Gordon Christie (27 August 1914 – 13 June 2001) was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party.

Biography

Early life and career

Christie was born on 27 August 1914. He received his education at Nelson Park School and Napier Technical College. He was on the executive of the North Island Waterfront Association for six years, and president of the Napier Watersiders Union for ten years from 1957 to 1967. He was a member of the Napier Port Conciliation Committee, and vice-chairman of the Napier Port Safety Committee. At the 1965 local body elections he stood for a seat on the Napier Harbour Board, but was unsuccessful.

Member of Parliament

He represented the electorate of in

Parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

from

1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...

to 1981, when he retired and was succeeded by

Geoff Braybrooke Geoffrey Bernard Braybrooke (4 April 1935 – 9 March 2013) was a New Zealand politician. He was a member of the New Zealand Parliament from 1981 to 2002, representing the Labour Party. He was notably one of the party's more socially con ...

. Both Christie and Braybrooke were described as Labour "stalwarts who effectively held the electorate in a tight grip". During his time in parliament Christie was noted as a reliable and hard-working constituency member. Christie was responsible for the establishment of the Kennedy Park motel complex in Napier (consisting of motels, caravan sites, camp sites, and cabins) by putting a local Bill through the House. Parliamentary colleague

Warren Freer Warren Wilfred Freer (27 December 1920 – 29 March 2013) was a New Zealand politician and member of the Labour Party. He represented the Mount Albert electorate from to . He is internationally known as the first Western politician to ever ...

described him as a solid and dependable MP who was a consistent and practical advocator for his constituents needing assistance as well as being a most conscientious select committee member. During the 1972–75 Parliament he was chairman of the Petitions select committee. He would constantly raise issues in caucus when policies would adversely affect the least fortunate in society. During the Third Labour Government (1972–75), together with MP

Joe Walding Joseph Albert Walding (18 June 1926 – 5 June 1985) was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party. He represented the Palmerston North for several terms. After his retirement from Parliament, he became High Commissioner to the United Kingd ...

, he coined the phrase "if it adversely effects them, it's bad policy". After the surprise defeat of the Third Labour Government in 1975, Labour leader

Bill Rowling Sir Wallace Edward Rowling (; 15 November 1927 – 31 October 1995), commonly known as Bill Rowling, was a New Zealand politician who was the 30th prime minister of New Zealand from 1974 to 1975. He held office as the Leader of the New Zealand ...

designated Christie Shadow Minister of Police. In September 1977 he was part of the New Zealand delegation that attended the annual conference of the

Commonwealth Parliamentary Association The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), previously known as the Empire Parliamentary Association, is an organisation which works to support good governance, democracy and human rights. In 1989 the patron of the CPA was the Head ...

held in

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

Later life and death

In 1977, Christie was awarded the

Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal The Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal () is a commemorative medal created in 1977 to mark the 25th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's accession in 1952. The medal is physically identical in all realms where it was awarded, save for Canada ...

. He was appointed a

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

in the

1985 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1985 were appointments by most of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries, and honorary ones to citizens of other countries ...

, for public and community service. In 1990, he was awarded the

New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal The New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal was a commemorative medal awarded in New Zealand in 1990 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, and was awarded to 3,632 people. Background The New Zealand 1990 Com ...

. Christie died at

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 13 June 2001. He was predeceased by his wife Betty (née Bowers) (1924–1997), with whom he had three children.

Notes

References

* * 1914 births 2001 deaths New Zealand Members of the Order of the British Empire New Zealand Labour Party MPs New Zealand MPs for North Island electorates Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives 20th-century New Zealand politicians New Zealand justices of the peace New Zealand trade unionists People educated at Napier Technical College (New Zealand) {{NZLabour-politician-stub