A longtime Labour politician and former head of state, Mike Moore has served as New Zealand’s ambassador to the United States since January 2010.

 

Born January 28, 1949, in Whakatane, New Zealand, Moore was raised in Kawakawa and educated at the Bay of Islands College and Dilworth School.

 

Before going into politics, Moore worked as a meat worker and construction worker and a printer, which led to his becoming an active trade unionist. At age 17 he was elected to the Auckland Trades Council. He became the first youth representative on the Labour Party executive and was Vice-president of the International Union of Socialist Youth for two consecutive terms. 

 

He also served as a social worker in a hospital for the criminally insane—an experience he claims “prepared him well for a life in politics.”

 

Moore was first elected to Parliament from Eden in 1972. Only 23 years old, he was the youngest Member of Parliament ever elected. In 1978 he moved to Christchurch and was elected MP for the north Christchurch electorate, then known as Papanui. He held that seat until 1999.

 

As a member of the Labour Party, Moore held several cabinet positions in the New Zealand government, including deputy minister of finance (1988-1990), minister for the America’s Cup (1988-1990), minister of tourism, Sport and Recreation (1984-1987), foreign minister (February 9-November 2, 1990) and overseas trade minister (1984-1990).

 

In 1990, he became prime minister, but held the office for less than two months (September 4-November 2), after which the Labour Party lost power. Moore spent the next three years as leader of the opposition.

 

From 1999 to 2002, Moore was director-general of the World Trade Organization (WTO), during which time he oversaw the launch of the Doha Development Round.

 

Moore has held numerous appointments and board memberships governmental organizations. These included the United Nations Commission on the Legal Empowerment of the Poor; the UN Global Commission on International Migration; and the Economic Development Board of South Australia. He was enior counselor for the Fonterra dairy company and a board member for SGS, an inspection and testing business; He is also a member of the Trilateral Commission.

 

He has been an adjunct professor in Australia at Adelaide University and La Trobe University.

 

Moore is the author of 10 books, including: A Pacific Parliament: A Pacific idea : an Economic and Political Community for the South Pacific(1982); Hard Labour(1987); Fighting for New Zealand : New Zealand in the 21st Century(1993); Children of the Poor: How Poverty Could Destroy New Zealand's Future(1996); A Brief History of the Future: Citizenship of the Millennium(1998), A World without Walls : Freedom, Development, Free Trade and Global Governance (2007), and Saving Globalization : Why Globalization and Democracy Offer the Best Hope for Progress, Peace and Development(2009).

 

He is the founder of the New Zealand charity School Aid, which creates investment funds for high school students to learn about investing; the profits go to schools in developing countries.

 

In 1975 Moore married Yvonne Dereany.

-Noel Brinkerhoff, Matt Bewig

 

Official Biography (New Zealand Embassy)