Alliance when Jim Anderton left to form a breakaway party. In the 2002 election, she was ranked fourth on the party list, but the Alliance did not win any seats. Mayoral candidate In April 2010, Gordon announced that she would contest the mayoral contest for Christchurch City Council in the October 2010 election. Gordon stepped back from the mayoralty race in August 2010 and chose instead to run for one of the Riccarton-Wigram Ward seats on the council. After the election results were announced she was found not to have secured a Council seat, the winners being from the Christchurch 2021 group and Independent Citizens respectively. and was ranked several places below the qualifying number. She has since returned to her previous work as listed below. Life after Parliament Since leaving Parliament, Gordon run a small research and evaluation agency called Network Research Associates, which has since been renamed Pukeko Research. She spent four years on the Massey University Council, including a period as Pro-Chancellor, is an active member (and National President, since 2009) of the Quality Public Education Coalition, a Council member of the Howard League for Penal Reform (since 2005) and is active in local body affairs. She wrote a weekly opinion column for the Christchurch Press between 2006 and 2008. As of 2015 Gordon sits as a council member of the Royal Society of New Zealand, in this she has undertaken the role of constituent organisational representative. References 1955 births Living people People educated at King Edward's School, Witley Alliance (New Zealand political party) MPs NewLabour Party (New Zealand) politicians Massey University alumni Women members of the New Zealand House of Representatives University of Canterbury alumni University of Canterbury faculty New Zealand list MPs New Zealand Labour Party politicians Unsuccessful candidates in the 2002 New Zealand general election Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives 21st-century New Zealand politicians 21st-century New Zealand women politicians