Graeme Lee (politician)
Graeme Ernest Lee
Early life and family
Lee was born in Paeroa on 1 September 1935, the son of Ernest Walter Lee and Muriel Myrtle Lee (née Weight).[1][2][3] His father was a builder, and later served as mayor of Paeroa from 1959.[4]
Member of Parliament
| Years | Term | Electorate | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981–1984 | 40th | Hauraki | National | ||
| 1984–1987 | 41st | Hauraki | National | ||
| 1987–1990 | 42nd | Coromandel | National | ||
| 1990–1993 | 43rd | Coromandel | National | ||
| 1993–1994 | 44th | Matakana | National | ||
| 1994–1996 | Changed allegiance to: | Christian Democrats | |||
Lee was first elected to Parliament in the 1981 election, winning the seat of Hauraki as the National candidate. Lee replaced Leo Schultz, a prominent National MP. He retained his seat from then until the 1996 election, although a change of electoral boundaries resulted in the seat which covered the Thames-Coromandel district being renamed Coromandel in 1996.
Lee, a principally conservative member of the National Party caucus would later come to believe that the National Party was drifting away from conservatism, but initially resolved to fight the shift from within the party. After a three year period as a Cabinet Minister in the Bolger government, Lee resigned from the National Party in 1993.[5]
Lee had a reputation as one of the more conservative MPs in Parliament, and was particularly active in opposing Fran Wilde's homosexual law reform bill.
Christian Democrats
At first, it was thought likely that Lee would join the
Sporadic talks with Christian Heritage continued, with many Christian activists putting pressure on both sides to unify.[6] Eventually, in late 1995, the Christian Coalition was established. In the 1996 election, however, the Coalition narrowly missed out on entering Parliament. It later collapsed amid many accusations and recriminations.
In the
Lee had told his family that if he failed to remain in Parliament, he would retire from politics. After his departure from politics, he became involved as CEO for the Christian housing provider Habitat for Humanity and wrote an autobiography about his religious views and political life within the National and Christian Democrat parties, as well as his ongoing political stance. For his current organisational affiliation, see concluding paragraph and links section.
The party then renamed itself
Later years
Graeme Lee was a minister at Auckland's Greenlane Christian Centre for a brief period of time, and was also one of the co-ordinators of Vision New Zealand, a national evangelical/ecumentalist umbrella group. Subsequently, Lee was involved in organising the New Zealand itinerary of an American televangelist, Greg Laurie, in 2011.
He has been leading the New Zealand branch of Christians for Israel, a Christian Zionist group.
His daughter,
Notes
- ^ Stringer 1990, p. 12.
- ^ Temple 1994, p. 70.
- ^ "Births". Auckland Star. 3 September 1935. p. 1. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
- ^ "Mayors of Paeroa 1915–1965". Ohinemuri Regional History Journal (4). September 1965. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
- ^ "Govt, Lee settle party ties". The New Zealand Herald. 8 May 1995. p. 4.
- ^ "Christian parties still look to merger". The New Zealand Herald. 9 May 1995. p. 5.
- ^ "Queen's Birthday honours list 1997". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
- ^ "Untitled". Archived from the original on 31 August 2018. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
References
- ISBN 1-86940-175-1.
- Lee, Graeme (2002). Faith, Politics and Servant Leadership. Auckland: Castle. ISBN 0-9582124-9-X.
- Stringer, John (1990). 1990 Parliamentary Candidates for the New Zealand National Party. New Zealand National Party.
- ISBN 0-86868-159-8.
See also
- Christian politics in New Zealand
- https://web.archive.org/web/20060403000432/http://vision.org.nz/ Vision New Zealand (evangelical/ecumentalist umbrella group)
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
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