The Honourable
Steven Joyce
Joyce in 2016
41st Minister of Finance
In office
20 December 2016 – 20 October 2017
Prime MinisterBill English
Preceded byBill English
Succeeded byGrant Robertson
2nd Minister for Infrastructure
In office
20 December 2016 – 26 October 2017
Prime MinisterBill English
Preceded byPosition created (last held by Bill English)
Succeeded byShane Jones
5th Minister for Economic Development
In office
14 December 2011 – 20 December 2016
Prime MinisterJohn Key
Bill English
Preceded byGerry Brownlee
Succeeded bySimon Bridges
24th Minister for Science and Innovation
In office
14 December 2011 – 20 December 2016
Prime MinisterJohn Key
Bill English
Preceded byWayne Mapp
Succeeded byPaul Goldsmith
Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment
In office
27 January 2010 – 20 December 2016
Prime MinisterJohn Key
Bill English
Preceded byAnne Tolley
Succeeded byPaul Goldsmith
24th Minister of Transport
In office
19 November 2008 – 14 December 2011
Prime MinisterJohn Key
Preceded byAnnette King
Succeeded byGerry Brownlee
Minister for Communications and Information Technology
In office
19 November 2008 – 14 December 2011
Prime MinisterJohn Key
Preceded byDavid Cunliffe
Succeeded byAmy Adams
Member of the New Zealand Parliament
for National party list
In office
8 November 2008 – 2 April 2018
Succeeded byNicola Willis
Personal details
Born (1963-04-07) 7 April 1963
New Plymouth, Taranaki, New Zealand[1]
Political partyNational Party
SpouseSuzanne Joyce
Children2
Alma materMassey University
OccupationBroadcasting entrepreneur

Steven Leonard Joyce (born 7 April 1963) is a New Zealand former politician, who entered the New Zealand House of Representatives in 2008 as a member of the New Zealand National Party. As a broadcasting entrepreneur with RadioWorks, he was a millionaire before he entered politics.[2] In 2008 he became Minister of Transport and Minister for Communications and Information Technology. He later became Minister of Science and Innovation, and then served as Minister of Finance and Minister for Infrastructure.

On 6 March 2018, he announced his resignation from politics, after losing his bid for the leadership of the party.[3] Joyce subsequently established a lobbying firm called Joyce Advisory, which developed close ties with the National Party.[4] In 2023, Joyce Advisory played a role in influencing the National Party's support for the University of Waikato to host New Zealand's proposed third medical school.[4][5]

Early life

Joyce's parents worked as grocers.[6] He went to school at Francis Douglas Memorial College, before enrolling at Massey University, applying to study veterinary science. However he "missed the cut",[7] graduating instead with a BSc in zoology. While at university he worked as a presenter and programme director on student radio.[8] He also took fifteen economics papers [9] at Massey from 1982 to 1986, withdrew or did not complete seven of them and failed one through insufficient grade.[10]

Broadcasting career

After leaving university Joyce and a group of friends (including radio presenter Jeremy Corbett) started their own radio station, Energy FM, in New Plymouth.[7][8] With business partners, he built up RadioWorks over the next seventeen years, both organically and by acquisition, to a network of 22 radio stations and 650 staff. He retired as Managing Director of RadioWorks in April 2001, when CanWest purchased it, Joyce receiving $6 million for the sale.[8]

After RadioWorks he joined the New Zealand National Party, working as their campaign manager in both the 2005 and the 2008 general elections. He was announced as a list only candidate for the party in the 2002 general election,[11] but did not appear on the final list.[12] He also served as CEO of Jasons Travel Media for two years until 2008.[13]

In 2010 while Minister of Transport, Joyce admitted to two prior driving convictions, careless driving resulting in a fine in 1988, and careless driving causing injury resulting in a fine and loss of licence in 1989.[14]

Member of Parliament

New Zealand Parliament
Years Term Electorate List Party
2008–2011 49th List 16 National
2011–2014 50th List 13 National
2014–2017 51st List 5 National
2017–2018 52nd List 4 National

First term, 2008–2011

On 8 November 2008, Joyce was elected as a list-only candidate (ranked 16th on the party list) at the 2008 election in the Fifth National Government of New Zealand of the 49th Parliament of New Zealand representing the New Zealand National Party.

As a first term member of parliament, Joyce was appointed to the office of the Minister of Transport and the office of the Communications and Information Technology.[15] Joyce was also appointed as a member of the Executive Council[16] and was titled as The Honourable Steven Leonard Joyce, MP. During his tenure as Minister of Transport a number of changes were introduced. In November 2009 a ban on using cellphones while driving came into effect.[17]

In 2010, New Zealand's unique right-hand rule at intersections was reversed. The minimum driving age was also raised from 15 to 16.[18] Both measures were subject to cabinet approval and public consultation, and eventually passed into law.[19]

This minimum driving age proposal was criticised by the editorial board of The New Zealand Herald for being too hesitant after experts and the public had favoured raising the driving age as high as 18 and in the opinion of the newspaper, Joyce "had not shown the resolve to follow the recommendations".[20]

He helped create Auckland Transport as a council-controlled organisation for Auckland. Joyce stated that "Auckland will need a good agency focused on delivering the projects that have been agreed by council" and noting that Council had a number of ways of ensuring that the entity was accountable.[21]

Joyce was also appointed to the Office of Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment[22] replacing Anne Tolley, effective 27 January 2010.

Second term, 2011–2014

Joyce speaking in Brazil, April 2015

In the 2011 election for the 50th New Zealand Parliament Joyce retained his seat in Parliament (as a list candidate, now rated 13th on the party list) and was appointed to the office of Minister for Economic Development.[23] in the Fifth National Government of New Zealand. His previous role as Minister of Transport[24] passed to Gerry Brownlee.

In May 2013, he signed a deal with casino Skycity Auckland, allowing it to install an additional 230 pokie machines and 40 new gambling tables, in exchange for building a $402 million convention centre.[25][26]

In August 2013, he was given responsibility to investigate both the Novopay debacle and the 2013 Fonterra recall.[27]

Third term, 2014–2017

In what became known as the Waitangi dildo incident, a rubber sex toy was thrown at Joyce during an anti-TPPA protest at the 2016 Waitangi Day celebrations while he was speaking to media. The protester responsible, Josie Butler, a nurse from Christchurch, shouted "That’s for raping our sovereignty". She claimed she was protesting against the TPPA. She was taken away by police, but not charged.[28]

On 20 December 2016, Joyce was appointed as Minister of Finance and Infrastructure.[29] During the lead-up to the 2017 general election, Joyce alleged that there was an NZ$11 billion hole in the opposition Labour Party's fiscal plan. These charges were disputed by Labour politicians including Opposition Leader Jacinda Ardern and Deputy Leader Kelvin Davis.[30][31]

During the 2017 election, Joyce stood on the National Party list and was re-elected.[32] National won 44% of the popular vote and 56 seats; maintaining its plurality in the New Zealand House of Representatives.[33] However, National fell short of the majority needed to govern alone. Following post-election negotiations, Labour formed a coalition government with the opposition New Zealand First and Green parties.[34][35]

In Opposition, 2017–2018

Following the formation of a Labour-led coalition government, Joyce became the National Party's Spokesperson for Finance and Infrastructure. He was also allocated a seat on the Finance and Expenditure Select Committee.[29] However, on 6 March 2018, Joyce announced he would resign from Parliament, reportedly after not being offered the Finance portfolio under new National leader Simon Bridges, who had replaced Bill English.[3]

Lobbying career

In 2018, Joyce established a lobbying firm called "Joyce Advisory," which specialiases in business strategy, consultancy, brand management, and public relations. He was also employed by various businesses including property development and engineering. Several of these clients developed close ties with the National Party. According to political scientist Bryce Edwards, Joyce maintain close ties with the National Party and provided advice in the area of policy development.[4]

In June 2023, Radio New Zealand (RNZ) reported that the University of Waikato had paid nearly NZ$1 million in consultancy fees to Joyce Advisory.[36][4] In July 2023, National subsequently pledged to establish at third medical school at Waikato University while campaigning for the 2023 New Zealand general election.[37][38] In September 2023, RNZ reported that Joyce Advisory had collaborated with Waikato's Vice-Chancellor Neil Quigley and National's health spokesperson Shane Reti to develop the party's Waikato medical school policy. Waikato University then hired Joyce's former press secretary and political advisor Anna Lillis to promote the school. In response, Tertiary Education Union's Waikato University organiser Shane Vugler criticised the university leadership for compromising its political independence.[5][4]

Personal life

Joyce lives in Albany with his wife Suzanne and their two children.[1][7]

References and further reading

  • Joyce, Steven (2023). On the Record. Auckland: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 978 1 99100 646 2.
  1. 1 2 Young, Audrey (20 March 2010). "Steven Joyce becomes Govt's 'everywhere man'". New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 18 December 2016.
  2. ↑ Gower, Patrick (3 October 2009). "Key lieutenant makes most of a fast start". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 11 March 2010.
  3. 1 2 Bracewell-Worrall, Anna; Lynch, Jenna; Ewing, Isobel (6 March 2018). "Steven Joyce resigns from Parliament". Newshub. Retrieved 6 March 2018.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Edwards, Bryce (27 October 2023). "The Vested Interests Shaping National Party Policies". Scoop. Archived from the original on 3 October 2023. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  5. 1 2 Espiner, Guyon (5 September 2023). "University of Waikato boss referred to new medical school as a 'present' for future National government". Radio New Zealand. Archived from the original on 7 September 2023. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  6. ↑ "Former campaign boss the bolter in Key's Cabinet". New Zealand Herald. 17 November 2008. Retrieved 21 January 2009.
  7. 1 2 3 Roughan, John (16 October 2008). "A word with... Steven Joyce". New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 18 December 2016.
  8. 1 2 3 Dudding, Adam (16 November 2008). "Key's six million dollar man – Steven Joyce". Sunday Star Times. Archived from the original on 26 December 2008. Retrieved 21 January 2009.
  9. ↑ eleven https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Massey_University_Academic_Record_-_Steven_Leonard_Joyce.pdf
  10. ↑ "Finance Minister Steven Joyce confirms he dropped out of uni economics papers". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
  11. ↑ "Candidates' Bios, Alphabetically By Constituencies". Retrieved 21 July 2020.
  12. ↑ "Party Lists of Successful Registered Parties". Electoral Commission. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
  13. ↑ "New face at helm of Jasons Travel Media". NZ Herald. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
  14. ↑ Bennett, Adam (16 September 2010). "Minister admits driving offences". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 24 September 2010.
  15. ↑ "Appointment of Ministers" (21 November 2008), 179 New Zealand Gazette, pg. 4635.
  16. ↑ "Members of Executive Council Appointed" (21 November 2008), 179 New Zealand Gazette, pg. 4634.
  17. ↑ Williams, David (14 August 2009). "Cellphone ban comes with fines". The Press. Retrieved 10 March 2010.
  18. ↑ "NZ's right-hand rule set for change". The New Zealand Herald. 3 March 2010. Retrieved 10 March 2010.
  19. ↑ "Safer Journeys, First Actions" (PDF). Wellington: Ministry of Transport. March 2010. Retrieved 11 March 2010.
  20. ↑ "Editorial: Cabinet keeps to slow lane on driving age". The New Zealand Herald. 3 March 2010. Retrieved 10 March 2010.
  21. ↑ Orsman, Bernard. "Joyce adamant on city transport giant". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 11 March 2010.
  22. ↑ "Appointment of Ministers" (27 January 2010) 5 New Zealand Gazette, pg. 221.
  23. ↑ "Vice Regal: Appointment of Ministers" (15 December 2011) 193 New Zealand Gazette, pg. 5651; accessed 25 January 2016.
  24. ↑ "Resignation of Ministers" (14 December 2011), 193 New Zealand Gazette, pg. 5650.
  25. ↑ "SkyCity convention centre set to create 800 jobs – Joyce". TV NZ. 13 May 2013.
  26. ↑ "SkyCity's pokie full house". Stuff.co.nz. 13 May 2013.
  27. ↑ Espiner, Colin (7 August 2013). "Mr Fixit in charge of dairy scare". Stuff.co.nz. Fairfax. Retrieved 11 August 2013.
  28. ↑ Elle Hunt. "New Zealand MP 'Dildo Baggins' cops sex toy in the face and takes ribbing on the chin". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
  29. 1 2 "Hon Steven Joyce". New Zealand Parliament. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
  30. ↑ Young, Audrey (5 September 2017). "An '$11 billion hole': Expert analysis of Labour's fiscal plan after Steven Joyce called it a 'fiscal hole'". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
  31. ↑ Satherley, Dan (8 September 2017). "Steven Joyce's 'big fat lie' has backfired – Kelvin Davis". Newshub. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
  32. ↑ "2017 General Election – Successful candidates". Electoral Commission. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
  33. ↑ "2017 General Election – Official Results". Electoral Commission. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
  34. ↑ Chapman, Grant (19 October 2017). "Full video: NZ First leader Winston Peters announces next Government". Newshub. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  35. ↑ Hurley, Emma (19 October 2017). "An 'historic moment' for the Green Party – James Shaw". Newshub. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  36. ↑ "Waikato University pays firm nearly $1million for advice". Radio New Zealand. 13 June 2023. Archived from the original on 4 September 2023. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  37. ↑ Lines-McKenzie, Jo (5 July 2023). "National backs third medical school in Waikato". Stuff. Archived from the original on 7 July 2023. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
  38. ↑ Ellis, Fiona (7 July 2023). "National pledges Dunedin hospital budget boost". Otago Daily Times. Archived from the original on 8 July 2023. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
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