Sue Bradford has been a Green Party MP since 1999.
Sue is married and has had 5 children. She currently lives in Mangere, in Manukau City. Before becoming an MP Sue was a community development worker and political activist in the unemployed and beneficiaries movement from 1983 – 1999. She was the national coordinator of Te Roopu Rawakore o Aotearoa 1987 – 1990, and helped set up and run the Auckland Peoples Centres. From 1995-1999 she was also a part time tutor in Not for Profit Management at Unitec.
Sue has been an activist on social justice, peace and womens’ issues from 1967 until the present day. She was Vice-president of the New Labour Party in 1989-90 until joining the Green Party in 1990; Stood for the Green Party in the 1998 Auckland City mayoralty elections; was the Green candidate for Rodney in 1999 & 2002, for Northland in 2005, and for East Coast Bays in 2008.
First elected to Parliament in 1999, Sue is now a 4th term MP and 3rd on the 2008 Green Party List.
In December 2007 Sue was the Dominion Post’s Politician of the Year, and North & South’s & the Weekend Herald’s Backbencher of the Year. In March 2008 she was ranked third among Auckland MPs by a panel of 5 press gallery journalists.
In the 2005 - 2008 Parliament Sue took on the role of Government spokesperson on Buy Kiwi Made following the tragic death of Rod Donald. She also managed to successfully shepherd three Member's Bills through Parliament - amending s59 of the Crimes Act so that children now receive the same protection in law as do adults; lifting the youth minimum wage to adult rates; and extending the length of time some mothers in prison can keep their babies with them.
Sue was Chairperson, Auckland People's Centre; Founder and Trustee, Auckland Region Employment Resource Centre; Trustee, Kotare Research and Education for Social Change Trust; National Co-ordinating Committee, Association of NGOs of Aotearoa. She has a BA in History and Political Studies from Auckland University; MA (Hons) in Chinese from Auckland University and a Postgraduate Diploma in Journalism from Canterbury University.
Sue represents the Green Party in Parliament to help bring about genuine, positive solutions to the unemployment, poverty, social and environmental problems which plague so many people and their communities in Aotearoa today.
Green Party Spokesperson on: ACC, Buy Kiwi Made, Children, Gambling, Community & Voluntary Sector, Community Economic Development, Employment, Housing, Industrial Relations, Libraries & Archives, Racing, Social Development, Associate State Services, Maritime Transport.
http://www.greens.org.nz/people/suebradford