Michael Laws (born 1957), a New Zealand politician, broadcaster and columnist, served two terms as a Member of the New Zealand Parliament, representing the National Party (1990 - 1996) and New Zealand First (1996). He was elected Mayor of Wanganui in 2004 and again in 2007. The New Zealand Parliament is the legislative body of the New Zealand government. ... The New Zealand National Party (National or the Nats) currently forms the second-largest (in terms of seats) political party represented in the New Zealand Parliament, and thus functions as the core of the parliamentary Opposition. ... New Zealand First functions as a political party in New Zealand. ... A mayor (from the Latin māior, meaning larger, greater) is the modern title of the highest ranking municipal officer. ... Wanganui   is an urban area and district on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. ...

Early life

Born in Wairoa, Laws moved with his parents to Wanganui where he received his pre-tertiary education at Tawhero Primary School, Wanganui Intermediate School and Wanganui Boys' College. His father, Keith Laws, a schoolteacher, became Rector (Principal) of Waitaki Boys' High School (Oamaru) and then of Scots College, Wellington. On leaving school, Laws spent two seasons at the Whakatu freezing works before entering Otago University, where he graduated with first-class honours in history and earned a University Grants Committee Postgraduate Scholarship. (He later obtained a Master of Arts from Victoria University). During his time at Otago he attracted controversy as a key member of a student organisation that supported the 1981 Springbok Tour. He also became an accomplished public speaker and captained both the New Zealand Universities and New Zealand debating teams in the early-mid 1980s. This article is about the New Zealand town. ... Waitaki Boys High School is a secondary school for boys near Oamaru, Otago, New Zealand, with boarding facilities. ... Scots College is a private (independent) boys primary and secondary school located in Wellington, New Zealand. ... The University of Otago (Māori: ) in Dunedin is New Zealands oldest university with over 20,000 students enrolled during 2006. ... A Master of Arts is a postgraduate academic masters degree awarded by universities in North America and the United Kingdom (excluding the ancient universities of Scotland and Oxbridge. ... Victoria Universitys Kelburn Campus. ... The 1981 Springbok Tour (still known by many in New Zealand as The Tour) was a controversial tour of New Zealand by the South African Springbok rugby union team. ... A modern day speaker addressing an audience through microphones Public speaking is the process of speaking to a group of people in a structured, deliberate manner intended to inform, influence, or entertain the listeners. ... Debate is a formalized system of (usually) logical argument. ...

Member of Parliament

Having become involved in the New Zealand Young Nationals (the youth wing of the National Party), Laws worked as a parliamentary researcher for National between 1985 and 1989. Most of this time he spent as a senior researcher and press secretary, including assisting the dissident National MP Winston Peters from 1987 to 1989. In the 1987 elections, Laws stood as the National candidate for the Hawke's Bay seat, but failed to defeat the incumbent Bill Sutton of the Labour Party. In the 1990 elections, however, Laws wrested the seat from Sutton to enter parliament. In the 1993 elections he retained his seat with an increased majority despite a significant nation-wide swing away from the National Party. The New Zealand Young Nationals are the youth wing of the New Zealand National Party a centre-right political party in New Zealand. ... A press secretary is a senior advisor (usually to a politician) who provides advice on how to deal with the media and, using news management techniques, helps them to maintain a positive public image and avoid negative media coverage. ... Winston Raymond Peters, PC, (born April 11, 1945) is a New Zealand politician and the current Minister of Foreign Affairs, outside cabinet. ... The 1987 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament. ... Hawkes Bay is a region of New Zealand. ... The New Zealand Labour Party is a New Zealand political party. ... The 1990 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliaments 43rd term. ... The 1993 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament. ...

Renegade MP

Laws never had a good relationship with the National Party's senior hierarchy. As a researcher he had done much of his work for Winston Peters, whom party leader Jim Bolger looked upon with disapproval. Tensions persisted between Laws and Bolger after Laws became an MP, made worse by Laws' declaration that he would attempt to follow popular opinion in Hawke's Bay rather than National Party policy. Laws voted against his party on a number of issues, joining several other dissident MPs to oppose the economic policies of the Minister of Finance Ruth Richardson. In early 1991 he even organised public seminars designed to avoid his government's new superannuation surtax policies. The Bolger administration later abandoned the surtax, but Laws earned the ongoing enmity of his colleagues for his stance. He also championed the unsuccessful Death with Dignity Bill, which aimed to legalise voluntary euthanasia. The terminal illness of Cam Campion, a fellow dissident in Laws' first term in parliament, prompted this advocacy. Winston Raymond Peters, PC, (born April 11, 1945) is a New Zealand politician and the current Minister of Foreign Affairs, outside cabinet. ... The Right Honourable James Brendan Jim Bolger, ONZ, (born 31 May 1935) was Prime Minister of New Zealand from 1990 to 1997. ... The finance minister is a cabinet position in a government. ... Ruth Richardson (born December 13, 1950) served as New Zealands Minister of Finance from 1990 to 1993, and is known for her strong pursuit of radical economic reforms (sometimes known as Ruthanasia). Early life Richardson was born in southern Taranaki on 13 December 1950. ... Cameron (Cam) Campion (1943 - 1995) was a New Zealand politician of the National Party. ...

Throughout his parliamentary career, rumours frequently circulated that Laws planned to join a new party. When Gilbert Myles and Hamish MacIntyre, angry about Ruth Richardson's policies, founded the new Liberal Party, they invited Laws to join them, but he declined. Later, when his old boss Winston Peters established the New Zealand First party, rumours claimed Laws had considered changing parties, but eventually decided that New Zealand First lacked the organisation and principle for success. Finally, Laws became involved in discussions with Mike Moore, former leader (1990 - 1993) of the Labour Party, to establish a new centrist party. It did not eventuate, however, with Laws claiming that Moore showed unwillingness to commit to it. In the end, Laws' relationship with the National Party deteriorated to the point where he no longer attended caucus meetings, and he decided to join New Zealand First in April 1996. Gilbert Myles JP was a New Zealand politician. ... Hamish MacIntyre was a New Zealand politician of the National Party, then the Alliance. ... The New Zealand Liberal Party founded in 1992 (not to be confused with the original Liberal Party) was a splinter group of the National Party. ... This page is about the New Zealand politician and Director-General of the World Trade Organization. ... The New Zealand Democratic Coalition was a proposed moderate political party intended to contest the 1996 General Election. ...

The "Antoinette Beck" scandal

Laws did not remain in parliament much longer, due to the "Antoinette Beck" political scandal. Laws employed a company part-owned by his wife to conduct a Napier City Council communications poll, in his capacity as a recently-elected (October 1995) Napier city councillor. This contravened the Local Government (Member's Interests) Act, but Laws claimed that "there had been no profit to either company or individuals", and an official inquiry by the Auditor-General confirmed found only a minor and unintentional breach of regulations.

However, Laws' conduct during the matter attracted strong criticism, with Laws misleading the public on a number of issues, and he eventually resigned from parliament. Differing opinions exist over the whole controversy. Laws acknowledges that he did things which he should not have done, but described the scandal as a relatively minor matter which his numerous political enemies blew out of proportion. His opponents paint Laws as corrupt. Official investigations by the New Zealand Police, by the Serious Fraud Office and by the Auditor-General found he had no case to answer. The latter declared that he made "an honest mistake" in not declaring his wife Karen's shareholding in the company that contracted to the Napier City Council to conduct the poll. This poll led to the "Antoinette Beck" affair, so named after a person who did not exist signed off the poll with this name.

Two of Laws' principal antagonists in the Antoinette Beck affair - Napier city councillors John Harrison and Kerry Single - unsuccessfully sued him for defamation, and Laws personally defended himself in the Napier High Court in December 1997. The Court awarded costs of over NZ$200,000 against the joint plaintiffs, and this court victory appeared to re-ignite Laws' public career.

Although he had left Parliament, Laws remained involved in politics, managing New Zealand First's campaign for the general election held on 12 October 1996. He would later write in his political autobiography that the experience resembled nursing a stick of unstable dynamite. Later he served as an adviser to Neil Kirton, who emerged as New Zealand First's leading dissident despite his position as an Associate Minister of Health. Laws' association with Kirton irritated the National Party, which had formed a coalition with New Zealand First. Eventually, the New Zealand First parliamentary leader, Winston Peters, sacked Kirton. Later, Laws worked in the public-relations industry. He eventually became a broadcaster, working in both radio and television. The 1996 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament. ... is the 285th day of the year (286th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ... Neil Kirton is a former New Zealand politician. ... // The term Public Relations was first used by the US President Thomas Jefferson during his address to Congress in 1807. ...

Mayor of Wanganui

Laws returned to politics in 2004 by successfully contesting the mayoralty of Wanganui District Council. He formed and led a "Vision Wanganui" team at the local-body elections, capturing the majority of the council seats and unseating incumbent mayor Chas Poynter, who had served for 18 years in that position. Laws immediately opened the council's finance figures to the public, introduced yearly referendums, announced management restructuring and lobbied successfully for a nil rate-increase for the district [1]. A local community newspaper, River City Press made him its inaugural "Person of the Year" for 2005.

However, Laws' mayoralty generated controversy, with some citizens complaining about derogatory comments he made about some Wanganui residents. An internal committee of investigation in mid-2005 (comprising mainly Laws' political allies) found that he had not breached the council's code of conduct, but his administration remained controversial. He dismayed the local arts community by canning plans for an extension to the Sarjeant Art Gallery while increasing funding for other local recreational facilities. Nonetheless, his "Vision Wanganui" grouping subsequently won two council by-elections in February 2006. Look up Code of Conduct in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Things called code of conduct or Code of Conduct include: code of conduct — a set of rules to guide behaviour and decisions Code of Conduct — a 2001 movie starring Kevin Bacon Code of Conduct — a book by Kirstine Smith that... The Sarjeant Art Gallery is located in Queens Park, Wanganui. ...

In August 2006, in his roles as both talkback-radio host and mayor, Michael Laws caused national controversy for refusing to lower the municipal flag to recognise the death of Tongan king, King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV (reigned 1965 - 2006). On his radio show Laws described the deceased monarch as "a bloated, brown slug" and referred to the anti-democratic leadership of the Tongan royal family. Some people perceived the comments to be an insult to the Tongan community residing in New Zealand, and minor protests occurred, including a complaint to the Broadcasting Standards Authority (BSA). The BSA subsequently cleared Laws of any breach of broadcasting standards, and later the New Zealand Press Council cleared columns he wrote on peanut-allergy sufferers and on public-school bans. However, New Zealand Herald readers judged it the "worst insult of 2006", marginally eclipsing prime minister Helen Clark's "cancerous" description of then Leader of the Opposition, Don Brash. For other uses, see Talk Radio. ... Wikinews has news related to: King of Tonga dies, aged 88 Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV, King of Tonga (4 July 1918 – 10 September 2006), GCMG (1977); GCVO (1970); KBE (1958); son of Queen Sālote Tupou III and her consort Prince Viliami Tungī Mailefihi, was the king of Tonga... Leader redirects here. ... The Broadcasting Standards Authority (BSA) is a New Zealand Crown Entity created by the Broadcasting Act 1989 to develop and uphold standards of brodcasting for radio, free-to-air and pay television. ... The New Zealand Press Council is a Non Governmental Organisation which exists to uphold standards in the New Zealand print media and promote freedom of speech in New Zealand. ... For the officer of arms, see New Zealand Herald Extraordinary. ... For other persons named Helen Clark, see Helen Clark (disambiguation). ... Dr Donald Thomas Brash (born 24 September 1940), New Zealand politician, served as the Leader of the Opposition and parliamentary leader of the National Party, the countrys main Opposition party from 28 October 2003 to 27 November 2006. ...

Despite his controversial style, Laws has acquired the reputation of having rejuvenated the "River City" (Wanganui). A couple of New Zealand newspapers, the Herald on Sunday(Feb 2007) and the National Business Review (December 2006) credit him with having raised Wanganui's profile and having had a positive effect upon property-prices. For the officer of arms, see New Zealand Herald Extraordinary. ... The National Business Review is a weekly New Zealand newspaper aimed at the business sector. ...

In November 2006 Laws announced he would not contest the mayoralty at the 2007 local-body elections. He said he wanted to spend more time with his family, especially his young daughters Lucy and Zoe, but did not rule himself out of standing for lesser public offices. He had previously announced he had signed a five-year contract with RadioWorks to continue his morning talkback show on Radio Live. Wanganui District Deputy Mayor Dot McKinnon subsequently announced she would seek the Vision mayoralty nomination. MediaWorks NZ is a company based in New Zealand and listed on the New Zealand Stock Market. ... Radio Live is a nationwide New Zealand talkback and news radio network owned by CanWest MediaWorks NZ. The station broadcasts from Auckland and has frequencies in most regions of New Zealand. ...

Laws campaigned vigorously against criminal gangs (such as the Mongrel Mob, Black Power, Hells Angels) and in April 2007 campaigned for a Yes vote in a Wanganui referendum to outlaw gang patches and regalia in the Wanganui district. As a result, the council has drafted a local bill for introduction into Parliament. A subsequent gang-related drive-by shooting of a two-year-old toddler occurred in Wanganui and Laws reportedly^{[citation needed]} seeks legislation to outlaw gangs as well as gang patches. The Mongrel Mob is a New Zealand gang formed and organised in Petone near Wellington, New Zealand. ... Black Power is a prominent gang in New Zealand. ... This article is about the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club. ...

Laws' reputation with the Wanganui public proved to be mainly positive when a 2007 independent council-commissioned survey relating to public perception of the council and its services returned a 77 percent positive rating, a significant improvement on a 2003 survey. He subsequently changed his mind about retiring from the mayoralty and on the last day of local government nominations 24 August 2007 announced he would stand for a second term for mayor, (and as part of a "reformist" 'Health First' team for the Whanganui District Health Board).

On 13 October 2007, Michael Laws was re-elected mayor with an increased majority, gaining about 50 percent more votes than the next candidate, John Martin, and with a majority 55 percent of the total vote. However, his 'Vision Wanganui' team lost its majority around the council table, winning only five of 12 seats. The subsequent resignation of a non-Vision councillor for health reasons restored the pre-election status quo. Laws was also elected to the health board, as were two of his 'Health First' team. is the 286th day of the year (287th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ...

Other information

Laws has written three books which have sold well. The first, The Demon Profession, released in August 1998, comprised a political memoir that Laws characterised as an inside view into the real workings of politics. The following year he released a novel entitled Dancing With Beelzebub. His third book, Gladiator - the Norm Hewitt story, became the New Zealand No 1 bestseller over Christmas/New Year 2001 and sold over 35,000 copies.

Laws hosts a nation-wide morning talkback radio show on Radio Live, hosts his own weekly rugby media show on SKY Network Television, and writes a weekly column for The Sunday Star-Times newspaper which won him the Charles Southwell Prize in 2003. He has also appeared on various "celebrity" and "reality television" shows. For other uses, see Talk Radio. ... Radio Live is a nationwide New Zealand talkback and news radio network owned by CanWest MediaWorks NZ. The station broadcasts from Auckland and has frequencies in most regions of New Zealand. ... SKY Network Television Limited (ASX: ; NZX: SKT), often trading as SKY, is a New Zealand pay television service. ... A columnist is a journalist who produces a specific form of writing for publication called a column. Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and the Internet. ... The Sunday Star-Times is a New Zealand newspaper published each weekend by the Fairfax group in Auckland. ... For other uses, see Celebrity (disambiguation). ... // This article is about the genre of TV shows. ...

Laws' partner, Leonie Brookhammer, gained election as a Horizons ( Manawatu-Wanganui) regional councillor in 2004. They have two children: Lucy (born 2004) and Zoe (born 2006). Laws has two other children from previous relationships: James (born 1978) and Rachel (born 1979). Brookhammer quit at the 2007 election, having been appointed CEO of 'Natural Fertility New Zealand'. Manawatu-Wanganui is a region situated in the lower half of the North Island of New Zealand, around the city of Palmerston North and the central city of Wanganui. ...

In April 2007 Laws won selection to participate in the TV series Dancing with the Stars with dance-partner Lauren de Boeck. Prior to the competition he broke a bone in his foot while practising, but vowed to continue, saying that Wanganui would benefit from the nationwide coverage. In his Sunday Star-Times column he classed himself as "a dancing duffer", and he did not survive the third episode of the competition.

Sources

Laws, Michael (1998). The Demon Profession. Auckland: HarperCollins (New Zealand).  ISBN 1-86950-257-4

External links

• Official website
• Council website
• LawsWatch website
• New Zealand Association of Rationalists and Humanists. The Open Society, Volume 76 No. 3 Spring 2003 (PDF, 272 KB) Page 17 (PDF 19), brief biography