Ian John Shearer (10 December 1941 – 1 June 2021) was a New Zealand 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 ...

, environmentalist and research scientist.

Early life and education

Shearer was born at

Whakatāne Whakatāne ( , ) is a town located in the Bay of Plenty Region, Bay of Plenty Region in the North Island of New Zealand, east of Tauranga and northeast of Rotorua. The town is situated at the mouth of the Whakatāne River. The Whakatāne Dis ...

in 1941, the son of Jack Sewell Shearer. He received his education from Whakatane Primary and Whakatane High School. He completed bachelor's and master's degrees at

Massey University Massey University () is a Public university, public research university in New Zealand that provides internal and distance education. The university has campuses in Auckland, Palmerston North, and Wellington. Data from Universities New Zealand ...

in agricultural science and a PhD in reproductive physiology at the

University of Nottingham The University of Nottingham is a public research university in Nottingham, England. It was founded as University College Nottingham in 1881, and was granted a royal charter in 1948. Nottingham's main campus (University Park Campus, Nottingh ...

Career

Shearer spent nine years as an animal scientist at the Ruakura Research Centre before becoming a member of parliament in 1975. He represented the electorate in Parliament from to , when he was defeated by Bill Dillon. Under

Robert Muldoon Sir Robert David Muldoon (; 25 September 19215 August 1992) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 31st prime minister of New Zealand, from 1975 to 1984, while leader of the National Party. Departing from National Party convention, Mu ...

, he was Minister for the Environment, Minister of Science and Technology, and Minister of Broadcasting. In 1985, Shearer publicly questioned the National Party on membership and finances, which resulted in the suspension of his membership in October of that year. Although the suspension was lifted, Shearer resigned all his party roles in December 1985. He later joined the

New Zealand First New Zealand First (), commonly abbreviated to NZ First or NZF, is a political party in New Zealand, founded and led by Winston Peters, who has served three times as Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand, deputy prime minister. The party has form ...

Party which was largely made up of National Party dissidents and stood as the New Zealand First candidate in the

Onehunga Onehunga is a suburb of Auckland in New Zealand and the location of the Port of Onehunga, the city's small port on the Manukau Harbour. It is south of the city centre, close to the volcanic cone of Maungakiekie / One Tree Hill. Onehunga is ...

electorate at the 1993 general election, losing to Labour's

Richard Northey Richard John Northey (born 28 April 1945) is a New Zealand politician. He was an MP from 1984 to 1990, and again from 1993 to 1996. He served on the Auckland Council between 2010 and 2013, and is a member of the Labour Party. Biography Earl ...

. After leaving politics Shearer was the dean of science and engineering at the

Auckland University of Technology Auckland University of Technology ( AUT; ) is a university in New Zealand, formed on 1 January 2000 when a former technical college (originally established in 1895) was granted university status. AUT is New Zealand's third largest university i ...

for nine years and served on the

Waitangi Tribunal The Waitangi Tribunal (Māori: ''Te Rōpū Whakamana i te Tiriti o Waitangi'') is a New Zealand permanent commission of inquiry established under the Treaty of Waitangi Act 1975. It is charged with investigating and making recommendations on c ...

. He retired from public service in 2005. He published his autobiography ''The Boy from the Bay'' in 2006.

Personal life

Shearer was married twice, firstly to Sandra May Griffiths, the daughter of Ivor David Griffiths on 5 December 1964, and secondly to Cheryl. He and Sandra had one son and one daughter. Shearer died from

idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) synonymous with cryptogenic fibrosing alveolitis is a rare, progressive illness of the respiratory system, characterized by the thickening and stiffening of lung tissue, associated with the formation of scar ...

at his home in Whakatāne on 1 June 2021.

Publications

* ''The Boy from the Bay: an autobiography'' (2006) * ''Whakatāne Hospital, Te Whatumauri Hauora : a history'' (2011) * ''Ōwhakatoro : Sisam & Sons : from Clydesdales to computers'' (2013) – with Barrie Macdonald * ''A century on Cameron Road : a history of Tauranga Hospital, 1914–2014'' (2016) – with Dr Rex E Wright-St Clair * ''Family – the Shearers of Ōkaiawa : the history of a pioneer family'' (2018) * ''The adventures of Slim Jim'' (2020) * ''Antarctica twice, and related issues'' (2020)

Notes

References

* * * , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Shearer, Ian 1941 births 2021 deaths New Zealand National Party MPs New Zealand First politicians Members of the Cabinet of New Zealand People educated at Whakatane High School Unsuccessful candidates in the 1984 New Zealand general election Unsuccessful candidates in the 1993 New Zealand general election Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives New Zealand MPs for North Island electorates People from Whakatāne Massey University alumni Alumni of the University of Nottingham Deaths from pulmonary fibrosis Environment ministers of New Zealand