Suzanne Mary Sinclair (born 4 May 1946) is a former New Zealand politician of the Labour Party. She was an MP from 1993 to 1996, representing the Titirangi electorate.

Biography

Early life and career

Sinclair was born in 1946 at

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about ...

. She was educated at Epsom Girls' Grammar School before attending Auckland Teachers College where she attained a diploma in teaching. Subsequently, she had a career in education as a teacher, literacy tutor, and a tutor for the

Hillary Commission Sport New Zealand (Sport NZ) (Māori: ''Ihi Aotearoa'') is a New Zealand Crown entity responsible for governing sport and recreation in New Zealand. Sport NZ believes sport is an integral part of New Zealand's culture and way of life. The org ...

. She had one son. Aside from education, Sinclair worked as an employment officer at the

Department of Labour The Ministry of Labour ('' UK''), or Labor ('' US''), also known as the Department of Labour, or Labor, is a government department responsible for setting labour standards, labour dispute mechanisms, employment, workforce participation, training, a ...

, a co-ordinator of the Friends of the Zoo programme at Auckland Zoo and managed a hire plant nursery business.

Political career

Sinclair joined the Labour Party in 1975 and held party positions in the electorate and Labour's Auckland Regional Council. She was also a member of Labour's New Zealand Council. In 1980 Sinclair stood unsuccessfully for the

Auckland City Council Auckland City Council was the local government authority for Auckland City, New Zealand, from 1871 to 1 November 2010, when it and Auckland's six other city and district councils were amalgamated to form the Auckland Council. It was an elected b ...

on a Labour Party ticket. She was later elected to the council after at large was abolished and replaced with a ward system. She was elected in 1986 as a councillor for the Avondale Ward. She was re-elected in 1989 and 1992 before deciding not to stand again in 1995. She was also a member of the Avondale Community Board, the Portage Licensing Trust and the Auckland Institute of Technology Council. Sinclair was first elected to Parliament in the 1993 election as MP for

Titirangi Titirangi is a suburb of West Auckland in the Waitākere Ranges local board area of the city of Auckland in northern New Zealand. It is an affluent, residential suburb located 13 kilometres (8 miles) to the southwest of the Auckland city centre ...

when she beat the incumbent,

National National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, c ...

Marie Hasler Marie Bernadine Hasler (born 1948) is a former New Zealand politician. She was a member of Parliament for the National Party from 1990 to 1993, and then again from 1996 to 2002. Early life Hasler was born in Dublin, Ireland. She came to New Zea ...

. The Titirangi electorate was abolished when mixed-member proportional (MMP) voting was introduced for the 1996 election. In the 1996 election, Sinclair unsuccessfully contested the Waitakere electorate, when she was in turn beaten by Hasler. Sinclair was also a list candidate ranked at 27, but Labour did not win sufficient votes for her to remain in Parliament.

Career after politics

For some years before the

Britomart Transport Centre Britomart Transport Centre, also known as Britomart railway station, is the public transport hub in the central business district of Auckland and the northern terminus of the North Island Main Trunk railway line. It combines a railway station ...

opened in 2003, Sinclair was the head of the Britomart information centre, which was funded by

. She was appointed by the

Minister of Transport A ministry of transport or transportation is a ministry responsible for transportation within a country. It usually is administered by the ''minister for transport''. The term is also sometimes applied to the departments or other government a ...

Mark Gosche Mark James Gosche (born 2 December 1955) is a New Zealand politician. He is a member of the Labour Party. He was born in Auckland to Samoan parents, and has been active in New Zealand's Pacific Islander community. Biography Early life and care ...

, to the chairmanship of the Road Safety Trust in March 2001, and she stepped down from this role in December 2007. Sinclair is currently relationship manager at the Ministry of Social Development (MSD). She chairs the WALSHtrust, an organisation in West Auckland supporting people with mental health, illness, and disability issues.

Awards and recognition

In the 2020 New Year Honours, she was appointed an

Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have ren ...

, for services to the community and governance. She is also a Justice of the Peace.

Notes

References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sinclair, Suzanne Mary 1946 births Living people People educated at Epsom Girls' Grammar School New Zealand Labour Party MPs Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives New Zealand MPs for Auckland electorates New Zealand schoolteachers Women members of the New Zealand House of Representatives Unsuccessful candidates in the 1996 New Zealand general election Auckland City Councillors New Zealand justices of the peace Officers of the New Zealand Order of Merit