Kate Wilkinson (politician)
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The Honourable Kate Wilkinson |
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| Minister of Labour | |
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In office 19 November 2008 – 5 November 2012 |
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| Prime Minister | John Key |
| Preceded by | Trevor Mallard |
| Succeeded by | Chris Finlayson (acting) |
| Minister for Food Safety | |
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In office 19 November 2008 – 22 January 2013 |
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| Prime Minister | John Key |
| Preceded by | Lianne Dalziel |
| Succeeded by | Nikki Kaye |
| Minister of Conservation | |
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In office 27 January 2010 – 22 January 2013 |
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| Prime Minister | John Key |
| Preceded by | Tim Groser |
| Succeeded by | Nick Smith |
| Member of the New Zealand Parliament for National Party List |
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In office 6 October 2005 – 26 November 2011 |
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| Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Waimakariri |
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In office 26 November 2011 – 14 August 2014 |
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| Preceded by | Clayton Cosgrove |
| Succeeded by | Matt Doocey |
| Majority | 642 |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
3 August 1957 Rakaia, New Zealand |
| Nationality | New Zealand |
| Political party | National Party |
| Alma mater | University of Canterbury |
| Occupation | Lawyer, politician |
Catherine Joan "Kate" Wilkinson (born 3 August 1957) was a member of the House of Representatives of New Zealand for the National Party from 2005 until her retirement in 2014. From 2008 until January 2013, she was a member of cabinet, holding the portfolios of Labour (from which she resigned over the Pike River Mine disaster), Conservation, Food Safety, and Associate Immigration, before being removed from cabinet by Prime Minister John Key.
Wilkinson is from Christchurch, and gained a law degree from the University of Canterbury.
She worked as a lawyer for 25 years with a Christchurch firm before gaining election to Parliament in 2005.
In the 2005 election, Wilkinson was a candidate for the National Party, standing in the Waimakariri electorate and ranked 38th on the party list. She entered Parliament as a list MP. She has made a successful start to her career in politics, rising to 28th on the list, and eventually becoming a Cabinet minister. Although unsuccessful in terms of electorate vote again (losing to incumbent Clayton Cosgrove of the Labour Party by 390 votes in the 2008 election – the second narrowest margin in the country), National won a commanding margin in the party vote.
In the 2011 election Wilkinson overturned incumbent Clayton Cosgrove's 390 vote majority to win by 642 votes, as well as winning the party vote in the electorate by more than 12,000 votes.
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