Doug Woolerton
1st President of New Zealand First
In office
1993–2005
LeaderWinston Peters
Succeeded byDail Jones
Member of the New Zealand Parliament
for New Zealand First list
In office
1996–2008
Personal details
Born (1944-05-17) 17 May 1944
NationalityNew Zealand
Political partyNew Zealand National Party (1990–92)
New Zealand First (1992–)

Doug Woolerton (born 17 May 1944) is a New Zealand politician who has been a member of the New Zealand First party since it was founded, and the National Party for a few years before that.

Early years

He was educated at Hamilton Boys' High School, and has a background in agriculture, having been a farmer for twenty-one years and director of a milk company for nine.

Political career

Woolerton was originally a member of the National Party. He stood for selection as the National candidate for the seat of Hamilton West in 1990, but lost to Grant Thomas, who was later elected to the seat. Woolerton left the National Party in 1992 to form the New Zealand First party with Winston Peters.

Member of parliament

New Zealand Parliament
Years Term Electorate List Party
1996–99 45th List 8 NZ First
1999–2002 46th List 5 NZ First
2002–05 47th List 5 NZ First
2005–08 48th List 5 NZ First

Woolerton first entered Parliament in the 1996 election, becoming a list MP after being ranked fifth on the New Zealand First party list. He remained an MP until his party lost all parliamentary seats in the 2008 general election.

He was the president of New Zealand First from the party's inception until 2005 when he resigned in protest against Winston Peters taking a visible role in the Labour-led government as Minister of Foreign Affairs. Later there were frictions between then New Zealand First president Dail Jones on the one hand, and Woolerton and Brian Donnelly on the other, over the latter's support for Sue Bradford's private members bill to outlaw parental corporal punishment of children (or smacking).[1]

References

  1. ↑ "New Zealand news on Stuff.co.nz". Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 25 March 2007.
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