story of the Labour/NZ First coalition government". The Spinoff. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
  25. ^ Bennett, Lucy (20 July 2018). "Alt right speakers Lauren Southern and Stefan Molyneux granted entry to NZ". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 6 September 2019. Retrieved 20 July 2018.
  26. ^ Fonseka, Dileepa (20 July 2018). "Lauren Southern and Stefan Molyneux have 'visas in hand' and will come to NZ, organiser says". Auckland Now. Stuff. Archived from the original on 13 January 2020. Retrieved 20 July 2018.
  27. ^ Lees-Galloway, Iain (20 July 2018). "Canadian speakers issued visas". New Zealand Government. Scoop. Archived from the original on 4 September 2019. Retrieved 20 July 2018.
  28. ^ Moir, Jo (30 October 2018). "Minister stands by Czech drug smuggler decision". Radio New Zealand. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
  29. ^ "Karel Sroubek: Who is he?". Radio New Zealand. 4 November 2018. Archived from the original on 19 October 2019. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
  30. ^ Cheng, Derek (21 December 2018). "Missing information on Sroubek would have 'likely' led to deportation – Minister". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 20 November 2019. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
  31. ^ Devlin, Collette (23 July 2020). "Government probes Iain Lees-Galloway's spending after his dismissal". Stuff. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
  32. ^ Manch, Thomas (10 August 2020). "Probe into Iain Lees-Galloway's spending finds nothing inappropriate". Stuff. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
  33. ^ a b "Iain Lees-Galloway speaks out over inappropriate relationship with staffer". The New Zealand Herald. 22 July 2020. Archived from the original on 23 July 2020. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
  34. ^ a b Galuszka, Jono (6 November 2020). "Iain Lees-Galloway turns to social enterprise after exiting Parliament". Stuff. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
  35. ^ Coughlan, Thomas (26 July 2020). "Palmerston North deputy mayor Tangi Utikere to replace Iain Lees-Galloway as Labour candidate". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  36. ^ "Palmerston North - Official Result". Electoral Commission. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  37. ^ "Retention of the title "The Honourable"". New Zealand Gazette. 1 October 2020. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
  38. ^ "Iain Lees-Galloway on LinkedIn: Earlier this year I joined TOP - The Opportunities Party. There are three… | 32 comments". www.linkedin.com. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
  39. ^ "Iain Lees-Galloway". New Zealand Government. Archived from the original on 9 February 2020. Retrieved 11 November 2018.
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Iain Lees-Galloway.
New Zealand Parliament
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Palmerston North
2008–2020 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Deputy Leader of the House
2017–2020 		Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety
2017–2020 		Succeeded by
Minister of Immigration
2017–2020 		Succeeded by
Minister for ACC
2017–2020 		Succeeded by
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