Rachel Brooking

Rachel Jane Brooking[1] (born 18 October 1975)[2] is a New Zealand Labour Party politician and Member of Parliament who is currently serving as the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries and Minister for Food Safety in the Sixth Labour Government. She first became an MP at the 2020 New Zealand general election.[3] She is a lawyer by profession.

The Honourable
Rachel Brooking
MP
13th Minister for Oceans and Fisheries
Assumed office
12 April 2023
Prime MinisterChris Hipkins
Preceded byDavid Parker (acting)
Member of the New Zealand Parliament
for Labour party list
Assumed office
17 October 2020
Personal details
Born (1975-10-18) 18 October 1975
Political partyLabour
SpouseDr Chris Jackson
Children3
Alma materUniversity of Otago
ProfessionLawyer

Biography

Brooking has a double degree in ecology and law from the University of Otago.[4]

Prior to entering Parliament, Brooking worked as a lawyer.[5] She specialised in environmental, resource management and local government law, and worked for a period for the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment in Wellington before returning to Dunedin to practice law with Anderson Lloyd.[4] In 2019, Brooking was appointed to a government panel charged with reviewing the Resource Management Act 1991.[2][6] She was previously the chair of the Otago/Southland branch of the Resource Management Law Association.[3]

Brooking became a student activist in 1994, her first year at university, protesting against education minister Lockwood Smith due to excessively high student fees. Later she was voted president of the Otago University Students' Association in 1997.[4] In 2010, Brooking was appointed to the board of University Book Shop (Otago) Ltd, and in 2019 to the board of Dunedin International Airport.[3]

Political career
New Zealand Parliament
Years Term Electorate List Party
2020–present 53rd List 46 Labour

At the 2020 election Brooking stood for Parliament for the Labour Party. She hoped to be Labour's candidate for the Dunedin South electorate, later renamed Taieri, but Labour selected Ingrid Leary instead.[7] Brooking was ranked 46 on the party list,[8] which was a high enough ranking to enter Parliament.[9] The day after the election was also her birthday.[2] In her first term, she was appointed deputy chair of the environment committee and the regulations review committee.[10]

The day after Dunedin MP David Clark announced his upcoming retirement on 13 December 2022, Brooking said she would be seeking nomination to be the Labour candidate for the electorate in 2023.[11] She was successful and selected to stand in the seat.[12]

On 11 April 2023, Brooking was appointed as Minister of Oceans and Fisheries, and also allocated the associate environment and immigration portfolios.[13] She is a minister outside cabinet.[14] Brooking was given the Food Safety portfolio following Meka Whaitiri's switch to Te Pāti Māori.[15]

Personal life

Brooking is married to Dr Chris Jackson, a cancer specialist/oncologist who was the medical director for the Cancer Society of New Zealand. They have three children.[2][3] Her father Tom Brooking is an emeritus history professor and retired lecturer at the University of Otago.[16]

References
  1. "Event – New Zealand Parliament". www.parliament.nz.
  2. Law, Tina (18 October 2020). "Double celebration for new Labour list MP". Stuff. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  3. "Election 2020: The 40 diverse new MPs entering Parliament". Newstalk ZB. 18 October 2020. Archived from the original on 22 October 2020. Retrieved 16 November 2020 – via The New Zealand Herald.
  4. Houlahan, Mike (19 October 2020). "From student activist to Labour list MP". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  5. McNeilly, Hamish (20 February 2020). "Simon Bridges confident National can breach Labour's southern stronghold". Stuff. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  6. Dolor, Sol (18 September 2019). "Senior Anderson Lloyd lawyers join environment advisory panels". www.thelawyermag.com. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  7. Houlahan, Mike (2 March 2020). "Labour picks Dunedin South seat candidate". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  8. "Labour announces list for 2020 Election". Labour. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  9. "2020 General Election and Referendums – Official Result Successful Candidates". Electoral Commission. Retrieved 5 February 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  10. "Brooking, Rachel – New Zealand Parliament". www.parliament.nz. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  11. Houlahan, Mike (14 December 2022). "Brooking puts name forward for seat". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  12. "Brooking to contest seat at election". Otago Daily Times. 4 March 2023. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
  13. "Rise for Brooking in Cabinet reshuffle". Otago Daily Times. 11 April 2023. Retrieved 12 April 2023.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  14. "Ministerial List | Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (DPMC)". www.dpmc.govt.nz. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
  15. "Hipkins reallocates Meka Whaitiri's portfolios". RNZ. 8 May 2023. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  16. Morris, Chris (23 February 2019). "Emeritus professor's life saved by friend's CPR". Otago Daily Times. Archived from the original on 21 February 2022. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
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