Paula Bennett - Member of Parliament

Member of Parliament

After graduating, Bennett worked as an electorate secretary for Murray McCully, National Party member of Parliament for East Coast Bays, until the 1999 general election. She then worked as a recruitment consultant for several years and assisted McCully in the 2002 general election campaign.

In the 2005 general election Bennett stood – unsuccessfully – as the National Party's candidate for the Waitakere seat. She nevertheless entered Parliament as a list MP, ranked 45th on the National Party list.

In the 2008 election, she unseated Waitakere MP Lynne Pillay, winning the seat with a majority of 632. Bennett was then appointed to Cabinet as Minister of Social Development and Employment, Minister for Disability Issues, and Minister of Youth Affairs.

In the 2011 election Paula Bennett first won the seat by 349 votes. But after special votes were counted it swung towards Labour candidate Carmel Sepuloni. Following a judicial recount, Paula Bennett was once again declared the winner and Member of Parliament for Waitakere. Carmel Sepuloni was not placed high enough on Labour's list to remain an MP and was ousted from Parliament as a result of her loss. Meanwhile, Paula Bennett was promoted to the front bench by Prime Minister John Key.

For several years Paula Bennett appeared on TV One's Breakfast with friend and Labour MP Darren Hughes.

In late June 2009 Bennett asked Prime Minister, John Key, to reassign the Disability Issues portfolio so that she "could focus on the Social Development and Employment position". The post was subsequently given to Minister outside Cabinet and Māori Party co-leader, Tariana Turia who has continued to work alongside Bennett as an Associate Minister ever since.

Just six months later Bennett got a name as a feisty Minister after breaking up a fight among brawling teenagers outside her local mall in Henderson in 2009.

Portfolio related:

Job Ops and Community Max programs were introduced by Bennett in August 2009. Job Ops provided a $5,000 subsidy to employers to take on a young person at risk of staying on a benefit for a prolonged period. Community Max provided a subsidy for community group to take on young people to do work programmes locally. Job Ops was pitched largely at urban areas where more employers were available to offer placements and Com Max was pitched more primarily in rural areas with fewer employers, but plenty of community groups and a strong demand for youth to give back to local communities. Both schemes were intended to keep young people in work and engaged in activity during a recession. By 2011 more than 12,000 young people had received a subsided job placement through Job Ops and 5,000 young people had completed a Community Max placement.

The Community Response Fund was announced by Bennett in May 2009 with $104 million for social service providers. It was her flagship social service ‘lifeline’ to help community providers cope with soaring demands in a recession as the usual funding sources were drying up.

In May 2009 Bennett controversially appointed Christine Rankin as a Families Commissioner, prompting an avalanche of negative media publicity focused on Rankin’s relationship with a man who’s wife committed suicide.

In September 2009 the Never Ever Shake a Baby campaign was launched to highlight the dangers of shaking small babies. It was the first of many major public platforms Bennett used to highlight child abuse.

February 2010 – Fresh Start legislation was introduced into Parliament, aimed at the most serious, repeat young offenders. It included the Military Activity Camps which came to be known as ‘boot camps’. The legislation also extended Youth Court jurisdiction to include 12 and 13 year olds accused of serious offences. Previously 12 and 13 year olds were seen in Family Court.

March 2010 – Future Focus changes to the welfare system were introduced by Bennett who instituted a requirement for Domestic Purpose Benefit recipients to look for part-time work when their youngest child turned six. Previously there was no work requirement until the youngest child turned 18 years old. Bennett also introduce a requirement for those on an Unemployment Benefit to reapply after one year.

March 2010 – Bennett accepted an Eisenhower fellowship. The prestigious six week Fellowship in the United States of America was awarded to only 20 women around the world who were identified as outstanding leaders.

July 2011 – Green Paper on Children launched in Auckland. The paper focusing on issues surrounding child abuse and protection of children stirred debate and was roundly condemned by opposition parties.

December 2012 - a report from the children's commissioner recommends a universal child benefit, which Bennett rejects as being too costly.