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Liz Craig

Elizabeth Dorothy Craig (born 1967) is a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party. She served as a Member of Parliament from 2017 to 2023. As a public health physician before entering Parliament, she is known for her research work on child poverty.

Early life and family

Craig was born in 1967[1] and received her secondary education at Spotswood College in New Plymouth. She left New Plymouth at the age of 18 to attend medical school in Auckland.[2] She was married to David Craig for 27 years, with whom she has two children.[3][4] In January 2020 she married Philip Melgren.[5]

Prior to the 2014 election, she lived in Dunedin. For the 2014 election, the family split its time between Dunedin and Romahapa in The Catlins.[3] In 2016, when her selection for the Invercargill electorate was confirmed, she started looking for a house in Invercargill and has lived there since.[6][7]

Public health career

Craig is a public health doctor and child poverty advocate.[8] In 2009, she won a $50,000 Dunedin School of Medicine's research development investment award, and she established a child and youth health policy research unit with that funding.[9] She was the director of the New Zealand Child and Youth Epidemiology Service of the University of Otago.[10] In 2012, she warned that New Zealanders had to get used to poor children suffering from Third World diseases.[11] She was part of a group that compiled an annual child poverty monitor, and the group has been credited with making the issue one of the core topics of the 2017 election.[12] Craig resigned as director from the research group, and as editor of the child poverty monitor, prior to the 2014 election.[3]

Political career

Craig stressed that her political views were formed through her work on child poverty, and "not the other way around".[3] She joined the Labour Party in 2010 and was a contributing author of Labour's children's policies for the 2011 and 2014 elections.[13] She stood for Labour in the Clutha-Southland electorate in the 2014 election, placing second. Ranked 32 on the Labour list, she was not returned on the list either.[14]

In May 2016, she was selected unopposed to contest the Invercargill electorate at the 2017 election.[12] Craig was placed 31 on Labour's party list.[15] Craig lost the electorate to incumbent Sarah Dowie, but entered parliament via the Party list.[16] In her first term, she was a member of the health, environment and regulations review committees.[17]

During the 2020 election, Craig contested the Invercargill electorate but lost to National candidate Penny Simmonds by 224 votes.[18] Craig had trailed by 685 votes in the preliminary results, causing speculation that she could win the seat when the special votes were counted.[19][20] Despite this defeat, Craig was able to remain in Parliament via the Labour Party list.[21]

Craig was chair of the health select committee from 2020 to 2022 when she was appointed the Parliamentary Private Secretary for Health.[22]

During the 2023 New Zealand general election, she contested Invercargill for a third time.[23][24] She came second place to National candidate Penny Simmonds, who won by a margin of 10,945 votes.[25] Due to her low ranking on the Labour Party list, she was not re-elected to Parliament.[26]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Liz Craig.
  1. ^ "Roll of members of the New Zealand House of Representatives, 1854 onwards" (PDF). New Zealand Parliament. 24 May 2019. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
  2. ^ "Election 2020: Invercargill candidates for local MP". 1 October 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d Goodwin, Eileen (3 June 2014). "Children in poverty motivation for Labour candidate". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  4. ^ "Dr Liz Craig". Labour Party. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  5. ^ Fallow, Michael (20 January 2020). "Invercargill list MP Liz Craig marries 'best friend' Philip Melgren". Stuff. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  6. ^ Woolf, Amber-Leigh (20 May 2016). "Dr Liz Craig nominated as Labour's candidate for Invercargill". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  7. ^ Goodwin, Eileen (24 September 2017). "South elects three new MPs". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  8. ^ Woolf, Amber-Leigh (20 May 2016). "Dr Liz Craig nominated as Labour's candidate for Invercargill". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 18 August 2017.
  9. ^ "Medical school awards boost research plans". Otago Daily Times. 7 July 2009. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  10. ^ Elder, Vaughan (10 December 2012). "Poverty: time 'to wake up'". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  11. ^ "Child health, wealth, happiness". Otago Daily Times. 14 December 2012. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  12. ^ a b Goodwin, Eileen (21 May 2016). "Labour picks Craig for seat". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
  13. ^ Marshall, Andrew (17 April 2018). "Craig's local office open for business". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
  14. ^ "Labour List for the 2014 Election Announced" (Press release). New Zealand Labour Party. Scoop. 23 June 2014. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
  15. ^ "Revised Labour Party List for the 2017 Election". Scoop.co.nz. 15 August 2017. Retrieved 15 August 2017.
  16. ^ "Successful Candidates". Electoral Commission. 23 September 2017. Archived from the original on 28 September 2017. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
  17. ^ "Craig, Liz – New Zealand Parliament". www.parliament.nz. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  18. ^ "Invercargill – Official Results". Electoral Commission. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
  19. ^ "Special delivery: what will those extra votes change for Invercargill?". Stuff. 22 October 2020. Archived from the original on 23 October 2020. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  20. ^ "Invercargill – Preliminary Count". Electoral Commission. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  21. ^ "2020 General Election and Referendums – Official Result Successful Candidates". Electoral Commission. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  22. ^ Cooke, Henry (3 May 2022). "Labour MP Liz Craig appointed new Parliamentary Private Secretary for Health, new role supporting health ministers". Stuff. Archived from the original on 2 July 2022. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
  23. ^ Houlahan, Mike (14 December 2022). "Brooking puts name forward for seat". Otago Daily Times. Archived from the original on 23 December 2022. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  24. ^ "Liz Craig selected as Invercargill's Labour candidate for 2023". The Southland Times. Stuff. 12 December 2022. Archived from the original on 14 October 2023. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  25. ^ "Invercargill - Official Result". Electoral Commission. 3 November 2023. Archived from the original on 23 November 2023. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
  26. ^ Johari, Sneha (14 October 2023). "Labour's Liz Craig to leave Parliament". The Southland Times. Archived from the original on 20 October 2023. Retrieved 10 December 2023.