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NEW MINISTER

By Lawrence Johnston

THERE is a new Minister of Immigration in Prime Minister Clark's cabinet reshuffle.
The new man in charge, Clayton Cosgrove is familiar with the portfolio, having spent the past two years dovetailing the post of Associate Minister Immigration with his main duties as Minister for Building and Construction and Minister of Statistics.
Since he is taking over the full immigration portfolio, he will no longer have responsibility for Building and Construction and Statistics, but takes on both the Sport and Recreation and Business portfolios and has responsibility for the 2111 Rugby World Cup, which will be staged in New Zealand. He also retains his Associate Justice and Finance responsibilities.
His predecessor in charge of immigration, David Cunliffe becomes Minister of Health, and continues his responsibilities in Communications and IT.
Mr Cosgrove has been a member of the Labour Party since he was 14, and before becoming an MP he held a number of business posts, and was Senior Parliamentary Advisor to former Prime Minister, Mike Moore.
Among Mr Cosgrove's business posts was that of Public Affairs Manager, Clear Communications Ltd, which at the time was New Zealand's second largest telecommunications company. Another was as Corporate Affairs Manager of the Churchill Group.
He has also owned his own business providing strategic advice to companies on government, communication and public relations matters, and is a former member of the New Zealand Lotteries Board - National Funding Distribution Committee dealing with grants to the youth sector and.
In recent years, he also received a string of awards. In 2005, he gained associate fellowship - the highest classification - of the New Zealand Institute of Management, and in the same year, became the first New Zealander to be selected as a member of the Forum of Young Global Leaders, one of only 237 worldwide.
He is also the first New Zealand politician to have become one of the World Economic Forum's 100 Global Leaders of Tomorrow.

In 1987, he received the Lorima Marshall Scholarship, Exhibition Award at Trinity College, London, and has BA and MBA degrees from the University of Canterbury, Christchurch.
Mr Cosgrove's successor as Associate Minister Immigration is Shane Jones, one of three new ministers in the cabinet. He also has two other associate portfolios at Treaty Negotiations and Trade, and succeeds Mr Cosgrove as Minister for Building and Construction.