Michael Ernest Christopher Cox (born 10 May 1939) is a former New Zealand politician of the National Party.

Biography

Cox was born in 1939 at

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

, England. He was in the British Merchant Navy, and was a chief officer with the Union Steam Ship Company before becoming a chartered accountant in

Palmerston North Palmerston North (; mi, Te Papa-i-Oea, known colloquially as Palmy) is a city in the North Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Manawatū-Whanganui region. Located in the eastern Manawatu Plains, the city is near the north bank of the ...

. He represented the Manawatu electorate in Parliament from to 1987, when he was defeated by

David Robinson David Maurice Robinson (born August 6, 1965) is an American former professional basketball player who played for the San Antonio Spurs in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1989 to 2003, and minority owner of the Spurs. Nicknamed ...

. From 1981 to 1985 he was Junior Whip for the party. He was an opponent of National's then leader Robert Muldoon and was an organiser in the Colonels' Coup, an abortive attempt to remove him from the leadership of the party. In 1984 Cox was appointed Shadow Minister of Revenue by Muldoon. In 1985 he was additionally given the Customs portfolio by new leader

Jim McLay Sir James Kenneth McLay (born 21 February 1945) is a New Zealand diplomat and former politician. He served as the ninth deputy prime minister of New Zealand from 15 March to 26 July 1984. McLay was also Leader of the National Party and Leader ...

. Cox was a key supporter of McLay and became his "numbers man" in the caucus. In a major reshuffle in February 1986 McLay promoted Cox to the position of Shadow Minister of Finance. His elevation to the high profile finance portfolio role did not last long and after McLay was deposed by

Jim Bolger James Brendan Bolger ( ; born 31 May 1935) is a New Zealand retired politician of the National Party who was the 35th prime minister of New Zealand, serving from 1990 to 1997. Bolger was born to an Irish immigrant family in Ōpunake, Taran ...

he was relegated to the Customs portfolio once again and was additionally made Shadow Minister for the Audit Department. In 1990, Cox was awarded the New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal. In the 1995 Queen's Birthday Honours, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire, for public services.

Political positions

He has claimed that climate change is not caused by humans. He has called global warming "Complete rubbish."

Personal life

He married his former National MP colleague

Katherine O'Regan Katherine Victoria O'Regan (née Newton, 24 May 1946 – 2 May 2018) was a New Zealand politician. She was a member of parliament from 1984 to 1999, representing the National Party. She served as a minister for the National Government for six ...

in 1992.

Notes

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cox, Michael 1939 births Living people New Zealand National Party MPs New Zealand Officers of the Order of the British Empire New Zealand MPs for North Island electorates People from Palmerston North Politicians from Oxford English emigrants to New Zealand Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives