Grant Murray Robertson (born 30 October 1971) is a New Zealand politician and member of the
Labour Party who has served as the 19th
deputy prime minister of New Zealand
The deputy prime minister of New Zealand ( mi, Te pirimia tuarua o Aotearoa) is the second most senior member of the Cabinet of New Zealand. The officeholder usually deputises for the prime minister at official functions. The current deputy pr ...
since 2020 and the
minister of Finance
A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation.
A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", " ...
since
2017
File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...
. He has served as
Member of Parliament
A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...
(MP) for since
2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
.
Robertson maintained and competed for several leadership positions during the party's stint in opposition following the end of the
Fifth Labour Government
The Fifth Labour Government of New Zealand was the government of New Zealand from 10 December 1999 to 19 November 2008. Labour Party leader Helen Clark negotiated a coalition with Jim Anderton, leader of the Alliance Party. While undertaking ...
. He was elected Labour's
deputy leader in 2011 under leader
David Shearer
David James Shearer (born 28 July 1957) is a New Zealand United Nations worker and politician. He was a member of the New Zealand Parliament for the Labour Party from 2009 to 2016, serving as Leader of the Opposition from 2011 to 2013.
Shear ...
, and contested the leadership of the party in both
2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
and
2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
. Subsequently, Robertson was named the party's Finance spokesperson and was ranked third on Labour's
party list
An electoral list is a grouping of candidates for election, usually found in proportional or mixed electoral systems, but also in some plurality electoral systems. An electoral list can be registered by a political party (a party list) or can ...
. Prime Minister
Jacinda Ardern
Jacinda Kate Laurell Ardern ( ; born 26 July 1980) is a New Zealand politician who has been serving as the 40th prime minister of New Zealand and leader of the Labour Party since 2017. A member of the Labour Party, she has been the member of ...
appointed him to the Finance portfolio in the
Sixth Labour Government
The Sixth Labour Government has governed New Zealand since 26 October 2017. It is headed by Jacinda Ardern, the Labour Party leader and prime minister.
Following the 2017 general election held on 23 September, the New Zealand First party h ...
. As Finance minister, Robertson has been prominent in the government's economic response to the
COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand
The COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand is part of the ongoing pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (). The first case of the disease in New Zealand was reported on 28 February 2 ...
.
Following the
2020 general election he was appointed the 19th Deputy Prime Minister by Prime Minister Ardern. Robertson assumed the role on 6 November, becoming the first
openly gay
Coming out of the closet, often shortened to coming out, is a metaphor used to describe LGBT people's self-disclosure of their sexual orientation, romantic orientation, or gender identity.
Framed and debated as a privacy issue, coming out of ...
deputy prime minister.
Early life
Robertson was born in
Palmerston North
Palmerston North (; mi, Te Papa-i-Oea, known colloquially as Palmy) is a city in the North Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Manawatū-Whanganui region. Located in the eastern Manawatu Plains, the city is near the north bank of the ...
, the youngest of three boys. His Presbyterian family lived in
Hastings
Hastings () is a large seaside town and borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England,
east to the county town of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to the north-west ...
before settling in
South Dunedin
South Dunedin is a major inner city suburb of the New Zealand city of Dunedin. It is located, as its name suggests, to the south of the city centre, on part of a large plain known locally simply as "The Flat". The suburb is a mix of industrial ...
. His mother initially stayed at home before later becoming a teacher. His father was an accountant, who was imprisoned in 1991 for stealing around $120,000 from the law firm he worked for.
His grandfather Bob Wilkie ran unsuccessfully for Labour in the
Wairarapa
The Wairarapa (; ), a geographical region of New Zealand, lies in the south-eastern corner of the North Island, east of metropolitan Wellington and south-west of the Hawke's Bay Region. It is lightly populated, having several rural service ...
electorate in and .
Robertson attended
King's High School
King's High School is a private, interdenominational Christian school, located in Shoreline, Washington, just north of Seattle. It is part of King's Schools. It enrolls approximately 470 students in 9th through 12th grade. King's High School al ...
in Dunedin, where he was head boy.
He then studied
political studies
Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...
at the
University of Otago
, image_name = University of Otago Registry Building2.jpg
, image_size =
, caption = University clock tower
, motto = la, Sapere aude
, mottoeng = Dare to be wise
, established = 1869; 152 years ago
, type = Public research collegiate u ...
, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts with honours in 1995. His honours dissertation studied the restructuring of the
New Zealand University Students' Association in the 1980s. Robertson served as President of the
Otago University Students' Association
The Otago University Students' Association (OUSA) is the Students' Association of the University of Otago, New Zealand. OUSA was founded in 1890 to advance student interests on campus.
Today, OUSA provides a combination of representation, welf ...
in 1993 and as co-president of the New Zealand University Students' Association in 1996.
Professional life
Robertson joined the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade may refer to:
* Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade (Jamaica)
* Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (New Zealand)
* Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (South Korea)
South Korea's Ministry of ...
in 1997 after leaving university. His overseas postings included the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
in New York. Robertson also managed the
NZ Overseas Aid Programme to
Samoa
Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands (Manono Island, Manono an ...
– a $7.7 million fund with projects in diverse areas such as basic education, healthcare, public sector capacity building, small business development and the empowerment of women. He left MFAT in 2001.
Robertson returned to New Zealand during the first term of the
Fifth Labour Government
The Fifth Labour Government of New Zealand was the government of New Zealand from 10 December 1999 to 19 November 2008. Labour Party leader Helen Clark negotiated a coalition with Jim Anderton, leader of the Alliance Party. While undertaking ...
to work as a Ministerial advisor to Minister for the Environment
Marian Hobbs
Marian Leslie Hobbs (born 18 December 1947) is a New Zealand politician who was a Labour Member of Parliament from 1996 to 2008. She was initially a list MP and then (from 1999) represented the electorate. She served as Minister for the Enviro ...
and later Prime Minister
Helen Clark
Helen Elizabeth Clark (born 26 February 1950) is a New Zealand politician who served as the 37th prime minister of New Zealand from 1999 to 2008, and was the administrator of the United Nations Development Programme from 2009 to 2017. She was ...
. During his time in Clark's office, Robertson was rumoured to have the nickname "H3" during the
2005 general election", H1" being Clark, and "H2" being Clark's Chief of Staff
Heather Simpson.
After the 2005 election, Robertson left the Prime Minister's office to work as the Senior Research Marketing Manager for the
University of Otago
, image_name = University of Otago Registry Building2.jpg
, image_size =
, caption = University clock tower
, motto = la, Sapere aude
, mottoeng = Dare to be wise
, established = 1869; 152 years ago
, type = Public research collegiate u ...
based at the Wellington School of Medicine.
Member of Parliament
Campaign for Wellington Central: 2008
In late 2006, sitting MP for Wellington Central
Marian Hobbs
Marian Leslie Hobbs (born 18 December 1947) is a New Zealand politician who was a Labour Member of Parliament from 1996 to 2008. She was initially a list MP and then (from 1999) represented the electorate. She served as Minister for the Enviro ...
announced that she would be retiring at the 2008 general election. Robertson was considered to be a front runner
and was subsequently selected unopposed.
Robertson ran a well-staffed campaign, based on local issues like the closure of the Crossways Community Centre and threats to the Public Service. He was also involved in the formation of a Wellington inner-city residents' association.
The Labour Party list for the 2008 general election ranked Robertson at number 46.
In the Wellington Central electorate, Robertson defeated National candidate
Stephen Franks
Stephen Franks (born 1950) in Wellington, New Zealand is a commercial lawyer. At one time, he was chairman and Partner of the large firm Chapman Tripp. Franks has been a member of two political parties. He previously served as a List MP for th ...
by 1,904 votes.
Robertson's plurality, although far less than the 6,180 vote difference held by his predecessor from the previous election, reflected a large swing in party votes to the
National Party from Labour in the electorate and Robertson's status as a non-incumbent candidate.
First term in Parliament: 2008–2011
Helen Clark's government was defeated at the 2008 election. Robertson was appointed as the opposition's spokesperson for State Services, and associate spokesperson for Arts, Culture and Heritage and Foreign Affairs by new Labour leader
Phil Goff
Philip Bruce Goff (born 22 June 1953) is a New Zealand politician. He was a member of the New Zealand Parliament from 1981 to 1990 and again from 1993 to 2016. He served as leader of the Labour Party and leader of the Opposition between 11 No ...
.
![Grant Robertson Post Budget Meeting](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/66/Grant_Robertson_Post_Budget_Meeting.jpg)
In May 2010 Robertson's Ethical Investment (Crown Financial Institutions) Bill was drawn from the member's ballot. According to Robertson, the Bill "sought to have clear and consistent criteria for ethical investment in the legislation that govern our major investment funds such as the Super Fund and ACC." Although the Bill gained support from MPs in the
Green
Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 Nanometre, nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by ...
and
Māori
Māori or Maori can refer to:
Relating to the Māori people
* Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group
* Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand
* Māori culture
* Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...
parties, the Bill was defeated at its first reading.
On 15 June 2010, Opposition Leader Phil Goff appointed Robertson to be Portfolio Spokesperson for Tertiary Education and the 20th-ranked Labour MP, the highest of the 2008 intake of Labour MPs to be promoted at that point. In the election year reshuffle, on 2 February 2011, Robertson was further promoted to the front bench to take the Health portfolio. Commenting on the promotion, Phil Goff said that Robertson has "made a very strong impact in a very short time" and that he "has a promising future ahead of him."
At the
2011 general election, Robertson re-contested Wellington Central against eleven other candidates. He was re-elected with 49.2 percent of the electorate vote, increasing his majority to 6,376 over National Party candidate
Paul Foster-Bell
Paul Ayers Robert Foster-Bell (born March 1977) is a former New Zealand diplomat, a politician and was a list member of the House of Representatives between May 2013 and 2017. He is a member of the National Party and a monarchist. He failed to ...
. However, the National Government was returned.
Second term: 2011–2014
![Grant Robertson (10147870444)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/21/Grant_Robertson_%2810147870444%29.jpg)
Following the election and
Annette King's resignation as Labour deputy leader, Robertson was
elected Elected may refer to:
* "Elected" (song), by Alice Cooper, 1973
* ''Elected'' (EP), by Ayreon, 2008
*The Elected, an American indie rock band
See also
*Election
An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a populatio ...
by the Labour caucus as the new deputy leader under
David Shearer
David James Shearer (born 28 July 1957) is a New Zealand United Nations worker and politician. He was a member of the New Zealand Parliament for the Labour Party from 2009 to 2016, serving as Leader of the Opposition from 2011 to 2013.
Shear ...
. In Shearer's shadow Cabinet, Robertson also served as Spokesperson for Employment, Skills and Training, and Arts, Culture and Heritage. Following Shearer's resignation from the leadership in 2013, Robertson contested the party-wide
leadership election
A leadership election is a political contest held in various countries by which the members of a political party determine who will be the leader of their party.
Generally, any political party can determine its own rules governing how and when a l ...
. Although Robertson achieved the plurality support from his colleagues in Caucus,
David Cunliffe
David Richard Cunliffe (born 30 April 1963) is a New Zealand management consultant and former politician who was Leader of the New Zealand Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition from September 2013 to September 2014. He was Member of Parli ...
garnered more support from party members and affiliates to win the overall vote.
Under Cunliffe's leadership, Robertson was the third-ranked Labour MP and held various portfolios including Spokesperson for Economic Development and Shadow Leader of the House.
Throughout 2014, Robertson was critical of National Party minister
Judith Collins
Judith Anne Collins (born 24 February 1959) is a New Zealand politician who served as the Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the New Zealand National Party from 14 July 2020 to 25 November 2021. She was the second female Leader of the Natio ...
, after she was accused of having a conflict of interest in regards to her visiting the dairy products company Oravida in China. He repeatedly called for her to resign during the Oravida saga, and when Collins later released information to the media about One News journalist Katie Bradford, he reiterated his call for her to resign, claiming she had "lost all perspective".
Third term: 2014–2017
Robertson was re-elected in the Wellington Central electorate in the
September 2014 general election. The Labour Party performed poorly and leader David Cunliffe immediately came under pressure to resign. He was seen by some in the party as taking insufficient blame for the defeat. The leading challengers for the leadership were Robertson and David Shearer. Media reports suggest that some of the Labour caucus were trying to get Cunliffe to resign so Robertson and
Jacinda Ardern
Jacinda Kate Laurell Ardern ( ; born 26 July 1980) is a New Zealand politician who has been serving as the 40th prime minister of New Zealand and leader of the Labour Party since 2017. A member of the Labour Party, she has been the member of ...
could replace the current leadership unopposed. On 26 September, the voting record in the previous leadership race of unions affiliated to Labour was released, showing Cunliffe had won very strong union support in the previous race, and highlighting the challenge for Robertson's bid.
On 28 September, after Cunliffe had signalled his intention to resign, Robertson put his name forward to run for the Labour Party leadership. Robertson pointed to Labour's poor performance in the election as leading him to run: "I couldn't stand by and see the party poll at 24 per cent and not do something now that David's triggered the contest. That's why I've put my name forward." He also argued that the Labour Party needed unity, and he would be a unifying figure, with the support of most of the Labour caucus. Because there were four candidates for the leadership, the Labour Party held a
leadership election
A leadership election is a political contest held in various countries by which the members of a political party determine who will be the leader of their party.
Generally, any political party can determine its own rules governing how and when a l ...
.
Robertson lost the leadership election to
Andrew Little by a small margin, Little receiving 50.52 per cent of the vote to Robertson's 49.48 per cent after the votes from the other unsuccessful candidates had been reallocated. However Robertson once again won the support of most of the caucus, as well as a majority of the membership. After the results were announced, Robertson said he would not seek the Labour Party leadership again in the future.
![Grant Robertson 2015 (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e7/Grant_Robertson_2015_%28cropped%29.jpg)
In Andrew Little's shadow cabinet reshuffle of November 2014, Robertson received the Finance portfolio, and was ranked number 3 on the Labour list.
As part of his Finance portfolio, he was engaged in researching international economic policy, and was responsible for the Labour Party's "Future of Work Commission." His aims for the portfolio were to cut down on the number of policies, and "humanise" the policy.
Fourth term: 2017–2020
Robertson was elected as a Cabinet Minister by the Labour Party caucus following Labour's formation of a government with
New Zealand First
New Zealand First ( mi, Aotearoa Tuatahi), commonly abbreviated to NZ First, is a nationalist and populist political party in New Zealand. The party formed in July 1993 following the resignation on 19 March 1993 of its leader and founder, Winst ...
and the
Greens
Greens may refer to:
*Leaf vegetables such as collard greens, mustard greens, spring greens, winter greens, spinach, etc.
Politics Supranational
* Green politics
* Green party, political parties adhering to Green politics
* Global Greens
* Europ ...
. He was given the key role of Minister of Finance by
Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
Jacinda Ardern, along with the portfolios of
Minister for Sport and Recreation
The Minister for Sport and Recreation in New Zealand is the cabinet member appointed by the Prime Minister to be in charge of the Sport New Zealand. The current Minister for Sport and Recreation is Grant Robertson.
List of ministers
The follow ...
and Associate
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage
The Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage is a minister in the government of New Zealand with responsibility for arts, culture, heritage, and broadcasting, and is in charge of the Ministry for Culture and Heritage. The position was establish ...
.
On 27 June 2019, Robertson was appointed as Minister Responsible for the
Earthquake Commission
The Earthquake Commission, ( mi, Kōmihana Rūwhenua), is a New Zealand Crown entity that invests in natural disaster research and education as well as providing natural disaster insurance to residential property owners. In March 2022, a bill ...
, succeeding
Megan Woods
Megan Cherie Woods (born 4 November 1973) is a New Zealand Labour Party politician who serves as a Cabinet Minister in the Sixth Labour Government and has served as Member of Parliament for Wigram since 2011.
Early life
Woods was born and gre ...
.
As Finance Minister, Robertson has been a close confidante of Ardern. During the New Zealand government's COVID-19 response, Robertson would sometimes deputise for Ardern at her daily press conferences. Their close working relationship led some commentators to describe him as her "de facto political deputy," over Labour Party deputy leader
Kelvin Davis.
Fifth term and Deputy Prime Minister: 2020–present
Robertson was re-elected for a fifth term as Wellington Central MP at the
2020 general election, at which the Labour Party won an outright majority. Robertson retained
Wellington Central by a margin of 18,878 votes.
In a cabinet reshuffle announced on 2 November, he was appointed to be the next
Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand
The deputy prime minister of New Zealand ( mi, Te pirimia tuarua o Aotearoa) is the second most senior member of the Cabinet of New Zealand. The officeholder usually deputises for the prime minister at official functions. The current deputy pr ...
. Robertson retained his portfolios as Minister of Finance and Minister for Sport and Recreation, and added the ministerial portfolios for
Infrastructure
Infrastructure is the set of facilities and systems that serve a country, city, or other area, and encompasses the services and facilities necessary for its economy, households and firms to function. Infrastructure is composed of public and priv ...
and
Racing
In sport, racing is a competition of speed, in which competitors try to complete a given task in the shortest amount of time. Typically this involves traversing some distance, but it can be any other task involving speed to reach a specific goa ...
. The preceding Deputy Prime Minister was New Zealand First leader
Winston Peters
Winston Raymond Peters (born 11 April 1945) is a New Zealand politician serving as the leader of New Zealand First since its foundation in 1993. Peters served as the 13th deputy prime minister of New Zealand from 1996 to 1998 and 2017 to 2020 ...
, who had lost his seat in the recent election. Robertson became Deputy Prime Minister after deputy party leader Kelvin Davis declined the position.
In mid February 2021, Robertson pulled out of his weekly interview slots with
Peter Williams'
Magic Talk
Magic is a New Zealand oldies radio network owned by MediaWorks New Zealand. The network targets New Zealand's growing population of baby boomers with a line-up of veteran broadcasters. Its breakfast show, Magic Breakfast (formerly Magic in the ...
radio show after Williams questioned him about his views on the implications of the
World Economic Forum
The World Economic Forum (WEF) is an international non-governmental and lobbying organisation based in Cologny, canton of Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded on 24 January 1971 by German engineer and economist Klaus Schwab. The foundation, ...
's
Great Reset
The Great Reset Initiative is an economic recovery plan drawn up by the World Economic Forum (WEF) in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The project was launched in June 2020, with a video featuring the then Prince of Wales Charles released to ma ...
for New Zealand. Robertson reportedly stated that he would no longer appear on the show since he did not want to "shoot down conspiracy theories."
Personal life
Robertson lives in Northland,
Wellington
Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...
, with his partner Alf, whom he met through playing rugby together for the Wellington-based Krazy Knights, New Zealand's first gay rugby team.
After 10 years in a relationship, they held a civil union ceremony in January 2009.
In his maiden statement (given on 9 December 2008), Robertson alluded to his sexuality as a part, but not the whole, of his identity:
In a 2012 interview with
Guyon Espiner
Guyon Espiner (born 31 December 1970) is an investigative journalist at Radio New Zealand. He has worked in print, radio and television for more than 20 years, as a reporter, political editor and anchor.
Career
Espiner grew up in Christchu ...
, he hit out at the suggestion that being
gay
''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'.
While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...
could prevent him from understanding the concerns of ordinary New Zealanders:
See also
*
Electoral history of Grant Robertson
This is a summary of the electoral history of Grant Robertson, Deputy Leader of the New Zealand Labour Party (2011–13), Minister of Finance (since 2017) and Member of Parliament
A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliamen ...
References
External links
Robertson's Parliament profileCampaign websiteVideo clips of speeches given by Robertson in Parliamentat inthehouse.co.nz
Robertson's page on the New Zealand Labour website(includes media statements issued by him)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Robertson, Grant
1971 births
Living people
New Zealand Labour Party MPs
University of Otago alumni
LGBT members of the Parliament of New Zealand
Gay politicians
New Zealand MPs for Wellington electorates
People from Palmerston North
People educated at King's High School, Dunedin
Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives
21st-century New Zealand politicians
Candidates in the 2017 New Zealand general election
Members of the Cabinet of New Zealand
New Zealand finance ministers
Candidates in the 2020 New Zealand general election
Deputy Prime Ministers of New Zealand