Christopher David Beeby (October 1935 – 19 March 2000) was a New Zealand diplomat who held several ambassadorships and was involved in international litigation and negotiations, notably over Antarctic resources. Beeby was New Zealand's ambassador to Iran (1978 to 1980) and

to France "To France" is a single by musician Mike Oldfield, released in 1984. It is from the album ''Discovery'' and features Maggie Reilly on vocals. The musical theme used in "To France" was also used on the first track on side two of the ''Discovery' ...

(1991 to 1996) and was a member of the

World Trade Organization The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an intergovernmental organization headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland that regulates and facilitates international trade. Governments use the organization to establish, revise, and enforce the rules that g ...

Appellate Body The Appellate Body of the World Trade Organization (WTOAB) is a standing body of seven persons that hears appeals from reports issued by Judicial panel, panels in disputes brought on by WTO members. The WTOAB can uphold, modify or reverse the le ...

from 1995 to his death in 2000. While ambassador to Iran, Beeby assisted American diplomats in the

Iran hostage crisis The Iran hostage crisis () began on November 4, 1979, when 66 Americans, including diplomats and other civilian personnel, were taken hostage at the Embassy of the United States in Tehran, with 52 of them being held until January 20, 1981. Th ...

Biography

Christopher David Beeby was born on 10 or 15 October 1935, 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 ...

, New Zealand, to C. E. Beeby and Beatrice Beeby. He attended the

Victoria University of Wellington 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

London School of Economics The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), established in 1895, is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the University of London. The school specialises in the social sciences. Founded ...

. He entered the New Zealand Department of Foreign Affairs in 1963 as a legal adviser, first working on the New Zealand Australia Free Trade Agreement. He was promoted to a divisional head in the department's legal division in 1969 and headed the economic division from 1976 to 1978. Beeby worked to draft anti-nuclear legislation for New Zealand and served as counsel for New Zealand in the

International Court of Justice The International Court of Justice (ICJ; , CIJ), or colloquially the World Court, is the only international court that Adjudication, adjudicates general disputes between nations, and gives advisory opinions on International law, internation ...

during the Nuclear Tests Case in 1973 and 1974. As

Ambassador of New Zealand to Iran An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or so ...

from 15 May 1978 to 15 June 1980, Beeby was involved in the

in 1979, when he, as ambassador, and another employee at the New Zealand embassy, Richard Sewell, helped several American diplomats escape to safety. ''

The New Zealand Herald ''The New Zealand Herald'' is a daily newspaper published in Auckland, New Zealand, owned by New Zealand Media and Entertainment, and considered a newspaper of record for New Zealand. It has the largest newspaper circulation in New Zealand, ...

'' named Beeby and Sewell the "New Zealanders of the Year for 1979" for their actions. In 1983 Beeby chaired several negotiations on the Convention on the Regulation of Antarctic Mineral Resource Activities. He spent six years working towards a convention that eventually manifested as the

Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty The Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty, also known as the Madrid Protocol, is a complementary legal instrument to the Antarctic Treaty signed in Madrid on 4 October 1991. It entered into force on 14 January 1998. The Mad ...

. He was involved in the

Rainbow Warrior Case The Rainbow Warrior Case was a dispute between New Zealand and France that arose in the aftermath of the sinking of the ''Rainbow Warrior''. It was arbitrated by UN Secretary-General Javier Pérez de Cuéllar in 1986, and became significant in t ...

in 1989 to 1990. Beeby was Deputy-Secretary of Foreign Affairs from 1985 to 1991 and Ambassador of New Zealand to France (1992 to 1995). While living in Paris, in 1993 Beeby's offices were raided by French farmers. He was also at one point New Zealand's Permanent Representative to the

OECD The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD; , OCDE) is an international organization, intergovernmental organization with 38 member countries, founded in 1961 to stimulate economic progress and international trade, wor ...

. In 1995 he attempted to mediate an end to the Pacific Salmon War between Canada and the United States, but was unsuccessful. That same year he was appointed as an original member of the

, which he chaired in 1998. He was still serving upon his death. He died on 19 March 2000 at the age of 64, in

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

Phil Goff Philip Bruce Goff (born 22 June 1953) is a New Zealand retired politician and former diplomat. He was a member of the New Zealand Parliament from 1981 to 1990 and again from 1993 to 2016. He served as Leader of the New Zealand Labour Party, le ...

, then Foreign Minister of New Zealand, said that “Chris Beeby was widely regarded as an exceptional diplomat and one of the best international lawyers of modern times.” Beeby Peak in Antarctica is named after him.

References

{{Reflist 2000 deaths New Zealand diplomats Members of the Appellate Body 1935 births People from Wellington City Victoria University of Wellington alumni New Zealand public servants Alumni of the London School of Economics 20th-century New Zealand lawyers