Terry McDavitt
Terry McDavitt | |
|---|---|
 McDavitt in 1986 | |
| 19th Deputy Mayor of Wellington | |
| In office 13 April 1988 – 1 November 1989 | |
| Mayor | Jim Belich |
| Preceded by | Helene Ritchie |
| Succeeded by | David Watt |
| Wellington City Councillor | |
| In office 8 October 1983 – 10 October 1992 | |
| Ward | At-large (1983-86) Lambton (1986-92) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 2 January 1948 Dannevirke, New Zealand |
| Political party | Labour |
| Other political affiliations | Values Party |
| Alma mater | Victoria University of Wellington |
Terry Joseph McDavitt JP (born 2 January 1948) is a New Zealand educator, politician and activist.
Biography[edit]
Early life[edit]
Terry McDavitt was born in Dannevirke in 1948. He was educated in Wellington at St. Patrick's College, later attending Victoria University of Wellington and graduated in 1970 with a Master of Arts degree.[1] He was an activist in his youth and organised multiple protests against the Vietnam War and apartheid.[2] In 1979 he became head of General Studies at Wellington Polytech, a position he retained until 1987, when he resigned to focus on his political career.[3][4]
McDavitt married Kate Ford in 1970 and had two children; Ruth in 1975 and Joseph in 1978. He and Ford were divorced in 1984. McDavitt married Sue Lee in 1994.[1]
Political career[edit]
McDavitt became politically active in the early 1970s and joined the environmentalist Values Party. in 1974 he stood unsuccessfully for the Wellington City Council on a Values ticket.[5] In 1975 he was elected as the party's Wellington regional convener, replacing Tony Brunt who stepped down from the role.[6] He also served as the General Secretary of the Values Party from 1974 until 1979 when he decided to leave the role.[1] The role was no longer paid and he left it for a role as a communications tutor. He stayed on in a voluntary basis with several friends performing necessary duties until the next annual conference.[7] He was in favour of homosexual law reform in New Zealand and listed his name openly in support.[8]
By the 1980s McDavitt had left the Values Party and had joined the Labour Party. He stood again for the City Council in 1983 on a Labour ticket and was elected.[9][10] He transferred to the Lambton Ward in 1986 would remain on the council until 1992 when he decided not to seek re-election.[1] In 1988 he was appointed deputy to Mayor Jim Belich after the removal of Helene Ritchie, following a series of feuds with Labour councillors over policy.[11] He held that position until 1989 when Labour lost their majority on the council.[2]
In 1989 he was elected to the Wellington Regional Council on a Labour ticket, chairing the transport committee, and would serve for 21 years until he was defeated in 2010 standing as an independent.[12] He was the chair of both the public transport and land transport committees and also served as Deputy Chair of the Regional Council from 2001 to 2007.
Notes[edit]
- ^ a b c d Taylor 1998, pp. 500.
- ^ a b Naylor, Shani (11 January 1989). "Terry McDavitt: ready when duty called". The Evening Post.
- ^ Busby, Anita (15 May 1987). "McDavitt quits job for council". The Dominion.
- ^ "Farewelling Polytech's Problems". The Evening Post. 10 February 1987.
- ^ "City Council". The Dominion. 14 October 1974.
- ^ "Values Party changes". The Press. Vol. CXV, no. 33894. 14 July 1975. p. 14.
- ^ "Values job vacated". The Press. 22 January 1979. p. 2.
- ^ "We Support Homosexual Law Reform". The Press. 20 April 1985. p. 6.
- ^ Dawson, P.L. (25 October 1983). Declaration of Result of Election (Report). Wellington City Council.
- ^ "Local Body Polls '83". The Evening Post. 10 October 1983.
- ^ "Wgtn deputy stripped of offices". The Press. 15 April 1988. p. 6.
- ^ "2010 election results". Greater Wellington Regional Council. Retrieved 29 May 2017.
References[edit]
- Taylor, Alister, ed. (1998). New Zealand Who's Who, 1998 edition. Auckland. ISSN 1172-9813.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
External links[edit]
| International | |
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| National | |
