The Honourable Paul Swain QSO |
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Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Rimutaka |
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In office 1996 – 2008 |
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Preceded by | new constituency |
Succeeded by | Chris Hipkins |
Majority | 8,277 (24.25%) |
Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Eastern Hutt |
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In office 1990 – 1996 |
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Preceded by | Trevor Young |
Succeeded by | discontinued constituency |
Personal details | |
Born |
Palmerston North |
20 December 1951
Political party | Labour |
Spouse(s) | Toni Reeves |
Children | three |
Paul Desmond Swain, QSO (born 20 December 1951) is a New Zealand politician. He is a member of the Labour Party.
Swain was born in Palmerston North on 20 December 1951. He attended St. Patrick's College in Wellington. He has obtained a BA from Victoria University of Wellington.
Before entering politics, he worked in the social welfare sector, and has also been a bus driver in Wellington. Swain has a daughter with his wife Toni Reeves-Swain, and two sons from an earlier marriage.
He was MP for the seat of Eastern Hutt from the 1990 election until the 1996 election, when the electorate boundaries were changed and it became Rimutaka. He won Rimutaka in 1996 and held the seat until the 2008 election, which he did not contest, retiring from national politics.
Swain has held a number of ministerial portfolios, including Associate Minister of Finance, Minister of Commerce, Minister of Communications, Minister of Corrections, Minister of Immigration, Minister for Information Technology, Minister of Labour, Minister of Statistics, Minister for State Owned Enterprises, Minister of Transport, and Associate Minister for Economic Development.
After the 2005 election, Swain decided not to seek a Cabinet post in the new government.