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Sir James Belich (25 July 1927 – 13 September 2015) was a New Zealand local politician. He was the
mayor of Wellington The mayor of Wellington is the head of the municipal government of Wellington, the city of Wellington. The mayor presides over the Wellington City Council. The mayor is directly elected using the Single Transferable Vote method of proportional ...
from 1986 to 1992.


Biography


Early life and career

Belich was born on 25 July 1927, of
Croat The Croats (; , ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and other neighboring countries in Central Europe, Central and Southeastern Europe who share a common Croatian Cultural heritage, ancest ...
descent, in
Awanui Awanui is an historical river port in the far north of New Zealand, on the banks of the Awanui River just before it flows into Rangaunu Bay. Awanui lies at the south end of the Aupouri Peninsula in the Far North District Council of the Northlan ...
, Northland, to immigrant parents, Jakov and Marija, from the Dalmatian island of Korcula. He grew up bilingual, speaking Croatian with his parents and English to both of his elder brothers. His family home was a two room house at the edge of a gum-digging town, later with a lean-to kitchen added by his father after borrowing £400. He helped diggers from the gumfields at the supply shop next to their house by translating for them into English to the shopkeeper. He was head boy at
Otahuhu College Otahuhu College is a secondary school in Auckland, New Zealand for students years 9 to 13. Location It is located in the suburb of Ōtāhuhu and is a co-educational school. The main campus entrance is on Mangere Road, the Memorial Field sport ...
. He and his two brothers formed a Hawaiian music and dancing band. At one wedding in Auckland they were playing at he met his future wife who was the bridesmaid. He received his tertiary education at the
Auckland University College The University of Auckland (; Māori: ''Waipapa Taumata Rau'') is a public research university based in Auckland, New Zealand. The institution was established in 1883 as a constituent college of the University of New Zealand. Initially loca ...
and Victoria University College, graduating from the latter with a Bachelor of Arts in 1955. In 1948, due to his education and language skills, he was asked by the Yugoslav government to work with expatriate communities of Yugoslavs in both New Zealand and Australia. For the next several years he worked with the politically fragmented communities (many who had fled invasion from
Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...
) in both Auckland and Sydney until 1956. He worked for the firm J. Inglis Wright Advertising from 1956 to 1986. He was head of the firm from 1974 to 1986. He had joined the Labour Party in 1954 and was involved in advertising for the party, including media training for Labour leader
Norman Kirk Norman Eric Kirk (6 January 1923 – 31 August 1974) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 29th prime minister of New Zealand and as well as the Minister of Foreign Affairs (New Zealand), minister of Foreign Affairs from 1972 until h ...
for television appearances. Belich was the founding president of
UNICEF UNICEF ( ), originally the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, officially United Nations Children's Fund since 1953, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Development a ...
New Zealand during which time New Zealand signed up to the
United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...
treaty on the
Convention on the Rights of the Child The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (commonly abbreviated as the CRC or UNCRC) is an international international human rights treaty which sets out the civil, political, economic, social, health and cultural rights of ch ...
. He was also president of the
United Nations Association A United Nations Association (UNA) is a non-governmental organization that exists in various countries to enhance the relationship between the people of member states and the United Nations to raise public awareness of the UN and its work, to promo ...
and in 1979 was chairman of the
International Year of the Child UNESCO proclaimed 1979 as the International Year of the Child. The proclamation was signed on January 1, 1979, by United Nations Secretary General Kurt Waldheim. A follow-up to the 1959 Declaration of the Rights of the Child, the proclamation ...
, which led to the establishment of the Children's Commission. Belich belonged as well to Rotary, the Wellington Chamber of Commerce and the Wellington Club.


Political career

Since his youth Belich had been a supporter of the Labour Party. He attributed this to the lack of financial security his parents and other people in the town he grew up in had and thought Labour promised "jobs and a fair go for workers". Belich had been approached to stand for mayor in 1977 and 1980, but declined the offers for personal reasons. In 1986 Belich, supported by Wellington Central MP
Fran Wilde Dame Frances Helen Wilde (née Kitching, born 11 November 1948) is a New Zealand politician, and former Wellington Labour member of parliament, Minister of Tourism and Mayor of Wellington. She was the first woman to serve as Mayor of Welling ...
, was chosen as Labour's candidate for mayor over regional councillor Ken Boyden and Wellington Clean Water Campaign convener John Blincoe. His main opponent in his election bid was incumbent mayor Ian Lawrence. Belich and Lawrence had been friends for nearly twenty years adding a more personal element than normal to an election. The two first met in the late-1960s when Lawrence, as a member of the
Jaycees The United States Junior Chamber, also known as the Jaycees, JCs or JCI USA, is a leadership training service organization and civic organization for people between the ages of 18 and 40. It is a branch of Junior Chamber International (JCI). A ...
, helped organise a fundraising international ball for a
UNICEF UNICEF ( ), originally the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, officially United Nations Children's Fund since 1953, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Development a ...
, which Belich was then president of. Both of them agreed to a "peace pact" to fight fair in the election. Highlighting an unpopular council sewage scheme, both the Labour Party and the Wellington Clean Water Campaign ran a hostile ad campaign against Lawrence and the Citizens' Association. Lawrence responded, stressing that the sewage scheme was a collective decision of the council, not a personal decision of his. In the last week of the campaign Labour launched a series of particularly controversial advertisements on Lawrence and the council. One newspaper ad showed a toilet on the beach, linking to the clean water campaign to stop raw sewage discharge at
Moa Point Moa Point is a small suburb in Wellington, New Zealand, situated on the south coast between Lyall Bay to the west and Tarakena Bay to the east. As of 2015 there were 21 households in the suburb. Toponymy The suburb got its name in 1926 when ...
. Lawrence was angered by the attack which reneged on an earlier pact between the two to fight fair. Belich professed that he did not intend for any personal offence. The hostility of the sewage ads left Lawrence feeling bitter, but did not blame Belich personally for them. Belich was elected
mayor of Wellington The mayor of Wellington is the head of the municipal government of Wellington, the city of Wellington. The mayor presides over the Wellington City Council. The mayor is directly elected using the Single Transferable Vote method of proportional ...
, despite having no previous experience as an elected official and was re-elected in 1989. He also served on the
Wellington Regional Council Wellington Regional Council, branded as Greater Wellington Regional Council (GWRC), is the regional council overseeing the Wellington Region of New Zealand's lower North Island. It is responsible for Public transport in the Wellington Region, p ...
and
Wellington Harbour Board Wellington Harbour Board was the body which formerly managed the shipping and commercial affairs of the port of Wellington in New Zealand. It was constituted in 1880 and was disestablished in 1989. During its 110-year tenure the Harbour Board ...
from 1986 to 1989. Key to Belich's victory was a campaign pledge to end the practice of discharging raw sewage into the sea along the south coast of the city which sullied the sea. Belich began the process toward a newer and more environmentally sustainable sewerage system, however the years long project to build a new plant was not completed until after he retired. During most of his mayoralty Wellington was going through a period of economic recession. Belich and the majority Labour councillors navigated the downturn through a public works programme which included an extension to the Kilbirnie pool and the re-development of the central library, art museum and Civic Square. Belich also oversaw large changes in council operations, due to the
1989 local government reforms The 1989 New Zealand local government reform was the most significant reform of local government in New Zealand in over a century. Some 850 local bodies were amalgamated into 86 local authorities, on Regions of New Zealand, regional and Territo ...
, seeing council departments restructured to self accountable business units. He also set up a trust to organise the infamous ' Sesqui 1990' celebrations to mark 150 years since the foundation of Wellington. Belich retired from the mayoralty in 1992.


Later life and death

In 2008, Belich was made an
honorary citizen Honorary citizenship is a status bestowed by a city or other government on a foreign or native individual whom it considers to be especially admirable or otherwise worthy of the distinction. The honor usually is symbolic and does not confer an ...
of the town that his family came from,
Korčula Korčula () is a Croatian island in the Adriatic Sea. It has an area of , is long and on average wide, and lies just off the Dalmatian coast. Its 15,522 inhabitants (2011) make it the second most populous Adriatic island after Krk. The populat ...
in
Dalmatia Dalmatia (; ; ) is a historical region located in modern-day Croatia and Montenegro, on the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea. Through time it formed part of several historical states, most notably the Roman Empire, the Kingdom of Croatia (925 ...
,
Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...
. He died 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 13 September 2015.


Awards and recognition

In 1990, Belich 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 ...
. In the
1991 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1991 were appointments by Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by people of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth. They were published on 28 December 1990 for the United Kingdom, ...
, he was appointed as a
Knight Bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised Order of chivalry, orders of chivalry; it is a part of the Orders, decorations, and medals ...
, for services to local government and the community. In 2019 the
Wellington City Council Wellington City Council is a Territorial authorities of New Zealand, territorial authority in New Zealand, governing the city of Wellington, the country's capital city and List of cities in New Zealand#City councils, third-largest city by popul ...
opened a playground in
Berhampore Berhampore (), also known as Baharampur (), is a city and a municipality in the state of West Bengal, India. Berhampore is the administrative headquarters of the Murshidabad district. As of 2011 census, Berhampore is the seventh largest city ...
named the Jim Belich Playground after him.


Personal life

In 1951, Belich married Valerie Anzulovich, who was also of Croatian descent. They had three children, including the historian, James Belich. A year into the marriage his mother-in-law moved in with them at their flat in
Mount Cook Aoraki / Mount Cook is the highest mountain in New Zealand. Its height, , is listed as . It is situated in the Southern Alps, the mountain range that runs the length of the South Island. A popular tourist destination, it is also a favourite ch ...
. His wife, Valerie, Lady Belich, died in 2022. His granddaughter,
Camilla Belich Camilla Vera Feslier Belich is a New Zealand lawyer, trade unionist and politician. She has been a Member of Parliament, representing the New Zealand Labour Party, since 2020. Early life and family Belich was raised in Wellington, where her g ...
, was elected to the
New Zealand Parliament The New Zealand Parliament () is the unicameral legislature of New Zealand, consisting of the Monarchy of New Zealand, Sovereign and the New Zealand House of Representatives. The King is usually represented by his Governor-General of New Zeal ...
on the Labour
list A list is a Set (mathematics), set of discrete items of information collected and set forth in some format for utility, entertainment, or other purposes. A list may be memorialized in any number of ways, including existing only in the mind of t ...
in the 2020 election.


References


External links


James Belich in 1986 (photo)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Belich, James 1927 births 2015 deaths People from the Northland Region University of Auckland alumni Victoria University of Wellington alumni Mayors of Wellington New Zealand people of Croatian descent New Zealand Labour Party politicians Wellington regional councillors New Zealand Knights Bachelor Wellington Harbour Board members