Trevor Mallard

Sir Trevor Colin Mallard (born 17 June 1954) is a New Zealand politician.

He currently serves as Ambassador of New Zealand to Ireland since 2023.

Mallard joined the Labour Party in 1972, while a university student.

After gaining a Bachelor of Commerce and Administration degree from Victoria University of Wellington in 1974, he trained as a teacher at the Wellington College of Education, gaining a Diploma in Teaching in 1976.

He subsequently held a number of teaching jobs in Wellington and the King Country.

While teaching, Mallard became involved in the Post Primary Teachers' Association (PPTA), the national secondary school teachers' union.

In 1977 he was arrested in Parliament's debating chamber during an anti-SIS bill protest, later appearing in court and the Supreme Court, and was banned from Parliament buildings for a time.

He was secretary of the PPTA's King Country branch from 1979 to 1984.

He was arrested for disorderly behaviour outside the Springbok rugby team's Rotorua hotel during protests against their 1981 tour of New Zealand, but was found not guilty.

In 1983 he unsuccessfully contested the Labour nomination for the new Tongariro electorate, losing to Noel Scott.

He was a Member of Parliament from 1984 to 1990 and again from 1993 to 2022.

In 1984, he gained a Diploma in Continuing Education from the University of Waikato.

He held a number of internal party positions until the election of 1984 when he defeated Mike Minogue to become the member of Parliament for Hamilton West.

In his first term of Parliament, the Labour Party formed a new government and Mallard served as a member off the Justice and Law Reform committee and Regulations Review committee.

Mallard was re-elected in the 1987 election and the Labour government won a second term.

Mallard was appointed junior government whip from 1987 to 1990, when he became senior whip.

He lost his seat in the election of 1990.

Returning to the Wellington area to live, he worked at parliament as an executive assistant to Mike Moore in the office of the Leader of the Opposition.

He set up a new Labour Party branch in Wainuiomata and recruited 70 new members to the party.

He then contested the Labour Party nomination in the seat of after Sonja Davies announced her retirement, winning the selection over Eastbourne-based polytechnic lecturer Tricia Thompson.

At the he was successful in winning the seat and re-entered parliament.

As an opposition member of Parliament in the 1990s, Mallard was reappointed to the Justice and Law Reform committee (1993–1994) and appointed to the Government Administration committee (1993–1999).

Under Helen Clark's leadership, Mallard was a senior member of the Labour Party.

Michael Cullen described him as a member of Clark's inner circle which also included Pete Hodgson, Steve Maharey, Phil Goff and Annette King.

He held spokesperson roles in portfolios he would later have ministerial responsibility for, including sport, state services and education.

The electorate was renamed Hutt South in 1996, and Mallard retained the seat until 2017 when he opted to become a list MP in a bid to become the Speaker of the House.

Mallard was a Cabinet minister in the Fifth Labour Government of New Zealand (1999 to 2008).

For six years, he was Minister of Education and Minister of State Services and held additional appointments as Minister for the Environment, Minister of Labour, Minister of Broadcasting, Minister for State Owned Enterprises, Minister for Sport and Recreation and Associate Minister of Finance.

When Labour won the 1999 election, Mallard was appointed to Cabinet.

He became Minister of Education, Minister of State Services, and Minister for Sport and Recreation.

In connection with his Education role, he also became Minister Responsible for the Education Review Office, and in connection with his Sport role, he also became Minister for the America's Cup (New Zealand held the America's Cup at the time).

He served as Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives from 2017 until 2022.

He has represented the electorates of Hamilton West, Pencarrow and Hutt South, and was a list member of Parliament between 2017 and 2022.

Mallard's election as the Speaker in 2017 and 2020 completed his parliamentary career.

His move into a presiding officer role was likened to "the poacher turned gamekeeper."

Mallard had had a reputation as an "attack dog" and "political battler" (he was once convicted of fighting in a public place after punching National MP Tau Henare at Parliament).

His speakership was remarked on for its contribution to parliamentary culture change, including promoting a more family-friendly environment and removing the requirement for male MPs to wear ties.

However, some of Mallard's comments and actions attracted criticism including in relation to the 2022 Wellington protests.

In February 2023, Mallard took up the role of New Zealand ambassador to Ireland.

Mallard was born in Wellington, and attended Onslow College.