Catherine Tizard (1931-2021) New Zealand Politician

Catherine Tizard New Zealand Politician (1931-2021)

Short Bio

She was the 16th. Governor-General of New Zealand that served in office from December 13, 1990 until March 21, 1996. She was a member of the New Zealand Labour Party. She was born Catherine Anne Maclean, she attended Matamata College in Matamata, New Zealand and Auckland University College.

She met her future husband while attending the university. After they married they had 4 children. She was the first appointed female governor-general in New Zealand. She had also been the 35th. Mayor of Auckland City (1983-1990). She passed away after suffering from a long illness.

Full Bio

Catherine Tizard life (1931-2021)

Catherine Anne Maclean was born in Auckland on 4 April 1931 to Scottish immigrants, Neil and Helen Maclean, and grew up in Waharoa, near Matamata, Waikato.Neil was a factory worker at the local Waharoa dairy factory. She attended Matamata College, gaining a University Bursary in her final year, 1948. In 1949 Catherine enrolled at Auckland University College studying zoology.

While at university, Catherine met Bob Tizard, then president of the Auckland University Students Association. On their second date, Bob told Catherine he was “going into politics. And I’m going to marry you.” They married in 1951 and had four children in six years; their daughter Judith Tizard also had a career in New Zealand politics.

During these years, she served on the committee of her local Playcentre and later became its president. She was also elected to the Board of Governors of the Eastern Suburbs Secondary Schools.

In 1961 Tizard returned to university to complete her degree in zoology.She then taught and worked at Auckland University from 1962 to 1983, during which time she co-authored at least two papers with Patricia Bergquist on sponges,and provided technical assistance as preparator for a third.

Catherine Tizard Political career

Auckland City Council

Tizard was elected to the Auckland City Council in 1971 and was re-elected in 1974, 1977, and 1980. She was also elected to the Auckland Regional Authority in 1980, at the same time as running for Mayor of Auckland against incumbent Sir Dove-Myer Robinson and councillor Colin Kay. This three-way split gave the election to Kay by a margin of 2,000 votes. She opposed the 1981 Springbok tour, and an attempt to ban Hare Krishna from performing chants on Queen Street.

Between 1972 and 1975, Tizard’s husband Bob was a Cabinet Minister in the Third Labour Government, serving first as Minister of Health and later as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance. The family moved to Wellington, and Tizard commuted to Auckland for council business.

From 1976 to 1985, Tizard appeared on the popular TVNZ chat show Beauty and the Beast, along with Selwyn Toogood and Shona McFarlane. She later attributed her success in politics to this show.



Mayor of Auckland City

Tizard decided to run for Mayor of Auckland City again at the 1983 local elections, and won, defeating the incumbent Colin Kay. She was the first woman to serve as Mayor of Auckland.

During Tizard’s term as mayor, the Aotea Centre next to Aotea Square was developed. She was also the patron of the 99th Police recruit wing in 1985 in which all 75 recruits after graduation were sent to Auckland to serve. She was re-elected in 1986, and once again in 1989 following a major amalgamation of local authorities.In 1990 Auckland hosted the Commonwealth Games, an event Tizard had worked to secure for Auckland.

Governor-General

In 1989, Tizard was appointed by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, as the nation’s first female governor-general on the advice of Prime Minister Geoffrey Palmer. She took office on 13 December 1990, causing a by-election for the Mayoralty of Auckland. She accepted on the proviso that the Queen be informed before her Royal tour in February 1990, and that the leader of the opposition be informed.

Then Deputy Prime Minister Helen Clark and Labour Party President Margaret Wilson pushed for a female governor-general, as the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage in New Zealand would occur during the governor-general’s term in 1993. Tizard had been informed of her impending appointment by her former husband Bob Tizard, who was a member of Cabinet at the time. She later commented that this was the only time Bob breached cabinet confidentiality.

During her tenure in office, Tizard ended the practice of bowing to the governor-general, declaring, “No New Zealander should have to bow to another”.She also ended the practice of members of staff ceasing to clean whenever she entered the room.

Sir Anand Satyanand described how, when she was governor-general, she was not keen on a particular piece of legislation. After consideration and discussion with her official she finally said: “All right, I will sign my assent, but I will do it in black ink!” He said that a special bottle had to be obtained.

Controversies

Prior to the second referendum on electoral reform in New Zealand in June 1993, Tizard caused some outrage by making an unscripted suggestion in a lecture on the role of the governor-general that under mixed-member proportional representation the governor-general would have to use their reserve powers more often, which would create instability.

The 1993 New Zealand general election – the last under the “First Past the Post” electoral system – nearly resulted in a hung parliament, with the election night result having the two major parties tied. She asked Sir David Beattie to form a committee, along with three retired appeal court judges, to decide whom to appoint as prime minister.However, National won one more seat and was returned to power when Labour’s Sir Peter Tapsell agreed to become Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives.

In an interview with North & South in 1996, Tizard stated that she could not believe “…some of the idiocies of the health system”, causing great consternation from the Minister of Health.

Catherine Tizard Retirement

On her retirement from office, Sir Geoffrey Palmer, who had nominated Tizard for the office, stated: “She has been a powerful, yes a presidential public presence. She has been a part of New Zealand’s growing up.”

In 2004, Tizard stated that she supported a New Zealand republic “in principle” and when she was governor-general, had discussed the issue of republicanism with the Queen: “She is quite sanguine about these things. She has always said it is a decision for New Zealand to make, and ‘whatever decision New Zealand makes, of course we would accept it’.”

In December 2004, Tizard became a member of the NZ Flag.com Trust, supporting a referendum on whether the New Zealand flag should be changed. She said, “Our present flag served a young post-colonial country well, but the time has come to consider a change which more appropriately recognises our changed identity and confidence in ourselves. Let’s find out what the country thinks of the idea of a change.” In 2007, Tizard supported former Mayor of Auckland, Dick Hubbard’s campaign for re-election as mayor at the local body elections.

In 2010 Tizard published her memoirs, entitled Cat Amongst the Pigeons, a reference to her personal arms.In December 2012, Tizard starred in an online video campaign supporting gay marriage, alongside New Zealand singers Anika Moa, Boh Runga, and Hollie Smith, as well as Olympian Danyon Loader.

Recognition

In the 1985 New Year Honours, she was appointed a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire, for public and community service. In 1990, she received a New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal and was also made a Dame of Justice of the Order of St John and a Dame Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George. In 1993, on the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage, Tizard received the New Zealand Suffrage Centennial Medal. In 1995 she was made a Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order and in 1996 she was made an Additional Companion of the Queen’s Service Order.

In the 2002 Queen’s Birthday and Golden Jubilee Honours, Tizard was appointed an Additional Member of the Order of New Zealand. On 9 October 2007 Tizard was appointed Honorary Colonel of the 3rd Auckland (Countess of Ranfurly’s Own) and Northland Regiment, a largely ceremonial role. Changes to the rules of the use of titles in 2006 granted Tizard the use of the style The Honourable for life, as a consequence of having been governor-general.

Catherine Tizard Death

Tizard died in Auckland, New Zealand on 31 October 2021, following a long illness. She was 90 years old.