Shane Jones facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Shane Jones
MP
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Jones in April 2018
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| 3rd Minister for Infrastructure | |
| In office 26 October 2017 – 6 November 2020 |
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| Prime Minister | Jacinda Ardern |
| Preceded by | Steven Joyce |
| Succeeded by | Grant Robertson |
| 31st Minister for Forestry | |
| In office 26 October 2017 – 6 November 2020 |
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| Prime Minister | Jacinda Ardern |
| Preceded by | Vacant (last held by David Carter) |
| Succeeded by | Stuart Nash |
| 1st Minister for Regional Economic Development | |
| In office 26 October 2017 – 6 November 2020 |
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| Prime Minister | Jacinda Ardern |
| Succeeded by | Stuart Nash |
| Minister for Building and Construction | |
| In office 31 October 2007 – 19 November 2008 |
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| Prime Minister | Helen Clark |
| Preceded by | Clayton Cosgrove |
| Succeeded by | Maurice Williamson |
| 14th Minister for Oceans and Fisheries | |
| Assumed office 27 November 2023 |
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| Prime Minister | Christopher Luxon |
| Preceded by | Rachel Brooking |
| Member of the New Zealand Parliament for New Zealand First list |
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| In office 23 September 2017 – 17 October 2020 |
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| Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Labour Party list |
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| In office 17 September 2005 – 22 May 2014 |
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| Succeeded by | Kelvin Davis |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 3 September 1959 Awanui, New Zealand |
| Political party | NZ First (2017–present) |
| Other political affiliations |
Labour (2005–2017) |
| Spouses |
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| Children | 7 |
| Alma mater | |
Shane Geoffrey Jones (born 3 September 1959) is a New Zealand politician. He is a member of the New Zealand House of Representatives for the New Zealand First party.
Jones started his political journey in 2005 as a list MP for the Labour Party. He quickly became a cabinet minister in his first term. He served as Minister for Building and Construction in the Fifth Labour Government of New Zealand. After Labour lost the 2008 election, he was an important opposition MP. He tried to become the leader of the Labour Party in 2013 but was not successful.
He left Parliament in 2014 for a short time to work as a diplomat. He then returned as a New Zealand First MP in the 2017 general election. From 2017 to 2020, Jones was the Minister for Regional Economic Development and Minister of Forestry. This was part of the Labour–New Zealand First coalition government. He was elected to Parliament again in the 2023 general election. He is now the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries, Minister for Regional Development, and Minister for Resources in the current National–ACT–New Zealand First government.
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Early Life and Education
Shane Jones is Māori, with family ties to the Te Aupōuri and Ngāi Takoto tribes. He also has English, Welsh, and Croatian ancestors. He was born in Awanui, near Kaitaia. He was the oldest of six children. His father, Peter, was a farmer, and his mother, Ruth, was a teacher.
Jones went to St Stephen's School. This was a boarding school for Māori boys in Bombay, south of Auckland. Other future Māori Party MPs, Hone Harawira and Te Ururoa Flavell, were also there at the same time. After school, Jones studied at Victoria University of Wellington. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. In 1990, he received a Harkness Fellowship. This allowed him to study at Harvard Kennedy School at Harvard University. He completed a Master of Public Administration degree there. Later, in the 1990s, Jones returned to Victoria University. He worked as a lecturer in Māori studies. He can speak te reo Māori fluently.
Early Career and Public Service
In the 1980s, Jones worked as a public servant. He was part of the Māori secretariat in the Ministry for the Environment. Later, he worked in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Here, he advised the Fourth Labour Government. His advice was about settling Treaty of Waitangi breaches.
When the Fourth National Government started the settlement process in the 1990s, Jones joined the Treaty of Waitangi Fisheries Commission. In August 2000, he became the chair of this commission. He finished sharing out fishing resources among Māori tribes (iwi) in 2004. He also led Sealord, a Māori-owned fishing company. During his time, Sealord joined with Nippon Suisan Kaisha. In 2004, the New Zealand Listener magazine listed him as the ninth most powerful New Zealander.
Jones had seven children with his first wife, Ngāreta. They separated in 2011, and she passed away in 2015. In 2011, Jones started a relationship with Dorothy (Dot) Pumipi, who was his campaign manager. They got married in 2018.
Time with the Labour Party (2005–2014)
| New Zealand Parliament | ||||
| Years | Term | Electorate | List | Party |
| 2005–2008 | 48th | List | 27 | Labour |
| 2008–2011 | 49th | List | 16 | Labour |
| 2011–2014 | 50th | List | 16 | Labour |
| 2017–2020 | 52nd | List | 8 | NZ First |
| 2023–present | 54th | List | 2 | NZ First |
Shane Jones has been elected to Parliament for two different political parties. First, he was with the Labour Party for nine years (2005–2014). Then, he joined New Zealand First (2017–2020, and again from 2023). He served as a Cabinet Minister while with both parties.
People often thought Jones might become the leader of the Labour Party. He even ran for the Labour leadership in 2013. However, his move away from Labour was not a big surprise. Before he became a Labour MP, Sir Graham Latimer tried to get him to join the National Party. Jones joined Labour partly because he admired David Lange and the Fourth Labour Government. Over time, he felt less at home in the "modern Labour Party." In 2014, he openly said he was not "naturally left-leaning." People had thought he might join New Zealand First since 2015. He finally joined the party in 2017. This was partly because of his good relationship with New Zealand First leader Winston Peters.
Serving in the Fifth Labour Government (2005–2008)
After the fisheries settlement was passed in 2004, Jones said he wanted to run for the Labour Party. He became the candidate for the Northland area. He was placed 27th on the party list. This was the highest spot Labour gave to someone who was not already an MP. Jones did not win Northland, but he became an MP through the party list. He was immediately made the chair of the Finance and Expenditure Select Committee.
On 31 October 2007, Jones was promoted to a Cabinet Minister. He became Minister for Building and Construction. He also had other roles, like helping with Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations, Immigration, and Trade.
As an Opposition MP (2008–2014)
Labour lost the 2008 election. Jones ran in the Northland electorate again but did not win. However, he returned to Parliament as a list member because he was high on the list (16th). Labour lost again in the 2011 election. Jones was defeated in Tāmaki Makaurau but stayed an MP through the list. For six years as an opposition MP, Jones held various roles. These included building and construction, infrastructure, economic development, transport, fisheries, forestry, and Māori affairs.
He had some issues during this time. In 2010, after government credit card records were released, Jones admitted he used a government credit card for personal things. He said he paid the money back fully.
In 2013, David Shearer resigned as Labour leader. Jones was the second MP to say he wanted to be the new leader. He ran against Grant Robertson and David Cunliffe. Cunliffe won the leadership. Jones later said he ran to honour Parekura Horomia, a Labour MP who had passed away. Jones received votes from seven out of 34 Labour MPs. He also got some votes from party members and unions.
On 22 April 2014, Jones announced he would leave Parliament as a Labour Party MP at the end of May. He was appointed to a new role as Pacific Economic Ambassador. This role was created by Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully. Kelvin Davis took his place as a Labour list MP.
Time with New Zealand First (2017–Present)
2017–2020 Term in Government
On 30 June 2017, Shane Jones was confirmed as the New Zealand First candidate for Whangarei. This was for the 2017 general election. He was also placed eighth on the party list for New Zealand First. This made it very likely he would return to Parliament.
New Zealand First held the power to decide which parties would form the government. Jones was part of the team that chose to form a government with Labour instead of National. Jones was appointed Minister for Infrastructure, Minister of Forestry, and Minister for Regional Economic Development. He also helped as an associate minister for finance and transport.
As Minister for Regional Economic Development, Jones was in charge of the $3 billion Provincial Growth Fund. He announced many grants to help different regions grow. For example, money went to Southland, the West Coast, Wairarapa, and Kaipara District. The first grants in February 2018 included:
- $6 million for the Whanganui rail line.
- $5 million for the Napier-Wairoa rail line.
- $2.3 million for the Gisborne port.
More grants were announced for Hillside Engineering in South Dunedin ($20 million). This was to make it a major engineering and KiwiRail service center.
Jones continued to be a notable figure in his new party. In September 2019, Jones and Labour MP Kieran McAnulty were asked to leave Parliament by the Speaker of the House Trevor Mallard. This happened after they had a disagreement with National MPs during a debate.
Jones also faced criticism for comments he made about immigration policies and certain communities in late 2019 and early 2020. These comments were not supported by other government ministers.
As Forestry Minister, Jones' main goal was to plant one billion trees. In November 2019, farmers protested against the government's forestry policy. Jones called the protesting farmers "rednecks." Federated Farmers vice president Andrew Hoggard said Jones' comments were not helpful. He also claimed the government was ignoring farmers' concerns.
Out of Parliament (2020–2023)
Jones ran as New Zealand First's Northland candidate in the 2020 general election. He came in third place. New Zealand First also lost all its seats in Parliament. They only got 2.6% of the party votes, which was below the 5% needed to enter Parliament. The day after the election, Jones said he was "astounded" by Labour's success. After leaving Parliament, Jones often shared his thoughts on the Sixth Labour Government in the media.
In the 2023 general election, Jones ran again as New Zealand First's Northland candidate. He was ranked second on the party list. During the campaign, he was seen as New Zealand First's deputy leader and finance spokesperson. He pushed for more investment in New Zealand's regions. In August 2023, he shared a TikTok video of himself singing to the song "Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey. Jones used the song to highlight his work with the Provincial Growth Fund. He came third in the Northland area. However, New Zealand First won 6.08% of the party vote. This meant he returned to Parliament for his fifth term as a list MP.
Sixth National Government (2023–Present)
On 27 November 2023, Jones was appointed to several important roles in the Sixth National Government of New Zealand. He became the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries, Minister for Regional Development, Minister for Resources, Associate Minister of Finance, and Associate Minister of Energy.
In January 2024, Jones attended the Rātana Church's annual meeting with other politicians. In his speech, Jones said he supported reviewing the powers of the Waitangi Tribunal. He stated that an institution that has been around for 50 years should be reviewed.
In March 2024, as Fisheries Minister, Jones announced that the government had stopped work on a law. This law would have created a large ocean sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands.
In April 2024, the Waitangi Tribunal asked ACT MP and Minister for Children Karen Chhour to attend an urgent hearing. This was about the government's plans to change a part of the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989. Jones commented on this, saying the Waitangi Tribunal should not be summoning ministers. His comments were criticized by the Māori Law Society. They asked Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Attorney-General Judith Collins to ensure the government respects the justice system.
In June 2024, Jones announced that the government would introduce a new law. This law would reverse the previous Labour Government's ban on oil and gas exploration. He also confirmed that the government would make it easier for companies to get permission for oil exploration. Jones believes this will attract investment and create jobs. The Green Party said reversing the ban would make climate change worse. Labour's energy spokesperson criticized the government for ignoring renewable energy sources.
In July 2024, Jones showed interest in growing the aquaculture (fish farming) sector. He said that aquaculture faces fewer problems and offers more chances than other industries like wool, dairy, and meat. Jones also noted that the aquaculture industry does not have as many people protesting it as farming does.
In August 2024, Jones accused electricity companies of taking advantage of high energy bills. He said the government was looking into ways to control the energy sector.
Political Views
Jones voted in favor of the Marriage (Definition of Marriage) Amendment Bill. This bill made same-sex marriage in New Zealand legal in 2012 and 2013. He also supported the End of Life Choice Bill at all stages in 2017 and 2019.
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