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Trevor Mallard
Sir Trevor Colin Mallard KNZM (born 17 June 1954) is a New Zealand politician and diplomat. Between February 2023 and August 2025, he served as Ambassador of New Zealand to Ireland. He was a Member of Parliament from 1984 to 1990 and again from 1993 to 2022. He served as Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives from 2017 until 2022.
Mallard was a Cabinet minister in the Fifth Labour Government of New Zealand (1999 to 2008). For six years, he was Minister of Education and Minister of State Services and held additional appointments as Minister for the Environment, Minister of Labour, Minister of Broadcasting, Minister for State Owned Enterprises, Minister for Sport and Recreation and Associate Minister of Finance. He has represented the electorates of Hamilton West, Pencarrow and Hutt South, and was a list member of Parliament between 2017 and 2022.
Mallard's five-year term as Speaker completed his parliamentary career. His move into a presiding officer role was likened to "the poacher turned gamekeeper." Mallard had had a reputation as an "attack dog" and "political battler" (he was once convicted of fighting in a public place after punching National MP Tau Henare at Parliament). His speakership was remarked on for its contribution to parliamentary culture change, including promoting a more family-friendly environment and removing the requirement for male MPs to wear ties. However, some of Mallard's comments and actions attracted criticism including in relation to the 2022 Wellington protests.
In February 2023, Mallard took up the role of New Zealand ambassador to Ireland. In mid August 2025, he was recalled as Ambassador by Foreign Minister Winston Peters.
Mallard was born in Wellington, and attended Onslow College. After gaining a Bachelor of Commerce and Administration degree from Victoria University of Wellington in 1974, he trained as a teacher at the Wellington College of Education, gaining a Diploma in Teaching in 1976. He subsequently held a number of teaching jobs in Wellington and the King Country.
While teaching, Mallard became involved in the Post Primary Teachers' Association (PPTA), the national secondary school teachers' union. He was secretary of the PPTA's King Country branch from 1979 to 1984.[citation needed] In 1984, he gained a Diploma in Continuing Education from the University of Waikato.
Mallard joined the Labour Party in 1972, while a university student.[citation needed] In 1977 he was arrested in Parliament's debating chamber during an anti-SIS bill protest, later appearing in court and the Supreme Court, and was banned from Parliament buildings for a time. He was arrested for disorderly behaviour outside the Springbok rugby team's Rotorua hotel during protests against their 1981 tour of New Zealand, but was found not guilty. In 1983 he unsuccessfully contested the Labour nomination for the new Tongariro electorate, losing to Noel Scott.
He held a number of internal party positions until the election of 1984 when he defeated Mike Minogue to become the member of Parliament for Hamilton West. In his first term of Parliament, the Labour Party formed a new government and Mallard served as a member of the Justice and Law Reform committee and Regulations Review committee.
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Trevor Mallard
Sir Trevor Colin Mallard KNZM (born 17 June 1954) is a New Zealand politician and diplomat. Between February 2023 and August 2025, he served as Ambassador of New Zealand to Ireland. He was a Member of Parliament from 1984 to 1990 and again from 1993 to 2022. He served as Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives from 2017 until 2022.
Mallard was a Cabinet minister in the Fifth Labour Government of New Zealand (1999 to 2008). For six years, he was Minister of Education and Minister of State Services and held additional appointments as Minister for the Environment, Minister of Labour, Minister of Broadcasting, Minister for State Owned Enterprises, Minister for Sport and Recreation and Associate Minister of Finance. He has represented the electorates of Hamilton West, Pencarrow and Hutt South, and was a list member of Parliament between 2017 and 2022.
Mallard's five-year term as Speaker completed his parliamentary career. His move into a presiding officer role was likened to "the poacher turned gamekeeper." Mallard had had a reputation as an "attack dog" and "political battler" (he was once convicted of fighting in a public place after punching National MP Tau Henare at Parliament). His speakership was remarked on for its contribution to parliamentary culture change, including promoting a more family-friendly environment and removing the requirement for male MPs to wear ties. However, some of Mallard's comments and actions attracted criticism including in relation to the 2022 Wellington protests.
In February 2023, Mallard took up the role of New Zealand ambassador to Ireland. In mid August 2025, he was recalled as Ambassador by Foreign Minister Winston Peters.
Mallard was born in Wellington, and attended Onslow College. After gaining a Bachelor of Commerce and Administration degree from Victoria University of Wellington in 1974, he trained as a teacher at the Wellington College of Education, gaining a Diploma in Teaching in 1976. He subsequently held a number of teaching jobs in Wellington and the King Country.
While teaching, Mallard became involved in the Post Primary Teachers' Association (PPTA), the national secondary school teachers' union. He was secretary of the PPTA's King Country branch from 1979 to 1984.[citation needed] In 1984, he gained a Diploma in Continuing Education from the University of Waikato.
Mallard joined the Labour Party in 1972, while a university student.[citation needed] In 1977 he was arrested in Parliament's debating chamber during an anti-SIS bill protest, later appearing in court and the Supreme Court, and was banned from Parliament buildings for a time. He was arrested for disorderly behaviour outside the Springbok rugby team's Rotorua hotel during protests against their 1981 tour of New Zealand, but was found not guilty. In 1983 he unsuccessfully contested the Labour nomination for the new Tongariro electorate, losing to Noel Scott.
He held a number of internal party positions until the election of 1984 when he defeated Mike Minogue to become the member of Parliament for Hamilton West. In his first term of Parliament, the Labour Party formed a new government and Mallard served as a member of the Justice and Law Reform committee and Regulations Review committee.