William Gerald Tolhurst (20 April 1931 – 18 August 2013) was a New Zealand chartered accountant and politician 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 ...

Biography

Early life and family

Tolhurst was born 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 ...

in 1931, the son of

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 ...

sharebroker Gerald Tolhurst and his second wife Noeline Parata Tolhurst (formerly Mace, née Cruickshank). He 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 ...

Victoria University College Victoria University of Wellington (), also known by its shorter names "VUW" or "Vic", is a public university, public research university in Wellington, New Zealand. It was established in 1897 by Act of New Zealand Parliament, Parliament, and w ...

, and the

University of Otago The University of Otago () is a public university, public research university, research collegiate university based in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand. Founded in 1869, Otago is New Zealand's oldest university and one of the oldest universities in ...

where he obtained the degree of

Bachelor of Commerce A Bachelor of Commerce (BCom or B Com) is an undergraduate degree in commerce, accounting, mathematics, economics, and management-related subjects. The degree is mainly offered in Commonwealth nations. Structure Bachelor of Commerce The Bac ...

. In 1955, Tolhurst married Jenifer Baker, with whom he had two sons and two daughters. His wife's father was Leyden Baker from Cashmere. Tolhurst worked for public accountants Barr, Burgess and Stewart (now

PWC PricewaterhouseCoopers, also known as PwC, is a Multinational corporation, multinational professional services network based in London, United Kingdom. It is the second-largest professional services network in the world and is one of the Big Fo ...

) in Wellington from 1948 to 1952 and was admitted to the New Zealand Society of Accountants in June 1952. Then he moved to Barr Burgess's head office in

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; ) is the second-most populous city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from ("fort of Edin"), the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of S ...

. Returning to the North Island, he moved to

Wanganui Whanganui, also spelt Wanganui, is a list of cities in New Zealand, city in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand. The city is located on the west coast of the North Island at the mouth of the Whanganui River, New Zealand's longest nav ...

, working there for public accountant G. K. Campbell for a further year before setting up his own independent practice in that city. He was awarded

fellowship A fellow is a title and form of address for distinguished, learned, or skilled individuals in academia, medicine, research, and industry. The exact meaning of the term differs in each field. In learned or professional societies, the term refers ...

of the Society of Accountants in June 1969 before he stood for election to parliament.

Political career

Tolhurst was secretary for the National Party in the electorate from 1956 until 1968, and treasurer for the electorate. He represented Wanganui for three years from his election in until , when he was defeated by Labour's

Russell Marshall Cedric Russell Marshall (15 February 1936 – 18 January 2025) was a New Zealand Labour Party politician and diplomat. Biography Early life and career Marshall was born in Nelson in 1936. His father Cedric Marshall served as secretary of the ...

. Later he was active in local politics and was elected a member of the Manawatu-Wanganui Regional Council until he retired in 1998.

Death and legacy

Tolhurst died at his home in

Taupō Taupō (), sometimes written Taupo, is a town located in the central North Island of New Zealand. It is situated on the edge of Lake Taupō, which is the largest freshwater lake in New Zealand. Taupō was constituted as a borough in 1953. It h ...

on 18 August 2013. His wife, Jeni Tolhurst, died in 2021. She was National's candidate for Wanganui in . Tolhurst's granddaughter, Catherine Wedd, was elected as the National Party MP for Tukituki at the 2023 general election.

Notes

References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Tolhurst, Bill 1931 births 2013 deaths People from Masterton People educated at Whanganui Collegiate School Victoria University of Wellington alumni University of Otago alumni New Zealand National Party MPs Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives New Zealand MPs for North Island electorates Members of New Zealand regional councils