Rod Donald
Encyclopedia
Rodney David "Rod" Donald (10 October 1957 – 6 November 2005), was a New Zealand politician who co-led the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand
, along with Jeanette Fitzsimons
.
He lived in Christchurch
with his partner Nicola Shirlaw, and their three daughters.
membership from 1974 to 1979 and then Labour Party
membership from 1982 to 1988. On becoming national spokesperson of the impartial Electoral Reform Coalition
from 1989 to 1993 he had to resign his party membership. After the success of the MMP referendum at the 1993 election
he joined the Green Party in February 1994. After he became co-leader of the Greens in 1995, voters first elected him to parliament in the 1996 election
as an Alliance
list MP.
The Green Party left the Alliance to stand alone in the 1999 election
. He entered the 1999 parliament as number two on the Greens' party list
. He retained his list seat in the 2002
and 2005 election
s.
. From 1989 to 1993 he served as spokesperson for the Electoral Reform Coalition
during the campaign that led to the introduction of MMP
. Subsequently he played a major part in getting legislation passed to allow STV
voting in local body elections in New Zealand. Co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons
described MMP as Donald's greatest legacy.
He also served as the Green Party spokesperson on Buy Kiwi Made
, commerce, electoral reform
, finance and revenue, land information
, regional development
and small business
, superannuation, sustainable economics
, state services, statistics
, tourism, trade, and waste
.
home after suffering for a few days from Campylobacter jejuni
food poisoning from an unknown source. An autopsy initially ruled out a heart attack, but subsequent test-results determined that death resulted from an inflammation of the heart muscle (myocarditis
), which is a very rare consequence of C. jejuni infection. He was 48 years old. His funeral took place at the Cathedral of ChristChurch was attended by over 1,000 people, with his casket arriving on board an electric bus, and his wake
took place at the adjacent Warner's Hotel
. The Parliament showed its respect for Donald by suspending a day of business, and a minute of silence
was observed in the House of Representatives
.
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Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand
The Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand is a political party that has seats in the New Zealand parliament. It focuses firstly on environmentalism, arguing that all other aspects of humanity will cease to be of concern if there is no environment to sustain it...
, along with Jeanette Fitzsimons
Jeanette Fitzsimons
Jeanette Mary Fitzsimons, CNZM is a New Zealand politician and environmentalist. She was the co-leader of the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand from 1995 to 2009, and was a Member of Parliament from 1996 to 2010.-Career:...
.
He lived in Christchurch
Christchurch
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
with his partner Nicola Shirlaw, and their three daughters.
Early political career
Donald held Values PartyValues Party
The Values Party, considered the world's first national-level environmentalist party that pre-dated any fashionable Green terminology, was established in 1972 at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, one of its initial leaders being Tony Brunt...
membership from 1974 to 1979 and then Labour Party
New Zealand Labour Party
The New Zealand Labour Party is a New Zealand political party. It describes itself as centre-left and socially progressive and has been one of the two primary parties of New Zealand politics since 1935....
membership from 1982 to 1988. On becoming national spokesperson of the impartial Electoral Reform Coalition
Electoral Reform Coalition
The Electoral Reform Coalition is a group advocating electoral reform in New Zealand. It was founded in 1986. The group has been reformed as the Campaign for MMP to fight to retain MMP at the 2011 referendum on the issue.-History:...
from 1989 to 1993 he had to resign his party membership. After the success of the MMP referendum at the 1993 election
New Zealand general election, 1993
The 1993 New Zealand general election was held on 6 November 1993 to determine the composition of the 44th New Zealand Parliament. It saw the governing National Party, led by Jim Bolger, win a second term in office, despite a major swing back towards the Labour Party. The new Alliance and New...
he joined the Green Party in February 1994. After he became co-leader of the Greens in 1995, voters first elected him to parliament in the 1996 election
New Zealand general election, 1996
The 1996 New Zealand general election was held on 12 October 1996 to determine the composition of the 45th New Zealand Parliament. It was notable for being the first election to be held under the new Mixed Member Proportional electoral system, and produced a parliament considerably more diverse...
as an Alliance
Alliance (New Zealand political party)
The Alliance is a left-wing political party in New Zealand. It was formed in 1991, and was influential in the 1990s, but has since declined and has no representation in parliament. It suffered a major setback after Jim Anderton, the party's leader, left the party in 2002, taking several of the...
list MP.
The Green Party left the Alliance to stand alone in the 1999 election
New Zealand general election, 1999
The 1999 New Zealand general election was held on 27 November 1999 to determine the composition of the 46th New Zealand Parliament. The governing National Party, led by Prime Minister Jenny Shipley, was defeated, being replaced by a coalition of Helen Clark's Labour Party and the smaller Alliance...
. He entered the 1999 parliament as number two on the Greens' party list
Party-list proportional representation
Party-list proportional representation systems are a family of voting systems emphasizing proportional representation in elections in which multiple candidates are elected...
. He retained his list seat in the 2002
New Zealand general election, 2002
The 2002 New Zealand general election was held on 27 July 2002 to determine the composition of the 47th New Zealand Parliament. It saw the reelection of Helen Clark's Labour Party government, as well as the worst-ever performance by the opposition National Party.Arguably the most controversial...
and 2005 election
New Zealand general election, 2005
The 2005 New Zealand general election held on 17 September 2005 determined the composition of the 48th New Zealand Parliament. No party won a majority in the unicameral House of Representatives, but the Labour Party of Prime Minister Helen Clark secured two more seats than nearest rival, the...
s.
Member of Parliament
For many years Donald had a special interest in electoral reform in New ZealandElectoral reform in New Zealand
Electoral reform in New Zealand has, in recent years, become a political issue as major changes have been made to both Parliamentary and local government electoral systems.- Parliamentary Electoral Reform :...
. From 1989 to 1993 he served as spokesperson for the Electoral Reform Coalition
Electoral Reform Coalition
The Electoral Reform Coalition is a group advocating electoral reform in New Zealand. It was founded in 1986. The group has been reformed as the Campaign for MMP to fight to retain MMP at the 2011 referendum on the issue.-History:...
during the campaign that led to the introduction of MMP
Mixed member proportional representation
Mixed-member proportional representation, also termed mixed-member proportional voting and commonly abbreviated to MMP, is a voting system originally used to elect representatives to the German Bundestag, and nowadays adopted by numerous legislatures around the world...
. Subsequently he played a major part in getting legislation passed to allow STV
Single transferable vote
The single transferable vote is a voting system designed to achieve proportional representation through preferential voting. Under STV, an elector's vote is initially allocated to his or her most preferred candidate, and then, after candidates have been either elected or eliminated, any surplus or...
voting in local body elections in New Zealand. Co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons
Jeanette Fitzsimons
Jeanette Mary Fitzsimons, CNZM is a New Zealand politician and environmentalist. She was the co-leader of the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand from 1995 to 2009, and was a Member of Parliament from 1996 to 2010.-Career:...
described MMP as Donald's greatest legacy.
He also served as the Green Party spokesperson on Buy Kiwi Made
Buy Kiwi Made
Buy Kiwi Made was a Government campaign aimed at promoting consumer and retailer awareness of Kiwi made products and encouraging domestic manufacturers to label their goods New Zealand made. It used the slogan "Buy Kiwi and We've Got it Made". It was complementary to the Buy New Zealand Made...
, commerce, electoral reform
Electoral reform
Electoral reform is change in electoral systems to improve how public desires are expressed in election results. That can include reforms of:...
, finance and revenue, land information
Land Information New Zealand
Land Information New Zealand is a New Zealand government agency. The current Chief Executive is Colin MacDonald and the current Minister of Land Information is Maurice Williamson.- Nature and scope of functions :...
, regional development
Regional development
Regional development is the provision of aid and other assistance to regions which are less economically developed. Regional development may be domestic or international in nature...
and small business
Small business
A small business is a business that is privately owned and operated, with a small number of employees and relatively low volume of sales. Small businesses are normally privately owned corporations, partnerships, or sole proprietorships...
, superannuation, sustainable economics
Sustainability
Sustainability is the capacity to endure. For humans, sustainability is the long-term maintenance of well being, which has environmental, economic, and social dimensions, and encompasses the concept of union, an interdependent relationship and mutual responsible position with all living and non...
, state services, statistics
Statistics New Zealand
Statistics New Zealand is the national statistical office of New Zealand.-Organisation:New Zealand's Minister of Statistics is Maurice Williamson who serves as a member of the New Zealand House of Representatives and holds several other posts within government...
, tourism, trade, and waste
Waste
Waste is unwanted or useless materials. In biology, waste is any of the many unwanted substances or toxins that are expelled from living organisms, metabolic waste; such as urea, sweat or feces. Litter is waste which has been disposed of improperly...
.
Death
Shortly after midnight on 6 November 2005, the day before his scheduled swearing-in for his fourth term in Parliament, he died suddenly at his ChristchurchChristchurch
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
home after suffering for a few days from Campylobacter jejuni
Campylobacter jejuni
Campylobacter jejuni is a species of curved, helical-shaped, non-spore forming, Gram-negative, microaerophilic bacteria commonly found in animal feces. It is one of the most common causes of human gastroenteritis in the world. Food poisoning caused by Campylobacter species can be severely...
food poisoning from an unknown source. An autopsy initially ruled out a heart attack, but subsequent test-results determined that death resulted from an inflammation of the heart muscle (myocarditis
Myocarditis
Myocarditis is inflammation of heart muscle . It resembles a heart attack but coronary arteries are not blocked.Myocarditis is most often due to infection by common viruses, such as parvovirus B19, less commonly non-viral pathogens such as Borrelia burgdorferi or Trypanosoma cruzi, or as a...
), which is a very rare consequence of C. jejuni infection. He was 48 years old. His funeral took place at the Cathedral of ChristChurch was attended by over 1,000 people, with his casket arriving on board an electric bus, and his wake
Wake (ceremony)
A wake is a ceremony associated with death. Traditionally, a wake takes place in the house of the deceased, with the body present; however, modern wakes are often performed at a funeral home. In the United States and Canada it is synonymous with a viewing...
took place at the adjacent Warner's Hotel
Warner's Hotel
Warner's Hotel in 50 Cathedral Square, Christchurch is the site of a hotel established in 1863. The original building, extended on numerous occasions, burned down in 1900. The current building was built in 1901. Again, it has undergone numerous alterations...
. The Parliament showed its respect for Donald by suspending a day of business, and a minute of silence
Moment of silence
A moment of silence is the expression for a period of silent contemplation, prayer, reflection, or meditation. Similar to flying a flag at half-mast, a moment of silence is often a gesture of respect, particularly in mourning for those who have recently died or as part of a commemoration ceremony...
was observed in the House of Representatives
New Zealand House of Representatives
The New Zealand House of Representatives is the sole chamber of the legislature of New Zealand. The House and the Queen of New Zealand form the New Zealand Parliament....
.
External links
- VIDEO of Rod Donald speaking on 'Fairness In Trade'http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-82288007700458157#
- VIDEO of Rod Donald speaking (humorously) at the Winter 2000 GPANZ conference in Turangi on 3 June 2000 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOlhP5T_C_o
- Rod Donald biography (Green Party website)
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