Sir Clifford George Skeggs (19 March 1931 – 12 June 2025) was a New Zealand businessman and local politician. He served as

mayor of Dunedin The mayor of Dunedin is the head of the local government, the city council of Dunedin, New Zealand. The mayor's role is "to provide leadership to the other elected members of the territorial authority, be a leader in the community and perform c ...

from

1977 Events January * January 8 – 1977 Moscow bombings, Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (no ...

1989 1989 was a turning point in political history with the "Revolutions of 1989" which ended communism in Eastern Bloc of Europe, starting in Poland and Hungary, with experiments in power-sharing coming to a head with the opening of the Berlin W ...

Early life and family

Skeggs was born in

Bluff Bluff or The Bluff may refer to: Places Australia * Bluff, Queensland, Australia, a town * The Bluff, Queensland (Ipswich), a rural locality in the city of Ipswich * The Bluff, Queensland (Toowoomba Region), a rural locality * Bluff River (New ...

, and was educated at Bluff School and Southland Technical College. He married Marie Ledgerwood in 1951, and they went on to have three sons.

Business career

Skeggs was involved in the fishing industry from 1953, and developed the Skeggs Group of which he was the chairman and chief executive into what was the largest private inshore fishing fleet in New Zealand with investments including shipping, aviation (Pacifica Air) and property.

Political career

Skeggs was on the

Dunedin City Council The Dunedin City Council () is the Local government in New Zealand, local government authority for Dunedin in New Zealand. It is a Territorial authorities of New Zealand, territorial authority elected to represent the people of Dunedin. Since O ...

and Otago Harbour Board, and later was chairman of the port company Port Otago. He was

from 1977 to 1989.

Death

Skeggs died on 12 June 2025, at the age of 94.

Honours and awards

In the 1987 Queen's Birthday Honours, Skeggs was appointed a

Knight Bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised Order of chivalry, orders of chivalry; it is a part of the Orders, decorations, and medals ...

, in recognition of his service as the mayor of Dunedin. In 2000, he was inducted into the

New Zealand Business Hall of Fame The New Zealand Business Hall of Fame is a figurative hall of fame dedicated to New Zealanders who have made a significant contribution to the economic and social development of New Zealand. The hall was established in 1994 by the Young Enterpri ...

References

1931 births 2025 deaths People from Bluff, New Zealand Businesspeople from Dunedin Mayors of Dunedin New Zealand Knights Bachelor People educated at Aurora College (Invercargill) Dunedin City Councillors Businesspeople awarded knighthoods New Zealand justices of the peace {{NewZealand-mayor-stub