Alec Neill

Alexander George "Alec" Neill (born 22 July 1950 in Dunedin, New Zealand) is the former Chairman of the Canterbury Regional Council and a former National Party politician. He was an electorate Member of Parliament from 1990 to 1996, and a list member for two terms in 1999, and from 2001 to 2002.

Early life

He was born in Dunedin, the youngest son of Alfred George Neill QC. then a prominent barrister practising in Dunedin. Alec Neill was raised at Allans Beach on the Otago Peninsula, attended the Hoopers Inlet Primary School and then attended St. Kevin's College, Oamaru, and the University of Otago where he graduated with an LLB.

Member of Parliament

He was first elected to parliament in the 1990 election as MP for Waitaki, and was re-elected in the 1993 election. He chaired parliament's Planning and Development Select Committee, which oversaw the passing of the Resource Management Act 1991. He also chaired parliament's Justice and Law Reform Select Committee. In the 1996 election, however,in 1996 with the introduction of MMP to New Zealand the seat of Waitaki was dissolved.Neill did not win selection for the seat of Otago then held by the Hon. Warren Cooper and so stood only as a list candidate on the National Party list. In the first MMP election he narrowly missed out on entering Parliament as a list MP.