Murray Robert Smith (6 June 1941 – 27 September 2009) was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party.

Biography

Smith was born in

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: * Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States * ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda ** ''Hamilton'' (al ...

in 1941. He became a civil servant and later a member of the Whangarei Adult Education Committee.

Political career

He joined the Labour Party and was secretary of both the Marsden and

Labour Representation Committees. He unsuccessfully contested Piako in

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 ...

finishing third and Marsden in

1969 1969 ( MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1969th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 969th year of the 2nd millennium, the 69th year of the 20th century, and the ...

finishing second. He was elected for the Whangarei electorate with the swing to Labour in the 1972 general election. Smith was also assisted by the National Government's decision to contract the construction of naval patrol craft overseas, which impacted local workers in Whangarei's ship building industry. In his maiden speech to Parliament Smith called for greater protection of the coastline by banning the construction of houses on the seaward side of coastal roads. He was seeking to ensure better public access to the coastal areas. Smith was defeated in the next election in

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 – Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

which saw a significant swing back to National. In early 1977 he contemplated standing as a candidate for the Labour Party nomination in the Mangere by-election, however he ultimately decided to withdraw from the candidacy race.

Public service

Formerly a Public Trust accountant, he was made managing director of the Development Finance Corporation and executive chairman of New Zealand Railways by Labour. From his time in Parliament, he was a friend of

Roger Douglas Sir Roger Owen Douglas (born 5 December 1937) is a retired New Zealand politician, economist and accountant who served as a minister in two Labour governments. He is most recognised for his key involvement in New Zealand's radical economic rest ...

, and of

Michael Bassett Michael Edward Rainton Bassett (born 28 August 1938) is a former Labour Party member of the New Zealand House of Representatives and cabinet minister in the reformist fourth Labour government. He is also a noted New Zealand historian, and h ...

who said that his "contribution to New Zealand went well beyond what he managed in three short years to do for the people of Whangarei".

Baháʼí Faith

He joined the Baháʼí community in 1989, becoming the chief executive officer in New Zealand in 1991 and deputy secretary-general of the Baháʼí international secretariat in 1994. He died in Raglan on 27 September 2009.

References

*Obituary in ''Dominion Post'' (Wellington) of 31 October 2009.

External links

Smith in 2005 (photo)
1941 births 2009 deaths New Zealand Labour Party MPs New Zealand Bahá'ís New Zealand accountants 20th-century New Zealand businesspeople People from Hamilton, New Zealand Converts to the Bahá'í Faith 20th-century Bahá'ís 21st-century Bahá'ís Unsuccessful candidates in the 1975 New Zealand general election Unsuccessful candidates in the 1969 New Zealand general election Unsuccessful candidates in the 1966 New Zealand general election Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives New Zealand MPs for North Island electorates {{NewZealand-business-bio-stub