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Peter Dunne

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Image:PeterDunne.jpg frame|right|Peter Dunne The Honourable '''Peter Dunne''' (born 17 March 1954 - ) leads New Zealand's United Future New Zealand United Future political party. He has served as a New Zealand Cabinet Cabinet minister in governments dominated both by the centre-left New Zealand Labour Party Labour Party and by the centre-right New Zealand National Party National Party.

Early life
Dunne, born and educated in Christchurch, New Zealand Christchurch, gained an Master's degree MA in political science from University of Canterbury Canterbury University before studying business administration at Massey University. He worked for the Department of Trade and Industry from 1977 to 1978 and then for the Alcoholic Liquor Advisory Council until 1984. He served as Deputy Chief Executive of the Council from 1980 onwards.

The Labour Party
In the New Zealand general election 1984 1984 elections, Dunne successfully stood for Parliament, winning the seat of Ohariu as a candidate of the New Zealand Labour Party Labour Party. He held that seat in the New Zealand general election 1987 1987 elections, after which he became a Parliamentary Secretary Parliamentary Undersecretary. Later, in 1990, he became Minister of Regional Development, Associate Minister for the Environment, and Associate Minister of Justice (New Zealand) Minister of Justice. He retained his seat again in the New Zealand general election 1990 1990 elections, but the Labour government suffered defeat, and Dunne lost his ministerial posts. In the New Zealand general election 1993 1993 elections, Dunne won the seat of Onslow, which covered much the same area as his former Ohariu seat. He found himself, however, increasingly at odds with the rest of the Labour Party — Dunne tended to support Labour's right-leaning faction rather than the party's more labor union unionist wing. With the departure of leading right-wingers like Roger Douglas, Richard Prebble, and David Caygill, he found himself isolated. In October 1994 Dunne resigned from the Labour Party, becoming an independent (politician) independent. A short time later, he established the Future New Zealand (Dunne) Future New Zealand party (not to be confused with Future New Zealand a later party of the same name).

The United New Zealand Party
In 1995, however, a group of MPs from both Labour and New Zealand National Party National decided to band together and form a new centrism centrist party. Dunne, who had already quit his party in a similar way, decided to join the larger group. Together, the defectors and Dunne established the United New Zealand party, with a total of seven MPs, led by Clive Matthewson. United eventually established a coalition with the National Party, with the deal seeing Dunne return to New Zealand Cabinet Cabinet as Minister of Internal Affairs (New Zealand) Minister of Internal Affairs and Inland Revenue. The New Zealand general election 1996 1996 elections, however, saw United almost completely wiped out — Dunne, by virtue of his personal support, won the newly-formed seat of Ohariu-Belmont, but all other United MPs suffered defeat. As the sole surviving United member, Dunne became the party's leader. Towards the end of the parliamentary term, Dunne became part of a varied assortment of minor parties and independents who kept the National Party government in office after its coalition with New Zealand First collapsed in August 1998. Dunne re-won his seat in the New Zealand general election 1999 1999 elections. In this contest, the National Party put up no candidate in his electorate.

The United Future New Zealand Party
Shortly before the New Zealand general election 2002 2002 elections, Dunne's United merged with the Future New Zealand party (not to be confused with Dunne's own earlier party of the same name). Dunne remained leader of the new group, called United Future New Zealand. In the New Zealand general election 2002 2002 elections, Dunne retained his seat despite challenges from both major parties. Mostly as a result of a strong performance by Dunne in a televised political debate, United Future surged unexpectedly in support, winning 6.69% of the nationwide party vote. In Parliament, United Future came to an agreement to support the governing New Zealand Labour Party Labour Party, although the two parties did not enter into a formal coalition arrangement. Dunne remained United Future's leader.

The United Future New Zealand Party working with Outdoors Recreation
United Future, like other minor political parties working in coalition, suffered in the polls. The United Future entered an agreement to work formally with the Outdoors Recreation Party, a registered political party formed to represent the views of hunters, fishers, trampers and recreational users of the marine and natural environment. Dunne retained his seat in the New Zealand general election, 2005 2005 general election but his party's proportion of the nationwide vote diminished by massive margin, with a corresponding loss of seats in Parliament. On 17 October 2005 Dunne gave his support to a Labour-led Government, with the support of Winston Peters’ New Zealand First Party and Jim Anderton’s Progressive Party. Dunne’s decision to support a Labour-led Government disappointed some. During the election campaign Dunne and National Leader Don Brash publicly sat outside an Epsom, New Zealand Epsom café over a cup of tea as a demonstration to the electorate that Dunne could co-operate with the National Party. This demonstration saw the majority of National supporters in Ohariu-Belmont combine with United Future and other Dunne-supporters to return Peter Dunne with a comfortable majority. National comfortably won the party vote in his seat. Dunne’s decision to work with Winston Peters also couterpointed Dunne's previous comments about Peters’ reliability. In one well-publicised press release Dunne reworded one of Peters’ well-publicised campaign phrases by saying [http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0509/S00438.htm "Can we trust him? No, we can’t!"] Don Brash expressed a lack of amusement with Dunne's decision to support a Labour-led coalition government. Brash expressed astonishment at Dunne accepting the important ministerial portfolio of Revenue while remaining outside Cabinet. Asked if he considered Mr Dunne [http://www.nzherald.co.nz/event/story.cfm?c_id=1500891&ObjectID=10351002 guilty of dirty dealing], Dr Brash said he would not use those words. Representatives of business, however, [http://www.nzherald.co.nz/event/story.cfm?c_id=1500891&ObjectID=10350959 welcomed] the appointment.

Political Philosophy
Dunne sees himself as a centrism centrist and generally describes his policies as based on common sense. His supporters promote him as sensible and reasonable. Opponents incline rather to criticise him as a right-wing conservatism conservative, pointing to his opposition to Recreational drug use drug-law reform, his opposition to the Civil unions in New Zealand Civil Union Bill (insofar as the institution of civil unions gives support to heterosexual and homosexual marriage-like rights), his support for the tobacco industry, and his party's emphasis on family values. His record in Parliament has also come under scrutiny; supporters regard his willingness to work with either side of the House as a sign of reasonableness, while critics accuse him of opportunism, and of doing deals with anyone who can offer him something. He now aims to appeal to morally conservative New Zealanders--indeed, many of United Future's policies mirror those of the old Future New Zealand. Prior to the merger, United used the motto "New Zealand's Liberal Party".

External links

- Peter Dunne biography (United Future website)
- Peter Dunne biography (New Zealand Parliament website) Category:New Zealand politicians Dunne, Peter Category:United Future New Zealand MPs Dunne, Peter Category:United New Zealand MPs Dunne, Peter Category:New Zealand Labour Party MPs Dunne, Peter Category:1954 births Dunne, Peter Category:Living people Dunne, Peter

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