Liz Craig

Elizabeth Dorothy Craig (born 1967) is a New Zealand politician and Member of Parliament in the House of Representatives for the Labour Party. As a public health physician, she has become known for her research work on child poverty.

Liz Craig

MP
Craig in 2020
Member of the New Zealand Parliament
for Labour party list
Assumed office
23 September 2017
Personal details
Born1967 (age 53–54)
Political partyLabour (2010–present)
Spouse(s)David Craig
Philip Melgren
​
(m. 2020)​
Children2

Private life

Craig was born in 1967[1] and received her secondary education at Spotswood College in New Plymouth. She left New Plymouth at the age of 18 to attend a medical school in Auckland.[2] She was married to David Craig, and she has two children.[3][4] In January 2020 she married Philip Melgren.[5]

Prior to the 2014 election, she lived in Dunedin. For the 2014 election, the family split its time between Dunedin and Romahapa in The Catlins.[3] In 2016, when her selection for the Invercargill electorate was confirmed, she started looking for a house in Invercargill and has lived there since.[6][7]

Career before politics

Craig is a public health doctor and child poverty advocate.[8] In 2009, she won a $50,000 Dunedin School of Medicine's research development investment award, and she established a child and youth health policy research unit with that funding.[9] She was the director of the New Zealand Child and Youth Epidemiology Service of the University of Otago.[10] In 2012, she warned that New Zealanders had to get used to poor children suffering from Third World diseases.[11] She was part of a group that compiled an annual child poverty monitor, and the group has been credited with making the issue one of the core topics of the 2017 election.[12] Craig resigned as director from the research group, and as editor of the child poverty monitor, prior to the 2014 election.[3]

Political career
New Zealand Parliament
Years Term Electorate List Party
2017–2020 52nd List 31 Labour
2020–present 53rd List 41 Labour

Craig stressed that her political views were formed through her work on child poverty, and "not the other way around".[3] She joined the Labour Party in 2010 and was a contributing author of Labour's children's policies for the 2011 and 2014 elections.[13] She stood for Labour in the Clutha-Southland electorate in the 2014 election, placing second. Ranked 32 on the Labour list, she was not returned on the list either.[14] In May 2016, she won the Labour nomination unopposed for the Invercargill electorate for the 2017 election.[12] Craig was placed 31 on Labour's party list.[15] The Invercargill electorate was held by National's Sarah Dowie, but Craig halved National's party vote majority (from 8,327 votes in 2014[16] to 4,392 votes in 2017[17]).[7] Craig did not win the electorate, but entered parliament via the Party list.[18]

During the 2020 New Zealand general election held on 17 October, Craig contested the Invercargill electorate but lost to National candidate Penny Simmonds by a final margin of 224 votes.[19] Craig had trailed by 685 votes in the preliminary results, causing speculation that she could win the seat when the special votes were counted.[20][21] Despite this defeat, Craig was able to enter Parliament on the Labour Party list.[22]

References
  1. "Roll of members of the New Zealand House of Representatives, 1854 onwards" (PDF). New Zealand Parliament. 24 May 2019. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
  2. "Election 2020: Invercargill candidates for local MP". 1 October 2020.
  3. Goodwin, Eileen (3 June 2014). "Children in poverty motivation for Labour candidate". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  4. "Dr Liz Craig". Labour Party. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  5. Fallow, Michael (20 January 2020). "Invercargill list MP Liz Craig marries 'best friend' Philip Melgren". Stuff. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  6. Woolf, Amber-Leigh (20 May 2016). "Dr Liz Craig nominated as Labour's candidate for Invercargill". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  7. Goodwin, Eileen (24 September 2017). "South elects three new MPs". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  8. Woolf, Amber-Leigh (20 May 2016). "Dr Liz Craig nominated as Labour's candidate for Invercargill". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 18 August 2017.
  9. "Medical school awards boost research plans". Otago Daily Times. 7 July 2009. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  10. Elder, Vaughan (10 December 2012). "Poverty: time 'to wake up'". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  11. "Child health, wealth, happiness". Otago Daily Times. 14 December 2012. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  12. Goodwin, Eileen (21 May 2016). "Labour picks Craig for seat". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
  13. Marshall, Andrew (17 April 2018). "Craig's local office open for business". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
  14. "Labour List for the 2014 Election Announced" (Press release). New Zealand Labour Party. Scoop. 23 June 2014. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
  15. "Revised Labour Party List for the 2017 Election". Scoop.co.nz. 15 August 2017. Retrieved 15 August 2017.
  16. "Official Count Results – Invercargill (2014)". Electoral Commission. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
  17. "Invercargill – Preliminary Count". Electoral Commission.
  18. "Successful Candidates". Electoral Commission. 23 September 2017. Archived from the original on 28 September 2017. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
  19. "Invercargill - Official Results". Electoral Commission. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
  20. "Special delivery: what will those extra votes change for Invercargill?". Stuff. 22 October 2020. Archived from the original on 23 October 2020. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  21. "Invercargill - Preliminary Count". Electoral Commission. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  22. "2020 General Election and Referendums - Official Result Successful Candidates". Electoral Commission. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  • Media related to Liz Craig at Wikimedia Commons
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