Minister of Agriculture (New Zealand)

Minister of Agriculture
Minister of Agriculture
	Coat of Arms of New Zealand
	Flag of New Zealand
	Incumbent; Todd McClay ; since 27 November 2023
	Ministry for Primary Industries
Style	The Honourable
Member of	Cabinet of New Zealand ; Executive Council ;
Reports to	Prime Minister of New Zealand
Appointer	Governor-General of New Zealand
Term length	At His Majesty's pleasure
Formation	17 October 1889
First holder	George Richardson
Salary	$288,900
Website	www.beehive.govt.nz

Last updated May 27, 2025

The Minister of Agriculture is a minister in the New Zealand Government. It was re-created as a standalone portfolio in 2017 after previously existing continuously from 1889 to 1998, and again from 1999 to 2012. The current Minister is Todd McClay.

Responsibilities and powers

The minister's responsibilities include protecting and promoting the productivity, sustainability and export performance of New Zealand's agricultural sector.^[2] They are also the lead minister for the Ministry for Primary Industries, which is the government department that provides support to the portfolio. Previously the minister was responsible for smaller departments such as the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.

The minister is responsible for legislation related to the agricultural sector including the Animal Welfare Act 1999 and the Dairy Industry Restructuring Act 2001.

History

John McKenzie established the Department of Agriculture on 31 March 1892,^[3]^[4] and the first minister, George Richardson, was appointed on 17 October 1889.^[5] Prior to Keith Holyoake receiving it in 1949, the portfolio "had become notorious as a political graveyard".^[6] The fisheries portfolio was briefly combined in the agriculture portfolio between 1972 and 1977.^[7]

In the Shipley minority government, the position was disestablished and replaced with the new role of Minister of Food, Fibre, Biosecurity and Border Control, which consolidated ministerial responsibility for the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Ministry of Fisheries, Land Information New Zealand and the New Zealand Customs Service. The change was unpopular with the farming sector and was reverted by the incoming Labour government in 1999.^[8]

In the second and third terms of the Fifth National Government, the portfolio was again disestablished and merged into the larger position of Minister for Primary Industries . A standalone agriculture ministerial position was restored in 2017.^[9]

List of ministers of agriculture

Key

Independent Liberal Reform United Labour National Progressive

No.		Name	Term of office
	1	George Richardson	17 October 1889	24 January 1891	Atkinson
	2	John McKenzie	24 January 1891	27 June 1900	Ballance
	2	John McKenzie	24 January 1891	27 June 1900	Seddon
	3	Thomas Young Duncan	2 July 1900	6 August 1906	Seddon
	3	Thomas Young Duncan	2 July 1900	6 August 1906	Hall-Jones
	4	Robert McNab	6 August 1906	30 November 1908	Ward
	5	Joseph Ward	1 December 1908	1 May 1909
	6	Thomas Mackenzie	1 May 1909	10 July 1912
	6	Thomas Mackenzie	1 May 1909	10 July 1912	Mackenzie
	7	William Massey	10 July 1912	12 August 1915	Massey
	8	William MacDonald	12 August 1915	22 August 1919
	9	William Nosworthy	4 September 1919	18 January 1926
					Bell
					Coates
	10	Oswald Hawken	18 January 1926	24 August 1928	Coates
	11	George Forbes	10 December 1928	28 May 1930	Ward
	12	Alfred Murdoch	28 May 1930	22 September 1931	Forbes
	13	David Jones	22 September 1931	8 January 1932
	14	Charles Macmillan	8 January 1932	6 December 1935
	15	Lee Martin	6 December 1935	21 January 1941	Savage
	15	Lee Martin	6 December 1935	21 January 1941	Fraser
	16	Jim Barclay	21 January 1941	18 October 1943
	17	Ben Roberts	29 October 1943	19 December 1946
	18	Ted Cullen	19 December 1946	13 December 1949
	19	Keith Holyoake	13 December 1949	26 September 1957	Holland
	20	Sid Smith	26 September 1957	12 December 1957	Holland
	20	Sid Smith	26 September 1957	12 December 1957	Holyoake
	21	Jerry Skinner	12 December 1957	12 December 1960	Nash
	22	William Gillespie	12 December 1960	23 April 1961	Holyoake
	23	Thomas Hayman	2 May 1961	2 January 1962
	24	Brian Talboys	24 January 1962	22 December 1969
	25	Douglas Carter	22 December 1969	8 December 1972
	25	Douglas Carter	22 December 1969	8 December 1972	Marshall
	26	Colin Moyle ^{[nb 1]}	8 December 1972	12 December 1975	Kirk
	26	Colin Moyle ^{[nb 1]}	8 December 1972	12 December 1975	Rowling
	27	Duncan MacIntyre ^{[nb 2]}	12 December 1975	26 July 1984	Muldoon
	(26)	Colin Moyle	26 July 1984	9 February 1990	Lange
	(26)	Colin Moyle	26 July 1984	9 February 1990	Palmer
	28	Jim Sutton	9 February 1990	2 November 1990	Palmer
	28	Jim Sutton	9 February 1990	2 November 1990	Moore
	29	John Falloon	2 November 1990	29 February 1996	Bolger
	30	Lockwood Smith	29 February 1996	26 August 1998	Bolger
	30	Lockwood Smith	29 February 1996	26 August 1998	Shipley
	31	John Luxton ^{[nb 3]}	26 August 1998	10 December 1999	Shipley
	(28)	Jim Sutton	10 December 1999	19 October 2005	Clark
	32	Jim Anderton	19 October 2005	19 November 2008	Clark
	33	David Carter	19 November 2008	14 December 2011	Key
2011–2017: No separate appointments
	34	Damien O'Connor	26 October 2017	27 November 2023	Ardern
	34	Damien O'Connor	26 October 2017	27 November 2023	Hipkins
	35	Todd McClay	27 November 2023	present	Luxon

Table footnotes:

↑ as Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries
↑ as Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries until 8 March 1977
↑ as Minister of Food, Fibre and Biosecurity

Notes

↑ "Parliamentary Salaries and Allowances Determination 2016" (PDF). New Zealand Parliament. Retrieved 20 January 2017.
↑ "Agriculture". Agriculture. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
↑ Stringleman, Hugh; Peden, Robert. "Sheep farming – The refrigerated meat trade". Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 5 October 2009.
↑ "Historical Developments". Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. Archived from the original on 22 May 2010. Retrieved 5 October 2009.
↑ "Agriculture (J0004) – History & Notes". Archives New Zealand. Retrieved 5 October 2009.
↑ Wood, G. A. "Holyoake, Keith Jacka". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography . Ministry for Culture and Heritage . Retrieved 30 October 2012.
↑ Wilson 1985, pp. 91, 94.
↑ Stevenson, Philippa (29 November 1999). "Rural sector looking for more than cosmetics in new policy". The New Zealand Herald . Retrieved 5 October 2009.
↑ "New government ministers revealed". RNZ . 25 October 2017. Retrieved 1 February 2023.

References

Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First published in 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103.

External links

Agriculture portfolio at the New Zealand Government website
Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry

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[10] s Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries

[11] s Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries until 8 March 1977

[12] s Minister of Food, Fibre and Biosecurity

[1] "Parliamentary Salaries and Allowances Determination 2016" (PDF). New Zealand Parliament. Retrieved 20 January 2017.

[2] "Agriculture". Agriculture. Retrieved 1 February 2023.

[3] Stringleman, Hugh; Peden, Robert. "Sheep farming – The refrigerated meat trade". Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 5 October 2009.

[4] "Historical Developments". Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. Archived from the original on 22 May 2010. Retrieved 5 October 2009.

[5] "Agriculture (J0004) – History & Notes". Archives New Zealand. Retrieved 5 October 2009.

[6] Wood, G. A. "Holyoake, Keith Jacka". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography . Ministry for Culture and Heritage . Retrieved 30 October 2012.

[FOOTNOTEWilson198591,_94-7] Wilson 1985, pp. 91, 94.

[8] Stevenson, Philippa (29 November 1999). "Rural sector looking for more than cosmetics in new policy". The New Zealand Herald . Retrieved 5 October 2009.

[9] "New government ministers revealed". RNZ . 25 October 2017. Retrieved 1 February 2023.

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