Catherine Tizard

The Honourable Dame Catherine Tizard ONZ GCMG GCVO DBE QSO DStJ
16th Governor-General of New Zealand
In office 13 December 1990 – 21 March 1996
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Prime Minister	Jim Bolger
Preceded by	Paul Reeves
Succeeded by	Michael Hardie Boys
Mayor of Auckland City
In office 1983–1990
Preceded by	Colin Kay
Succeeded by	Les Mills
Personal details
Born	Catherine Anne Maclean (1931-04-04) 4 April 1931 Auckland, New Zealand
Political party	Labour Party
Spouse(s)	Bob Tizard (m. 1951; div. 1980)
Alma mater	University of Auckland

Dame Catherine Anne Tizard ONZ GCMG GCVO DBE QSO DStJ (née Maclean, born 4 April 1931) was Mayor of Auckland City and the 16th Governor-General of New Zealand, the first woman to hold either office.

Early life

Catherine Anne Maclean was born to Scottish immigrants, Neil and Helen Maclean, and grew up in Waharoa, near Matamata, Waikato. Neil was a factory worker at the local Waharoa dairy factory. She attended Matamata College, and she gained a University Bursary in her final year, 1948. In 1949 Catherine enrolled at Auckland University College in Zoology.

Family

While at university, Catherine met Bob Tizard, then president of the Auckland University Students Association. On their second date Bob told Catherine he was "going into politics. And I'm going to marry you."

They married in 1951, and Bob unsuccessfully ran for the seat of Remuera later that year at the general election and again at the 1954 general election. He was finally successful at the 1957 election, winning in Tamaki, but was defeated three years later by Rob Muldoon. The couple moved to Avondale and started a family, with Catherine having four children in six years starting at the age of 21 with Anna, followed by Linda, Judith and Nigel. They moved in 1957 to Glendowie, in the Tamaki electorate.

Bob ran for and won the Pakuranga seat at the general election in 1963. Catherine then returned to University to complete her degree in Zoology, and later began teaching at Auckland university.

Auckland City Council

Catherine was elected to the Auckland City Council in 1971 and was re-elected in 1974, 1977 and 1980. She was also elected to the Auckland Regional Authority in 1980, at the same time as running for Mayor of Auckland against incumbent Sir Dove-Myer Robinson and councillor Colin Kay. This three-way split gave the election to Kay by a margin of 2,000 votes. She opposed the 1981 Springbok tour, and an attempt to ban Hare Krishna from performing chants on Queen Street.

In the short-lived government of Prime Minister Norman Kirk, Bob was appointed first Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Health and later under Prime Minister Bill Rowling Minister of Finance and Minister of Defence. This put considerable strain on the family as Bob was often away overseas. Catherine and family moved to Wellington, and she commuted to Auckland for council business.

From 1976 to 1985, Tizard starred on the popular TVNZ chat show Beauty and the Beast, along with Selwyn Toogood and Shona McFarlane. She later attributed her success in politics to this show.

Mayor of Auckland City

Tizard decided to run for Mayor of Auckland City again at the 1983 local elections. She defeated incumbent Colin Kay. She was the first female to serve as Mayor of Auckland, In 1984 Catherine was made a Dame. Later in 1984 there was a major riot in Queen Street.

During her term as Mayor, the Aotea Centre next to Aotea Square was developed. She was also the patron of the 99th Police recruit wing in 1985 in which all 75 recruits after graduation were sent to Auckland to serve. She was re-elected in 1986, and once again in 1989 following a major amalgamation of local authorities. In 1990 Auckland hosted the Commonwealth Games, an event Dame Catherine had worked to secure for Auckland.

Governor-General

In 1989, Dame Catherine was appointed by Queen Elizabeth II as the first female Governor-General of New Zealand on the advice of Prime Minister Geoffrey Palmer and took office on 13 December 1990, causing a by-election for the Mayoralty of Auckland. She accepted on the proviso that the Queen be informed before her Royal tour in February 1990, and that the leader of the opposition be informed. Then Deputy Prime Minister Helen Clark and Labour Party President Margaret Wilson pushed for a female Governor-General, as the 100th anniversary of Women's suffrage in New Zealand would occur during the Governor-General's term in 1993. Tizard had been informed of her impending appointment by her former husband Bob Tizard, who was a member of Cabinet at the time. She was the third female Governor-General in the Commonwealth (after Dame Minita Gordon of Belize in 1981, and Jeanne Sauvé in Canada in 1984).

During her tenure in office, Dame Catherine ended the practice of bowing to the Governor-General, declaring, "No New Zealander should have to bow to another". She also ended the practice of members of staff ceasing to clean whenever she entered the room.

While Governor-General, a particular piece of legislation did not appeal to Dame Catherine at all. She asked the question of her responsible official and asked the question of herself and finally said (apparently). "All right, I will sign my assent, but I will do it in black ink!” A special bottle was obtained and used for the purpose!"

Controversies

Prior to the second referendum on Electoral reform in New Zealand in June 1993, Dame Catherine caused outrage by making an unscripted suggestion in a lecture on the role of the Governor-General that under MMP, the Governor-General would have to use their reserve powers more often, which would create instability.

Ironically, the New Zealand general election, 1993 – the last under First Past the Post – nearly resulted in a hung parliament, with the election night result having the two major parties tied. She asked Sir David Beattie to form a committee, along with three retired appeal court judges, to decide whom to appoint as Prime Minister. However, National won one more seat and was returned to power when Labour's Sir Peter Tapsell agreed to become Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives.

In an interview with North & South in 1996, Tizard stated that she could not believe "...some of the idiocies of the health system", causing great consternation from the Minister of Health.

Retirement

On her retirement from office, Sir Geoffrey Palmer, who had nominated Dame Catherine for the office, stated: "She has been a powerful, yes a presidential public presence. She has been a part of New Zealand's growing up."

In 2004, Dame Catherine stated that she supported a New Zealand republic "in principle" and when she was Governor-General, had discussed the issue of republicanism with the Queen: "She is quite sanguine about these things. She has always said it is a decision for New Zealand to make, and 'whatever decision New Zealand makes, of course we would accept it'."

In December 2004, Dame Catherine Tizard became a member of the NZ Flag.com Trust, supporting a referendum on whether the New Zealand flag should be changed. She said, "Our present flag served a young post-colonial country well, but the time has come to consider a change which more appropriately recognises our changed identity and confidence in ourselves. Let's find out what the country thinks of the idea of a change."

In 2007, Dame Catherine supported former Mayor of Auckland, Dick Hubbard's campaign for re-election as mayor at the local body elections. On 9 October 2007 she was appointed Honorary Colonel of the 3rd Auckland (Countess of Ranfurly's Own) and Northland Regiment, a largely ceremonial role.

Changes to the rules in 2006 granted her the use of the style The Honourable for life, as a consequence of having been Governor-General.

In 2010 Dame Catherine published her memoirs, entitled Cat Amongst the Pigeons, a reference to her personal arms (see description below).

In December 2012, Tizard starred in an online video campaign supporting gay marriage, alongside New Zealand singers Anika Moa, Boh Runga and Hollie Smith, as well as Olympian Danyon Loader.

Arms

Arms of Catherine Tizard

File:Catherine Tizard Arms.svg

Notes The arms of Dame Catherine Tizard, granted on 9 December 1994, consist of: Crest Upon a helm with a wreath argent and azure within a circlet upon the rim eight New Zealand ferns (five manifest) argent a Cat a Mountain guardant sable holding in its foreclaws a "Kate Sheppard" Camellia slipped and leaved proper mantled azure doubled argent. Escutcheon Barry wavy argent and azure overall a lymphad oars in action the sail sable charged with a representation of the royal crown proper pennons gules between three escallops or. Supporters Two New Zealand Wood Pigeons wings elevated addorsed proper that on the dexter supporting with its interior foot a representation of the mace of the House of Representatives of New Zealand and that on the sinister likewise supporting with its interior foot a representation of the mace of the City of Auckland Compartment All on a compartment comprising a grassy mount from which grow New Zealand fern and thistles all proper. Motto Floreat Feles Felix

The displayed coat of arms IS NOT the version authorized by the College of Arms in the UK, according to Ms Tizards autobiography. The (apparently) correct, far more elaborate version (which much more closely matches the written description above) is to be found in Ms Tizards autobiography "Cat Amongst The Pigeons - A Memoir" circa 2010, Random House Publishers, soft back, ISBN 978 1 86979 300 5, page 233.

External links

• Government House: Official biography

Political offices
Preceded by Colin Kay	Mayor of Auckland City 1983–1990	Succeeded by Les Mills
Government offices
Preceded by Paul Reeves	Governor-General of New Zealand 1990–1996	Succeeded by Michael Hardie Boys