Damien O'Connor
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The Honourable Damien O'Connor MP |
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| Minister of Tourism | |
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In office 19 October 2005 – 19 November 2008 |
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| Prime Minister | Helen Clark |
| Succeeded by | John Key |
| Member of the New Zealand Parliament for West Coast |
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In office 1993 – 1996 |
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| Preceded by | Margaret Moir |
| Member of the New Zealand Parliament for West Coast-Tasman |
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In office 1996 – 2008 |
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| Succeeded by | Chris Auchinvole |
| Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Labour Party list |
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In office 2009 – 2011 |
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| Preceded by | Michael Cullen |
| Member of the New Zealand Parliament for West Coast-Tasman |
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Assumed office 2011 |
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| Preceded by | Chris Auchinvole |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
16 January 1958 Westport |
| Nationality | New Zealand |
| Political party | Labour |
| Relations | Greg O'Connor (cousin) |
| Committees | Primary Production Committee |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
Damien Peter O'Connor (born 16 January 1958) is a New Zealand politician from the West Coast of the South Island. He is a member of the Labour Party and a Member of Parliament.
O'Connor was born in Westport in 1958. He attended primary school in his home town before going on to St Bede's College, Christchurch, a Roman Catholic school, and Lincoln University.
Before becoming an MP, he worked in a variety of jobs in farming and tourism. During a five-year stint in Australia, he worked as a machinery operator and in sales. On his return to New Zealand he established Buller Adventure Tours, an adventure tourism company, which he owned and operated in a partnership.
He was first elected to Parliament in the 1993 election, recapturing the West Coast seat after the upset victory of National's Margaret Moir in the 1990 election.
He won the reconfigured West Coast-Tasman seat in the 1996 election, and was the MP for the electorate until 2008.
O'Connor is regarded as being on the right of the Labour Party and has, with permission, voted against his colleagues on at least one occasion.
He was the Minister of Rural Affairs, the Minister of Tourism, Minister of Immigration and Associate Minister of Health.
At the 2008 general election O'Connor was beaten by National candidate Chris Auchinvole, who had previously been a list MP. Auchinvole's majority was 971. His position on the Labour Party list meant that O'Connor couldn't return to Parliament immediately. When the list MP Michael Cullen retired in May 2009, O'Connor regained his position as Member of the House of Representatives because he was the highest-ranked candidate on the list not already an MP.
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