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                    [0] => Graeme Ernest Lee was a former National Party MP who is best known for his conservative and Christian values, this lead to his breaking away from the National Party to form the Christian Democrats in 1995.
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            [name] => Hon. Graeme Lee
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	https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Democrat_Party_(New_Zealand) (accessed 22/4/20)

	https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Coalition_(New_Zealand) (accessed 22/4/20)

	https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graeme_Lee_(politician) (accessed 22/4/20)

	Taylor, Alister, New Zealand Who's Who in Aotearoa, 1995 Edition, p. 325
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	Graeme Lee was born in Paeroa in 1935 to Ernest Walter Lee and Muriel Merle Lee. He was educated at Paeroa College. Lee married Lauris Newton and they had three daughters together. Lee worked heavily within his community before his career in parliament. Lee worked as Mayor Paeroa from 1968-80, a Borough Councillor (1965-68), Executive Member of the 2C District Roads Council (1968-80), Chairman of Paeroa Industries Promotion Committee (1968-80. Lee's Christian faith played a huge role in his life and career as well, he was an active lay preacher and Church Elder of the Paeroa Baptist Church.

	 

	Lee entered parliament in 1981 for National when he was elected as MP for Haruaki electorate. Lee was a known opposer of Fran Wilde's Homosexual Reform Act of 1986. He worked as a Cabinet Minister during Jim Bolger's National Government in the 90s, holding ministerial portfolios of Internal Affairs and Civil Defence. He held the following positions:

	

		MP for Hauraki - 1981-87
	

		Member of Local Government and Internal Affairs Select Committee - 1984-87
	

		Opposition spokesperson for Local Government, Internal Affairs, Civil Defence and Wildlife - 1987-90
	

		MP for Coromandel - 1987-93
	

		MP for Matakana - 1993-94
	

		Minister of Internal Affairs - 1990-93
	

		Minister of Civil Defence - 1990-93
	

		Chairman of the Lottery Grants Board - 1990-93


	 

	However in 1993, Lee resigned from the National Party and originally was aiming to join the Christian Heritage Party but talks broke down. He went on to found his own party, the Christian Democrats. This party reflected his own conservative Christian beliefs, which were held by other New Zealanders. In 1995 the party formed the Christian Coalition with the Christian Heritage Party but never they never entered parliament by 1996 which lead to Lee's retirement from politics. The party continued without Lee, and renamed itself Future New Zealand and eventually merged with Peter Dunne's United Party to become the United Future New Zealand party in 2000.

	 

	Lee worked a minister at Auckland's Greenlane Christian Centre and worked as a co-ordinator for Vision New Zealand, a NZ evangelical group. He also wrote an autobiography regarding his faith and political views and career in 2002, entitled "Faith, Politics and Servant Leadership."

	 

	Awards and honours

	New Zealand Outstanding Young Man Award - 1970

	Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal - 1977

	New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal - 1990
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