David Benson-Pope

The Honourable David Benson-Pope
Benson Pope in December 2006, next to Ruth Dyson
4th Minister for the Environment
In office 19 October 2005 – 27 July 2007
Prime Minister	Helen Clark
Preceded by	Marian Hobbs
Succeeded by	David Parker (acting) Trevor Mallard
Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Dunedin South
In office 1999 – 2008
Preceded by	Dr Michael Cullen
Succeeded by	Clare Curran
Majority	10,640 (30.27%)
Personal details
Born	1950 (age 66–67)
Political party	Labour
Children	Henry Sammy
Occupation	Teacher

David Henry Benson-Pope (born 1950) is a New Zealand Labour Party politician who sat in the New Zealand Parliament from 1999 to 2008. He formerly served as a cabinet minister and in 2013 was elected to the Dunedin City Council.

Born in Dunedin and educated at King's High School, Benson-Pope received his tertiary education at the University of Otago and at the Christchurch College of Education. While studying education he was president of the Students' Association at the college, and National President of the Student Teachers' Association of New Zealand. He became involved in the teachers' unions working as a teacher and was first elected to the Dunedin City Council in October 1986. He remained a city councillor for five terms until 1999, when he successfully contested the Dunedin South electorate for the Labour Party.

In 2002, Benson-Pope became his party's Senior Whip. He entered Cabinet in 2004, becoming Minister of Fisheries, Minister Responsible for the Law Commission, Associate Minister of Justice, Associate Minister for Education (schools) and Associate Minister for the Environment. He oversaw the drafting of the legislation for civil unions in New Zealand.

Despite briefly losing his ministerial positions leading up to the 2005 general election, Benson-Pope was appointed Minister of Social Development and Employment and Minister for the Environment in the third term of the Fifth Labour Government of New Zealand.