Sandra Lee-Vercoe
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The Honourable Sandra Lee-Vercoe QSO |
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|---|---|
| 2nd Leader of the Alliance | |
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In office 1994–1995 |
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| Preceded by | Jim Anderton |
| Succeeded by | Jim Anderton |
| Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Auckland Central |
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In office 1993 – 1996 |
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| Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Alliance list |
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In office 1996 – 2002 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
8 August 1952 Wellington, New Zealand |
| Political party |
Mana Motuhake (1991) Alliance (1991–2002) |
Sandra Rose Te Hakamatua Lee-Vercoe QSO (born 8 August 1952) is a former New Zealand politician and diplomat. She served as deputy leader (and briefly leader) of the Alliance party, and was later High Commissioner to Niue.
Lee was born in Wellington, but has spent much of her life in Auckland. She was educated at Onslow College. Her involvement in politics began with the foundation of Mana Motuhake, a Māori issues party, in 1979. Her political career, however, did not begun until 1983, with her election to the Waiheke County Council. She became chairperson of the Council in 1989. When Waiheke was amalgamated into Auckland proper, Lee became a member of the Auckland City Council.
In 1991, Lee became president of Mana Motuhake. Shortly after this, Mana Motuhake agreed to become a founding member of the Alliance, a coalition of minor parties.
In the 1993 elections, Lee successfully contested the Auckland Central electorate as an Alliance candidate, defeating the incumbent Richard Prebble. Upon the retirement of Mana Motuhake founder Matiu Rata in 1994, Lee became Mana Motuhake's political leader. In November 1994, when Jim Anderton stepped down as leader of the Alliance for personal reasons, Lee took his place but Lee persuaded Anderton returned to the leadership in May 1995. Lee lost her Auckland Central seat to Labour's Judith Tizard at the 1996 elections. She lost the position as Mana Motuhake leader in 2001, in part due to a personal relationship with a member of her staff.
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