Hon Peter Dunne

speech abstract

Keynote/Welcome Address

Read the Keynote address (PDF 120kb)

Hon. Peter Dunne, MP is leader of the United Future Party, Minister of Revenue and Associate Minister of Health.  As Associate Minister of Health, he is currently working on the development of a medicines strategy.  The strategy aims to work within our current medicines systems to identify where improvements can be made to obtain better health and disability outcomes.  The strategy has a broad focus and looks at the safety and quality of medicines, access to medicines regardless of an individual’s ability to pay, and the optimal use of medicines.  Promoting and ensuring optimal use involves many sectors communicating and working together to ensure that the patient and therefore the patient’s experience is supported by the health sector as a whole - this includes the Ministry of Health, PHARMAC, ACC, DHBs, Safe and Quality Use of Medicines group, the Best Practice Advocacy Centre, health professionals, registration authorities, community clinics and others. This workshop is therefore an ideal place and time to focus on the patient and to co-ordinate, talk, build relationships, share knowledge and information, so that our health system can support the best possible health gain through the optimal use of medicines. 

biography

Leader United Future New Zealand
Member for Ohariu-Belmont

Hon Peter Dunne, born in Christchurch in 1954, graduated from the University of Canterbury in 1977 with a Master of Arts degree with Honours in Political Science, and has also studied business administration at Massey University.
 
He worked for the Department of Trade and Industry in Wellington during 1977-78, prior to joining the Alcoholic Liquor Advisory Council holding various posts up to 1984.
 
He has been an MP since 1984, holding the north-west Wellington seats of Ohariu; Onslow; and Ohariu-Belmont.
 
He was a Labour MP from 1984 to 1994, resigning from the Labour Party in October 1994 to become a founding member of United New Zealand (now known as United Future) a few months later. He has been Party Leader since October 1996.
 
He has been Minister of Revenue and Associate Minister of Health since October 2005.
 
He has also been a Minister on two earlier occasions serving as Minister of Regional Development; Associate Minister for the Environment and Associate Minister of Justice in the Palmer and Moore Labour Governments; and Minister of Revenue and Minister of Internal Affairs in the National/United Coalition Government.
 
Earlier he was a Parliamentary Under-Secretary in the fields of Health (1987-89); Trade and Industry (1987-89); Energy (1988-89); Regional Development (1988-90); Commerce (1988-90); Justice (1989); Environment (1989-90); Internal Affairs (1989-90); and Local Government (1989-90).
 
He has written two books: "Home is Where My Heart Is", published in 2002, and "In the Centre of Things", published in 2005.
 
He married Jennifer Mackrell in 1976 and they have two sons.

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