Hugh Templeton

Hugh Campbell Templeton QSO AO (born 24 March 1929) is a former New Zealand diplomat, politician and member of parliament for the National Party.

Early life and family

Templeton was born in Wyndham, Southland, in 1929. He was educated at Gore High School, King's High School, the University of Otago, and then as a Rhodes Scholar at Balliol College, Oxford University. He married Russian-born New Zealand novelist Natasha Templeton in Wellington in 1961.

His brother, Malcolm, was a Foreign Service officer who represented New Zealand at the United Nations. His twin brother Ian is a veteran press gallery journalist and author.

From 1954 to 1969 Templeton served with the New Zealand Department of External Affairs, first in London, and then in Wellington, before going as the last Deputy High Commissioner of Western Samoa to prepare specially for independence and then to New York to assist secure Samoa's post independence aid programmes, under Guy Powles. From 1965 to 1969 Templeton served in Wellington working on Asian and European and Defence affairs, before being elected to Parliament.

Member of Parliament

Parliament of New Zealand
Years	Term	Electorate		Party
1969–1972	36th	Awarua		National
1975–1978	38th	Karori		National
1978–1981	39th	Ohariu		National
1981–1984	40th	Ohariu		National

Templeton was elected as MP for Awarua in Southland in 1969. However, he lost the electorate in the 1972 election to Labour's Aubrey Begg. From 1972–1975, he was executive assistant to the Leaders of the Opposition, Jack Marshall and then Robert Muldoon. Templeton was re-elected to Parliament in 1975 for the Wellington electorate of Karori. The electorate was renamed Ohariu and was represented by Templeton until 1984, when he was defeated by Peter Dunne, then a member of the Labour Party. His friend and diplomatic colleague Chris Beeby commented on Templeton's election losses as follows:

It must take a very special kind of talent to f... up two blue-ribbon seats.

— Chris Beeby

Cabinet minister

Templeton was appointed to various positions in communications and economic portfolios during the Muldoon National Government of 1975–1984. Templeton was Minister of Revenue (1977–1982) and Minister for Trade and Industry (1981–1984) with responsibility for ANZCER (Australia - New Zealand Closer Economic Relations free trade agreement). Templeton also worked with the Prime Minister on stimulating New Zealand's onshore petroleum programme as part of Think Big. He wrote a book All Honourable Men: Inside the Muldoon Cabinet 1975–1984 on this period.

Templeton lost his seat with the election of the Fourth Labour Government in 1984.

In the 1992 New Year Honours, Templeton was made a Companion of the Queen's Service Order for public services.

Post parliamentary career

New Zealand Flag

In 2004, Templeton supported the NZ Flag.com Trust campaign for a referendum to change New Zealand's flag. A petition for a referendum on the issue failed to gain enough signatures.

Australian honour

In November 2009, he was appointed an Honorary Officer of the Order of Australia, "for service to Australia-New Zealand economic relations, particularly through the establishment of the Australia-New Zealand Closer Economic Relations Trade Agreement".

Works by Templeton

• All Honourable Men: Inside the Muldoon Cabinet 1975–1984 (1995, Auckland University Press, Auckland) ISBN 1-86940-128-X

External links

• The Templetons

New Zealand Parliament
Preceded by Gordon Grieve	Member of Parliament for Awarua 1969–1972	Succeeded by Aubrey Begg
Preceded by Jack Marshall	Member of Parliament for Karori 1975–1978	Constituency abolished