The minority Government was created when the Alliance, which Jim Anderton leads, signed a Coalition agreement with the Labour Party on 6 December 1999.
Jim Anderton is the Minister for Economic, Industry and Regional Development. The Ministry of Economic Development was created as a condition of the Coalition Government agreement, reflecting the Alliance and Jim Anderton's commitment to full employment. Other key Alliance foundation policies include free health, free education and an end to asset sales.
Since the election Jim Anderton has been actively encouraging development policies and initiatives up and down the country. A range of economic development programmes, and industry development steering groups have been encouraged as a result.
Jim Anderton's interest in economic development has come from his personal commitment to helping all New Zealanders reach their full potential, and supporting New Zealand communities to control their own economic destiny.
Jim was elected to Parliament in the general election of 1984 as a Labour MP representing Sydenham. The electorate has changed boundaries and he is now the MP for Wigram.
On his election to Parliament, Jim was the President of the New Zealand Labour Party, a position he held from 1979 to 1984. He served on the Labour Party Policy committee from 1979 to 1989.
Jim's resignation from the Labour Government in 1989 was because of serious breaches of policy manifesto commitments. He then formed the NewLabour Party, which was merged into the Alliance in 1991.
When he held Sydenham for NewLabour on the 27th October 1990, he became the first New Zealand MP ever to win a seat against his former party.
He was elected as leader of the Alliance at the inaugural Alliance national conference in 1992.
Prior to entering Parliament, Jim Anderton was, for 13 years, Chief Executive of Anderton Holdings Limited, a manufacturing engineering company.
Before that he was Export Manager for UEB Textiles, at the time New Zealand's largest carpet manufacturing company.
He has been a City Councillor at Manukau and Auckland City Councils and a member of the Auckland Regional Authority.
His first job was as a teacher.
Jim Anderton was born on 21 January 1938, in Auckland. He is married to Carole who is on the Christchurch City Council, where she chairs the Community Services Committee.
He is the author of a book of 12 essays on remarkable and undervalued New Zealanders called "Unsung Heroes", published in 1999.
Jim Anderton's interests include chess, classical guitar, cricket and golf.
