David Benson-Pope

The Honourable David Benson-Pope
File:Benson-Pope.jpg Benson Pope in December 2006, next to Ruth Dyson
4th Minister for the Environment
In office 19 October 2005 – 27 July 2007
Prime Minister	Helen Clark
Preceded by	Marian Hobbs
Succeeded by	David Parker (acting) Trevor Mallard
Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Dunedin South
In office 1999 – 2008
Preceded by	Dr Michael Cullen
Succeeded by	Clare Curran
Majority	10,640 (30.27%)
Personal details
Born	1950 (age 73–74)
Political party	Labour
Children	Henry Sammy
Occupation	Teacher

David Henry Benson-Pope (born 1950) is a New Zealand Labour Party politician who sat in the New Zealand Parliament from 1999 to 2008. He formerly served as a cabinet minister and in 2013 was elected to the Dunedin City Council.

Early career

Born in Dunedin and educated at King's High School, Benson-Pope received his tertiary education at the University of Otago and at the Christchurch College of Education. While studying education he was president of the Students' Association at the college, and National President of the Student Teachers' Association of New Zealand. He became involved in the teachers' unions working as a teacher and was first elected to the Dunedin City Council in October 1986. He remained a city councillor for five terms until 1999, when he successfully contested the Dunedin South electorate for the Labour Party.

Member of Parliament

Parliament of New Zealand
Years	Term	Electorate	List	Party
1999–2002	46th	Dunedin South	54	Labour
2002–2005	47th	Dunedin South	36	Labour
2005–2008	48th	Dunedin South	23	Labour

In 2002, Benson-Pope became his party's Senior Whip. He entered Cabinet in 2004, becoming Minister of Fisheries, Minister Responsible for the Law Commission, Associate Minister of Justice, Associate Minister for Education (schools) and Associate Minister for the Environment. He oversaw the drafting of the legislation for civil unions in New Zealand.

Despite briefly losing his ministerial positions leading up to the 2005 general election, Benson-Pope was appointed Minister of Social Development and Employment and Minister for the Environment in the third term of the Fifth Labour Government of New Zealand.

Allegations of misconduct as a teacher

Investigate magazine published, in February 2006, allegations that he entered the girls' dormitory to awaken students twice, and that he told them once that they were taking too long to shower after a "mud run." Benson-Pope denied any impropriety.

2007 Environment Ministry allegations

Benson-Pope faced further controversy in 2007, which led to the resignation of his ministerial posts and the end of his Parliamentary career.

In 2007 he resigned the Ministerial posts and resumed the role of a backbencher representing the Dunedin South electorate. In 2008 he sought to recontest the Dunedin South seat on behalf of the Labour Party but was not chosen as the Labour Party representative for the seat.

In July 2007 it emerged that a political advisor in Benson-Pope's office (the Labour Party's Trade Union Affiliate Vice-President Steve Hurring) made phone calls which led to the sacking of the Ministry for the Environment's newly appointed Communications Manager. The issue revolved around her relationship with the chief press secretary to National's parliamentary leader John Key, despite the fact that she had "made a disclosure of her personal connections" during the appointment process. (Under New Zealand's State Sector Act, ministers and their staff may not become involved in employment matters within their ministries, with the law placing on CEOs of ministries a "duty to act independently of Ministers in matters relating to decisions on individual employees").

After a week of intense pressure focusing not only on the allegation that his staff had acted improperly, but also that he himself had misled Parliament, the media and his Prime Minister about his knowledge and involvement, Benson-Pope offered his resignation from Cabinet at noon on Friday 27 July 2007.

Prime Minister Helen Clark accepted the resignation, saying: "The way in which certain issues have been handled this week has led to a loss of credibility and on that basis I have accepted Mr Benson-Pope's offer to stand aside". An editorial commented "Not for the first time, he and the Government have been embarrassed less for what he has done than for his inability to simply say what he has done." Although Benson-Pope was later cleared of any wrongdoing in this case, he remained a backbencher for the remainder of the parliamentary term.

Later career

Benson-Pope sought the nomination of the Labour Party to contest the Dunedin South electorate in the 2008 general election but ultimately was not chosen by the party. His successor, Clare Curran, was duly elected.

Returning to Dunedin, Benson-Pope worked as a resource consent manager and sought election to the Dunedin City Council in the 2013 local body elections. He was elected on 12 October 2013.

Personal life

Benson-Pope is married with twin children.

Political offices
Preceded by Marian Hobbs	Minister for the Environment 2005–2007	Succeeded by Trevor Mallard (after David Parker as Acting Minister)
New Zealand Parliament
Preceded by Dr Michael Cullen	Member of Parliament for Dunedin South 1999–2008	Succeeded by Clare Curran

External links

• NZ Parliament website details on David Benson-Pope
• Labour Party website entry for David Benson-Pope
• Timeline: Benson-Pope career controversy, from TV ONE