bill was defeated at its first reading. Dyson was criticised in December 2015 for describing National's Speaker David Carter as "incompetent, biased... lazy [and] sexist" on Twitter. Sixth Labour Government and retirement, 2017–2020 Dyson had been positioned to be Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives (to Trevor Mallard) if Labour won the 2017 general election. While Labour was able to form a Government (in coalition with New Zealand First), the National Party's Anne Tolley was appointed as Deputy Speaker instead. Dyson was put in the role of Labour's Senior Whip. However, when the Assistant Speaker Poto Williams was appointed as a Minister outside Cabinet in July 2019, Dyson was named as her replacement. Dyson was also chair of the Abortion Legislation Committee (a special select committee that examined the Abortion Legislation Bill) and a member of the Epidemic Response Committee (which considered the government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic). In March 2019, Dyson indicated that she would not seek re-election at the 2020 general election. While the Port Hills electorate was disestablished for that election, Labour's candidate for the replacement electorate of Banks Peninsula was Tracey McLellan. In the 2021 Queen's Birthday Honours, Dyson was appointed a Companion of the Queen's Service Order, for services as a member of Parliament and to people with disabilities. References External links Parliamentary page Labour Party biography Port Hills Electorate website |- |- |- |- |- 1957 births Living people New Zealand Labour Party MPs Members of the Cabinet of New Zealand Women government ministers of New Zealand People from Lower Hutt New Zealand list MPs New Zealand MPs for Christchurch electorates Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives People associated with the 2011 Christchurch earthquake 21st-century New Zealand politicians 21st-century New Zealand women politicians Women members of the New Zealand House of Representatives Candidates in the 2017 New Zealand general election Companions of the Queen's Service Order