Editing Jim Sutton (section)

==Member of Parliament==
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{{NZ parlbox|term=41st|start={{NZ election link year|1984}} |end=1987|party=New Zealand Labour Party|electorate=[[Waitaki (New Zealand electorate)|Waitaki]]}}
{{NZ parlbox|term=42nd|start={{NZ election link year|1987}} |end=1990|party=New Zealand Labour Party|electorate=Waitaki}}
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{{NZ parlbox|term=44th|start={{NZ election link year|1993}} |end=1996|party=New Zealand Labour Party|electorate=[[Timaru (New Zealand electorate)|Timaru]]}}
{{NZ parlbox|term=45th|start={{NZ election link year|1996}} |end=1999|party=New Zealand Labour Party|electorate=[[Aoraki (New Zealand electorate)|Aoraki]]|list=18}}
{{NZ parlbox|term=46th|start={{NZ election link year|1999}} |end=2002|party=New Zealand Labour Party|electorate=Aoraki|list=11}}
{{NZ parlbox|term=47th|start={{NZ election link year|2002}} |end=2005|party=New Zealand Labour Party|electorate=Aoraki|list=8}}
{{NZ parlbox|term=48th|start={{NZ election link year|2005}} |end=2006|party=New Zealand Labour Party|electorate=List|list=11}}
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Sutton first stood for parliament in the [[1981 New Zealand general election|election of 1981]], becoming the [[New Zealand Labour Party|Labour Party]]'s candidate for the [[Waitaki (New Zealand electorate)|Waitaki]] electorate. He was unsuccessful against [[New Zealand National Party|National]]'s [[Jonathan Elworthy]]. In the [[1984 New Zealand general election|1984 election]], however, he stood again, and won the electorate. Most rural electorates in New Zealand traditionally support the [[New Zealand National Party|National Party]], and so Sutton's victory as a Labour candidate was noteworthy.

Sutton retained his electorate in the [[1987 New Zealand general election|1987 general election]], but was defeated in the [[1990 New Zealand general election|election of 1990]]. He returned to farming for three years before being returned to Parliament as the MP for [[Timaru (New Zealand electorate)|Timaru]] in the [[1993 New Zealand general election|1993 general election]]. The switch to the [[Mixed Member Proportional|MMP]] electoral system caused significant redistribution of electorates for the [[1996 New Zealand general election|1996 general election]], and Sutton became the MP for [[Aoraki (New Zealand electorate)|Aoraki]], which included both of his former electorates.

===Ministerial role===
Sutton's first ministerial role had come in the dying days of the [[Fourth Labour Government of New Zealand|Fourth Labour Government]], shortly before he lost the Waitaki electorate. He served as Minister of Agriculture and [[Minister of Forestry (New Zealand)|Minister of Forestry]] for most of 1990, leaving cabinet when Labour was defeated in that year's election. However, when Labour won the [[1999 New Zealand general election|1999 general election]], Sutton became a minister once again in the [[Fifth Labour Government of New Zealand|Fifth Labour Government]]. He resumed his Agriculture portfolio while also becoming Minister for Rural Affairs and Minister for Trade Negotiations. In 2001, he gained the Biosecurity portfolio, and in 2002, he regained the Forestry portfolio. In the December 2004 cabinet reshuffle he dropped the Forestry portfolio and for Rural Affairs became Associate Minister.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=9004051&pnum=0|title=Clark names her 'transition' cabinet|last=Wilson|first=Peter |date=20 December 2004|work=[[The New Zealand Herald]]|accessdate=27 January 2010}}</ref>

===Retirement from politics===
In the [[2005 New Zealand general election|2005 general election]], Sutton lost his electorate by a substantial margin, facing the biggest drop in support in any electorate. This has been attributed to anger over things such as school closures, and his role in the [[Helen Clark#Second term|"speeding motorcade" affair]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10419956&pnum=0|title=Only a purge will work|last=O'Sullivan|first=Fran|date=20 January 2007|work=[[The New Zealand Herald]]|accessdate=27 January 2010}}</ref> He remained in parliament as a list MP, but announced his retirement from politics on 10 July 2006, effective from 1 August 2006.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10390592|title=Jim Sutton to quit politics|last=Berry|first=Ruth |date=10 July 2006|work=[[The New Zealand Herald]]|accessdate=27 January 2010}}</ref> He was replaced from the Labour list by [[Charles Chauvel (politician)|Charles Chauvel]].

Sutton subsequently became Ambassador for Trade<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mfat.govt.nz/Media-and-publications/Publications/Newsletters/North-Asia/2007/hk-sep-oct07.php#visit|title=Hong Kong Review – September/October 2007|publisher=New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade|accessdate=27 January 2010}}</ref> and the chairman of [[Landcorp]], an appointment renewed by the National government in 2009.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=10573347|title=National is busily appointing its own to prime positions|last=Trevett|first=Claire |date=20 May 2009|work=[[The New Zealand Herald]]|accessdate=27 January 2010}}</ref>