Michael Cox (New Zealand politician)

Michael Ernest Christopher Cox OBE (born 10 May 1939) is a former New Zealand politician of the National Party.

Biography
New Zealand Parliament
Years Term Electorate Party
1978–1981 39th Manawatu National
1981–1984 40th Manawatu National
1984–1987 41st Manawatu National

Cox was born in 1939 at Oxford, England. He was in the British Merchant Navy, and was a chief officer with the Union Steam Ship Company before becoming a chartered accountant in Palmerston North.[1]

He represented the Manawatu electorate in Parliament from 1978[2] to 1987, when he was defeated by David Robinson. From 1981 to 1985 he was Junior Whip for the party.[1] He was an opponent of National's then leader Robert Muldoon and was an organiser in the Colonels' Coup, an abortive attempt to remove him from the leadership of the party.[3]

In 1984 Cox was appointed Shadow Minister of Revenue by Muldoon.[4] In 1985 he was additionally given the Customs portfolio by new leader Jim McLay.[5] Cox was a key supporter of McLay and became his "numbers man" in the caucus.[3] In a major reshuffle in February 1986 McLay promoted Cox to the position of Shadow Minister of Finance.[6] His elevation to the high profile finance portfolio role did not last long and after McLay was deposed by Jim Bolger he was relegated to the Customs portfolio once again and was additionally made Shadow Minister for the Audit Department.[7]

In 1990, Cox was awarded the New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal.[8] In the 1995 Queen's Birthday Honours, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire, for public services.[9]

Political positions

He has claimed that climate change is not caused by humans. He has called global warming "Complete rubbish."[10]

Personal life

He married his former National MP colleague Katherine O'Regan in 1992.[11]

Notes
  1. Gustafson 1986, p. 306.
  2. Wilson 1985, p. 191.
  3. Gustafson 1986, p. 138.
  4. "Line-up For Opposition". The New Zealand Herald. 28 July 1984. p. 5.
  5. "National shadow cabinet named". The Evening Post. 30 November 1984. p. 1.
  6. Garnier, Tony (11 February 1986). "Muldoon main loser in Nat line-up". The Evening Post. p. 3.
  7. "National's 'Front Bench' Line-up". The New Zealand Herald. 8 April 1986. p. 5.
  8. Taylor, Alister; Coddington, Deborah (1994). Honoured by the Queen – New Zealand. Auckland: New Zealand Who's Who Aotearoa. p. 109. ISBN 0-908578-34-2.
  9. "Queen's Birthday honours list 1995". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 17 June 1995. Retrieved 20 July 2019.
  10. "Global Warming? Complete rubbish". Stuff. 17 October 2011. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  11. "O'Regan, Katherine (1946–) | Encyclopedia.com". www.encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 4 June 2020.

References
  • Gustafson, Barry (1986). The First 50 Years : A History of the New Zealand National Party. Auckland: Reed Methuen. ISBN 0-474-00177-6.
  • Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First ed. published 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103.
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