Alec Neill
| Alec Neill | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Alexander George Neill 22 July 1950 Dunedin, New Zealand |
| Occupation | politician |
Alexander George "Alec" Neill (born 22 July 1950 in Dunedin, New Zealand) is the former Chairman of the Canterbury Regional Council and a former National Party politician. He was an electorate Member of Parliament from 1990 to 1996, and a list member for two terms in 1999, and from 2001 to 2002.
Alec Neill was born in Dunedin, the youngest son of Alfred George Neill QC. then a prominent barrister practising in Dunedin. Alec Neill was raised at Allans Beach on the Otago Peninsula, attended the Hoopers Inlet Primary School and then attended St. Kevin's College, Oamaru, and the University of Otago where he graduated with an LLB. He commenced his law career with Ross Dowling Marquet and Griffen in Dunedin before shifting to Oamaru in 1974, joining solicitors George Berry and Evan Alty in the firm of Hjorring Tait and Farrell. Alec Neill became a partner on 1 May 1976 (then aged 25) and the firm was rebranded as Berry Alty and Neill. He remained a partner of the firm until elected to Parliament in 1990.
He was first elected to parliament in the 1990 election as MP for Waitaki, and was re-elected in the 1993 election. He chaired parliament's Planning and Development Select Committee, which oversaw the passing of the Resource Management Act 1991. He also chaired parliament's Justice and Law Reform Select Committee. In the 1996 election, Mixed Member Proportional(MMP) had been introduced to New Zealand as its voting preference and the existing 99 seats under 'first Past the Post (FPP)were reduced to 60 electorate seats. The seat of Waitaki was dissolved. Neill did not win selection for the seat of Otago then held by the Hon. Warren Cooper and so stood only as a list candidate on the National Party list. In the first MMP election he narrowly missed out on entering Parliament as a list MP.
In 1999, Paul East resigned from Parliament to take up a diplomatic post, and as Neill was the next candidate on National's list, he was brought into parliament as a replacement. Soon afterwards, however, Neill lost his seat in the 1999 election, where he once again fell just below the cut-off. In 2001, Simon Upton resigned, and Neill was again the next candidate on the National Party list, allowing him to return to parliament.He was appointed as junior whip during Jenny Shipleys tenure as leaders. In October 2001 Bill English replaced Shipley as leader. Neill offered his resignation as whip and was appointed by English as National's spokesperson for Local Government. In 2002 he wrote National's manifesto on Local Government, the Resource Management Act and Conservation.
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