1. Darren Colyn Hughes was born on 3 April 1978 and is a New Zealand former Member of Parliament between 2002 and 2011, first elected at the age of 24.
19 Facts About Darren Hughes
1. 2.
Darren Hughes represented the Labour Party and was a Minister outside Cabinet in the Fifth Labour Government of New Zealand.
3.
In 2011, Hughes resigned from Parliament and in 2012, he relocated to the United Kingdom to become the Campaigns and Research Director of the Electoral Reform Society.
4.
In 2017, Darren Hughes became Chief Executive of the Electoral Reform Society, based in South London.
5.
Darren Hughes attended Coley Street Primary School in Foxton, St Josephs and then Horowhenua College in Levin.
6.
Darren Hughes was the first Youth MP to later be elected to Parliament.
7.
Darren Hughes attended Victoria University of Wellington, and was a member of Vic Labour, where he completed a Bachelor of Arts in public policy and social policy.
8.
In 2017, Darren Hughes completed a master's degree at the London School of Economics.
9.
Darren Hughes was elected to parliament as member for Otaki in the 2002 general election, standing for the Labour Party.
10.
Darren Hughes organised a local campaign to save the centre when it was threatened by budget cuts in 2010.
11.
Darren Hughes was his party's junior whip and a Member of the Officers of Parliament Select Committee.
12.
Darren Hughes was made the associate minister for Social Development and Employment.
13.
Darren Hughes lost his Otaki seat to Nathan Guy but, being listed by Labour at 19, returned to Parliament as a list MP.
14.
On 15 June 2010, as part of a shadow-cabinet reshuffle, Darren Hughes became the Spokesperson for Infrastructure.
15.
In 2010, Darren Hughes submitted a private members' bill to lower the drink driving limit to 0.05.
16.
Shortly after the complaint became public, and while the police were still investigating, Darren Hughes resigned from Parliament.
17.
Darren Hughes denied any wrongdoing but later offered to resign from Parliament.
18.
The roles that Darren Hughes had filled for the Labour opposition went to Sue Moroney, David Shearer and Rick Barker.
19.
Since joining the ERS in 2012, Darren Hughes has been responsible for driving the Society's campaigns and research priorities.