Marian Hobbs

Marian Leslie Hobbs (born 18 December 1947) is a former New Zealand politician who was a Labour Member of Parliament from 1996 to 2008. She was initially a list MP and then (from 1999) represented the Wellington Central electorate. She served as one of two Assistant Speakers of the House of Representatives. She is the current chair of the Otago Regional Council.

Early life

Hobbs was raised in Christchurch and was educated at St Dominic's College, Dunedin. Before entering politics, Hobbs worked as a teacher at Aranui High School and was the principal of Avonside Girls' High School in Christchurch. She helped to establish the Chippenham commune in Christchurch and is by religious affiliation a Friend (Quaker). In 1993, Hobbs was awarded the New Zealand Suffrage Centennial Medal.

Member of Parliament

Hobbs stood unsuccessfully in the 1994 Selwyn by-election where she came a distant third. She contested the Kaikoura electorate in the 1996 election and came second to National Party's Doug Kidd, but entered Parliament via the Labour list, where she was ranked 12th.

In the 1999 election, Hobbs won the Wellington Central electorate, defeating the incumbent member, ACT Party leader Richard Prebble.

Cabinet minister

After Labour's electoral victory in 1999, Hobbs joined the Cabinet, becoming Minister for the Environment, Minister of Biosecurity, Minister of Broadcasting, and Minister Responsible for the National Library of New Zealand and Archives New Zealand. In February 2001, she briefly resigned from Cabinet while an enquiry investigated her allowance-claims; she returned in late March after receiving official clearance.

Following the 2002 General Election, Hobbs functioned as the Minister for the Environment, Minister for Disarmament and Arms Control, Associate Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade with responsibility for Official Development Assistance, Associate Minister for Biosecurity, Associate Minister of Education, Minister Responsible for the National Library, Minister Responsible for Archives New Zealand, and Minister Responsible for Urban Affairs.

Resignation from Cabinet

In 2004, Hobbs told Prime Minister Helen Clark that she did not expect to seek a post in Cabinet again after the 2005 election, and she made this decision public during the negotiations to form a government in October 2005.

As Minister of Broadcasting, Hobbs set a code of practice for New Zealand commercial radio, specifying that 20 percent of music played should have New Zealand origins. After resigning from Cabinet, Hobbs served briefly as Labour's party Vice-President.

Wellington Central electorate

Hobbs held the Electorate seat of Wellington Central until the 2008 election. At the 2005 general election she retained her seat with a 6,180 majority over the National Party candidate, Mark Blumsky. In March 2008, she became the Assistant Speaker of the House, after Ann Hartley resigned.

Retirement from Parliament

In December 2006 Hobbs announced (during a radio-interview) that she would not seek re-election at the 2008 general election, confirming much speculation to that effect. She has signalled her intention to work as a teacher in the United Kingdom, in compensation for never having made a traditional working-holiday as a young woman.

She spent two years as the Headteacher at Prince William School in Oundle, Northamptonshire, United Kingdom.

Hobbs stood as a Labour candidate for the Otago Regional Council at the 2019 local elections and was successful. On 23 October, she was voted as chairwoman, with Michael Laws as her deputy.