Sir Christopher John Ashford Harris, 3rd Baronet (26 August 1934 – 26 April 2022) was a New Zealand businessman, and the third baronet of the Harris Baronetcy of Bethnal Green, County of London, which was created for his grandfather,

Percy Harris Percy Harris is the name of: *Percy Harris (lawyer) (1925–2022), British barrister *Percy Harris (politician) (1876–1952), British politician See also

*Percy Harris Bowers, Anglican priest *Percy Harrison (disambiguation) *Percy Wyn-Harris ...

, in 1932.

Biography

Born in

Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...

on 26 August 1934, Harris was the son of Jack Wolfred Ashford Harris and Patricia Penman. His mother was a feminist and writer, while his father was a businessman who succeeded as the 2nd Baronet Harris, of Bethnal Green, County of London, in 1952. The baronetcy was created for Jack Harris's father, the British

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

politician, Percy Harris, in 1932. Harris was educated at

Wanganui Collegiate School Whanganui Collegiate School is a state-integrated, coeducational, day and boarding secondary school located in Whanganui, in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand. Affiliated with the Anglican Church, it is the third oldest school in ...

from 1948 to 1952. On 24 April 1957, he married Anna Karen de Malmanche, and the couple went on to have three children. Harris joined the family business, Bing, Harris and Co., a New Zealand general importing and exporting company established in 1858 by his great-grandfather, Wolf Harris (1858–1926), and ran it for many years. He was also a director of

Todd Corporation The Todd Corporation Limited is a privately held conglomerate based in New Zealand, owned and controlled by the Todd family and headquartered in Wellington, New Zealand. The corporation is currently led by board chair, Nick Olson, and group chi ...

. Harris was a long-time member of the

National Party National Party or Nationalist Party may refer to: Active parties * National Party of Australia, commonly known as ''The Nationals'' * Bangladesh: ** Bangladesh Nationalist Party ** Jatiya Party (Ershad) a.k.a. ''National Party (Ershad)'' * Californ ...

, and was in charge of

Stephen Franks Stephen Franks (born 1950) in Wellington, New Zealand, is a commercial lawyer. At one time, he was chairman and Partner of the large firm Chapman Tripp. Franks has been a member of two political parties. He previously served as a List MP for ...

' unsuccessful campaign for the at the 2008 general election. Harris was involved in the "Vote For Change" group that campaigned against the MMP voting system in the

2011 New Zealand voting system referendum The 2011 New Zealand voting system referendum was a referendum on whether to keep the existing mixed member proportional (MMP) voting system, or to change to another voting system, for electing Members of Parliament to New Zealand's House of Re ...

. An enthusiast of

James Cook Captain (Royal Navy), Captain James Cook (7 November 1728 – 14 February 1779) was a British Royal Navy officer, explorer, and cartographer famous for his three voyages of exploration to the Pacific and Southern Oceans, conducted between 176 ...

, Harris advocated, unsuccessfully, over a number of years for

State Highway 1 The following highways are numbered 1. For roads numbered A1, see list of A1 roads. For roads numbered B1, see list of B1 roads. For roads numbered M1, see List of M1 roads. For roads numbered N1, see list of N1 roads. For roads numbered S ...

to be renamed the Captain Cook Highway. He was active as a yachtsman, and was a member of the Royal Port Nicholson Yacht Club. He took his yacht ''Chinchilla'' out during the ''Wahine'' disaster in 1968, in an attempt to rescue survivors. Harris died in

Masterton Masterton () is a large town in the Wellington Region, Greater Wellington Region of New Zealand that operates as the seat of the Masterton District (a territorial authority or local-government district). It is the largest town in the Wairarapa ...

on 26 April 2022. In 2023, his son, Andrew Frederick Ashford Harris, proved succession to the baronetcy.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harris, Christopher 1934 births 2022 deaths Businesspeople from Wellington City People educated at Whanganui Collegiate School

303 __NOTOC__ Year 303 ( CCCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar. It was known in the Roman Empire as the Year of the Consulship of Diocletian and Maximian (or, less frequently, year 1056 ''Ab urbe condita''). The deno ...

New Zealand businesspeople New Zealand National Party politicians