35 Facts About Maggie Barry

Maggie Barry has had a long career in broadcasting, including gardening shows, and has a rose named after her.

Maggie Barry's father was an accountant for the railways, and her mother was a florist.

Maggie Barry was born in Wellington and went to Erskine College, a Roman Catholic school in Wellington.

Maggie Barry was a radio and television presenter for over 30 years.

Maggie Barry began her broadcasting career in 1986 on National Radio's Morning Report and moved on to Nine to Noon in 1990.

Maggie Barry has written for the New Zealand Listener since 2007, producing a fortnightly gardening column and occasional interview articles.

Maggie Barry hosted Radio Live Drive from March 2009 to December 2010.

Maggie Barry was interested in standing for the National Party in the 2011 Botany by-election, but did not become the candidate.

Maggie Barry was selected as the National candidate for the safe seat of North Shore in May 2011 after the sitting MP Wayne Mapp decided not to run in the 2011 general election.

Maggie Barry became a member of the Finance and Expenditure Select Committee upon entering parliament; she was appointed its Deputy Chairperson in 2013.

In July 2012, Maggie Barry was mocked on social media for suggesting during a debate on paid parental leave that Jacinda Ardern could not speak with authority on the subject because of her childless status.

Maggie Barry was ranked 20th in Cabinet under the Key Ministry.

Maggie Barry retained all three of her portfolios and was ranked 16th.

In 2015, Maggie Barry urged the SPCA to put down stray cats instead of just neutering and releasing them.

However once Winston Peters announced that he was to form a coalition with the Labour Party, National returned to opposition and Maggie Barry lost her government roles.

Maggie Barry retained her position in the Party's ranks and her role within the Party as Spokesperson for Conservation.

Maggie Barry did retain her electorate seat with a majority of 12,716, down on 16,503 the previous election, despite her personal vote only falling by a few hundred.

Maggie Barry was elected Deputy Chair of the Environment Select Committee.

When Simon Bridges was elected leader, Maggie Barry was demoted to 25 on the party list from 17, and lost her spokesperson for conservation role.

Maggie Barry instead picked up, Seniors, Veterans, and Associate Health.

Maggie Barry was appointed as Deputy Chair of the Justice Select Committee on 21 March 2018, leaving the Environment Select Committee.

Maggie Barry vigorously denied the claims that she bullied staff and that she used derogatory terms to describe members of Auckland Council's local boards despite recordings showing evidence of this.

Beyond this, it was alleged that Maggie Barry used Parliamentary Services staff members to complete National Party work during working hours, which is against the law.

Maggie Barry denied this allegation as well despite emails showing this was not the case.

The ex staffer who went to the media gave an exclusive interview to Radio New Zealand in which he spoke, under voice disguise, about how Maggie Barry treated him and other staff.

In September 2019, Maggie Barry was again accused of bullying behaviour this time by a fellow MP on behalf of one of their party colleagues.

Senior Labour MP, former Cabinet Minister, party Whip, and the Assistant Speaker, Hon Ruth Dyson, told media that Maggie Barry had "stood and started yelling then and yelled pretty much down to the table, and then just carried on yelling at me, standing right next to the table".

Dyson accepted the apology which Maggie Barry gave to her via a speech in the House.

In early November 2019, Maggie Barry announced that she would not be standing for re-election at the 2020 general election.

Rosa 'Maggie Barry' is a dark pink hybrid tea rose named after Barry.

Maggie Barry was the Chair of the Board of the New Zealand Book Council in 2006.

Maggie Barry has been a patron for the Mary Potter Hospice, Alzheimer's Wellington, and Hospice New Zealand.

On 4 July 2014, Maggie Barry said that she was groped by Australian entertainer Rolf Harris when he was in New Zealand during the 1980s and she was recording an interview she hosted from Palmerston North.

In January 2024, an Air New Zealand flight that Maggie Barry was on was delayed.

Maggie Barry denied being abusive to airline staff and claimed the situation was a "misunderstanding".