David Wilson (parliamentary official)
David Wilson | |
|---|---|
Wilson in 2017 | |
| 14th Clerk of the New Zealand House of Representatives | |
| Assumed office 6 July 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Mary Harris[1] |
| Clerk-Assistant | |
| In office February 2008 – July 2015 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | David Martin Wilson 1970 (age 55–56) Lawrence, New Zealand |
David Martin Wilson is a New Zealand public servant who is the fourteenth and current Clerk of the New Zealand House of Representatives ("Clerk of the House") since 2015. He was appointed to an initial seven-year term which was renewed for a further seven years in 2022.
Early life and education
David Wilson grew up in Dunedin and was educated at St Pauls High School[citation needed] and the University of Otago, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (with Honours, majoring in History) degree in 1991 and a Master of Arts (History) in 1993.[2] While working in Wellington he continued his studies at Massey University, graduating with a Master of Management degree in 2004.[citation needed]
In July 2024, Wilson completed a PhD thesis at Victoria University of Wellington entitled "Influences on parliamentary procedure in New Zealand 1935 - 2015," which examined the history of parliamentary procedure in New Zealand.[3][4]
Public service career
Wilson has also held policy roles in the public sector. He started his parliamentary career in 1994 as a select committee report writer.[1] He was appointed as a Parliamentary Officer with the Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives in February 1995.[citation needed] He left the Office of the Clerk of the House in July 1999 to become a Senior Policy Analyst with the Department for Courts. In February 2002 he was appointed as a Senior Policy Analyst (Censorship) with the Department of Internal Affairs and in November 2004 he became the Information and Policy manager with the-then Office of Film and Literature Classification.[5]
In February 2008 he re-joined the Office of the Clerk of the House as a Clerk-Assistant, initially with responsibility for provision of services to Select Committees, and from February 2013 with responsibility for the House Services group.[5] From 2012 to 2015, Wilson was the President of the Australia and New Zealand Association of Clerks-at-the-Table.[5]
Clerk of the House of Representatives
Wilson was appointed to a seven-year term as Clerk of the House on 6 July 2015, following the retirement of Mary Harris.[6][1] In May 2022, he was reappointed for a further seven-year term, beginning on 6 July 2022.[7]
On 10 December 2024, Wilson advised Assistant Speaker Barbara Kuriger that the listing of projects under the Fast-track Approvals Bill benefitted specific people and should thus be classified as private legislation and removed from the final version of the Bill. The Sixth National Government disagreed and recalled Speaker Gerry Brownlee who overruled Kuriger and resintated the list.[8] The Fast-track Approval Bill subsequently passed its third reading on 17 December 2024.[9]
In February 2026, Wilson directed his office to cease use of the official account of the Parliament of New Zealand on X (formerly Twitter), citing the Grok sexual deepfake scandal. The decision was criticised by deputy prime minister Winston Peters and the Free Speech Union.[10]
References
- ^ a b c "David Wilson appointed as Clerk of the House". New Zealand Parliament. 8 May 2015. Archived from the original on 5 February 2025. Retrieved 5 February 2025.
- ^ "History: David Wilson". University of Otago. 29 June 2017. Archived from the original on 5 February 2025. Retrieved 5 February 2025.
- ^ Smith, Phil (7 July 2024). "Displacement, drift, layering and conversion: The changing parliament". Radio New Zealand. Archived from the original on 14 July 2024. Retrieved 5 February 2025.
- ^ Wilson, David (5 April 2024). Influences on parliamentary procedure in New Zealand 1935 - 2015 (PhD thesis). Wellington: Victoria University of Wellington. Retrieved 5 February 2025.
- ^ a b c "David Wilson, The clerk of the House of Representatives". BusinessDesk. Archived from the original on 9 August 2024. Retrieved 5 February 2025.
- ^ "Appointment of Clerk of the House of Representatives". New Zealand Gazette. 8 May 2015. Archived from the original on 15 June 2024. Retrieved 5 February 2025.
- ^ "Reappointment of Clerk of the House of Representatives". New Zealand Gazette. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
- ^ Palmer, Russell (11 December 2024). "Fast-Track projects: Speaker rules no private benefit in list". RNZ. Archived from the original on 13 December 2024. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
- ^ Ensor, Jamie (17 December 2024). "Fast-track Approvals Bill passes final reading in Parliament". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 20 December 2024. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
- ^ Cooke, Henry (20 February 2026). "Parliament departs from X, formerly Twitter, over Grok's deepfake and abuse imagery". The Post. Wellington. Retrieved 20 February 2026.