George Gair

The Honourable George Gair CMG QSO
3rd Mayor of North Shore City
In office 14 October 1995 – 10 October 1998
Preceded by	Paul Titchener
Succeeded by	George Wood
19th High Commissioner of New Zealand to the United Kingdom
In office 3 June 1991 – April 1994
Preceded by	Bryce Harland
Succeeded by	John Collinge
12th Minister of Transport
In office 11 December 1981 – 26 July 1984
Prime Minister	Robert Muldoon
Preceded by	Colin McLachlan
Succeeded by	Richard Prebble
25th Minister of Health
In office 13 December 1978 – 11 December 1981
Prime Minister	Robert Muldoon
Preceded by	Frank Gill
Succeeded by	Aussie Malcolm
3rd Minister of Energy
In office 8 March 1977 – 13 December 1978
Prime Minister	Robert Muldoon
Preceded by	Eric Holland
Succeeded by	Bill Birch
Member of the New Zealand Parliament for North Shore
In office 26 November 1966 – 27 October 1990
Preceded by	Dean Eyre
Succeeded by	Bruce Cliffe
Personal details
Born	George Frederick Gair (1926-10-13)13 October 1926 Dunedin, New Zealand
Died	17 August 2015(2015-08-17) (aged 88) Auckland, New Zealand
Political party	National
Spouse(s)	Esther Mary Fay Levy
Relations	Joanne Gair (daughter)
Alma mater	Victoria University University of Auckland
Occupation	Journalist

George Frederick Gair CMG QSO (13 October 1926 – 17 August 2015) was a New Zealand politician. He was once deputy leader of the National Party in the New Zealand Parliament, and was considered by many to be a possible contender for the leadership itself. He was known for his polite and diplomatic style, which often contrasted with the political situation around him – Michael Laws described him as "a refugee from the age of manners."

Early life and family[]

Gair was born in Dunedin, but moved to Wellington when young. He was a graduate of Victoria University and University of Auckland. He worked as a journalist at The New Zealand Herald from 1945 to 1947 then travelled to Japan before moving to Melbourne where he worked for The Sun News-Pictorial from 1949 to 1950 before returning to New Zealand after accepting a position at the Auckland Star between 1950 and 1952.^[1] Gair married Esther Mary Fay Levy in about 1950, and the couple went on to have three children,^[2][3] including make-up artist and body painter Joanne Gair.^[4]

From 1952 to 1957 Gair was a public relations officer in Auckland. He also became involved in the organisational wing of the National Party, and briefly served on the parliamentary staff of Keith Holyoake from 1958 to 1960. From 1960 to 1966 he was the personal assistant to the general manager of Air New Zealand.^[1]

Member of Parliament[]

He was an organiser for the National Party in the Onehunga and Roskill electorates. He then became the deputy chairman of National's Auckland division and a dominion councillor of the party.^[1]

Gair first stood for the National Party nomination for the Remuera electorate in the 1966 election, losing the nomination to Allan Highet. Gair then went across the bridge and contested and won the North Shore nomination from retiring National MP Dean Eyre. He was successful, and was elected to Parliament that year.^[5] In 1969 he was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of Education and Science.^[6]

Cabinet minister[]

In Parliament, Gair came to be regarded as a competent and diligent administrator. He briefly became Minister of Customs in 1972^[7][8][6] at the end of the Second National government, but this was interrupted when National lost the 1972 election to the Labour Party under Norman Kirk. When National was returned to power in the 1975 election, Gair was returned to cabinet in the Third National government. Between that time and National's defeat in the 1984 election, Gair held a number of challenging portfolios, including serving as Minister of Health and Minister of Social Welfare. He also served as Minister of Housing, Minister of Energy, Minister of Transport, Minister of Railways and a number of other roles.^[9]

Political views[]

Gair also distinguished himself for some of his personal views. Gair, although a member of the country's main conservative party, generally adopted a "live and let live" approach to social and moral issues, rejecting what he saw as "intolerance" in some of his colleagues. These beliefs were especially noticeable when, in the late 1970s, Gair opposed measures to restrict abortion. Barry Gustafson, in his history of the National Party, called Gair "the most effective strategist of the parliamentary pro-abortion lobby".^[10]

Gair's support of abortion earned him the hostility of many National Party colleagues, including that of the party's leader, Robert Muldoon. Muldoon was already somewhat distrustful of Gair, as Gair had occasionally been spoken of as an alternative party leader. The political styles of Muldoon and Gair were radically different – Muldoon had a reputation as being tough and confrontational, while Gair was seen as polite and diplomatic. Some members of the party who disliked Muldoon's "dictatorial" style saw Gair as a possible alternative.^[10]

Colonels' Coup[]

In 1980, when a number of party dissidents began to plot against Muldoon's leadership, Gair was on the list of potential replacements.^[11] However, Gair was regarded as too liberal to gain majority support within the party. The dissidents eventually decided to encourage Brian Talboys, the party's deputy leader, to make a leadership bid (now called the "Colonels' Coup"). Gair was not involved in planning this bid, but was supportive of it, and worked hard to convince Talboys that a challenge was a good idea. In the end, however, Talboys bailed out, and the coup collapsed without a vote ever being taken. Gair continued to advocate a challenge, but Talboys was adamant that preserving party unity was more important than curbing Muldoon's damaging leadership style. Later, after Talboys had retired from politics, Gair supported another Muldoon opponent, Derek Quigley, to replace Talboys as deputy leader.^[12]

Some time after Muldoon was finally deposed by Jim McLay in 1984, Gair (along with Muldoon ally Bill Birch) was demoted considerably. This was intended to make room for new, younger figures, who McLay hoped would "rejuvenate" the party. The move was highly damaging to McLay, however, as it placed both Gair and Birch directly in opposition to him. As two of the most experienced people in the National Party, the two were able to mobilise substantial support in favour of McLay's main rival, Jim Bolger. Bolger quickly defeated McLay, and Gair himself took the position of deputy leader.^[13] He was additionally given the coveted finance portfolio by Bolger.^[14]

Deputy leader[]

Shortly after Gair became deputy leader, he found himself at odds with a number of his colleagues once again. The Homosexual Law Reform Bill, a private bill by Labour's Fran Wilde to lift restrictions on homosexuality, was being hotly debated. Gair was somewhat ambivalent towards the bill, believing that while change was "long overdue", certain aspects of the bill went too far. On 2 July 1986, Gair's vote blocked a motion of closure on the bill, which would have brought it to a vote – because of bad weather, a number of the bill's supporters were unable to be in Parliament that day, and since a few votes could potentially decide the fate of the bill, Gair believed it unfair to let the vote go ahead. Had he voted for closure, the bill would probably have been defeated, and many of the bill's opponents therefore blamed Gair for its subsequent success. One week later, when the vote actually occurred, it passed only by a narrow majority – Gair himself eventually voted in favour. Gair found the entire episode highly stressful, and spoke of his desire for reconciliation.^[15][16]

Following National's loss at the 1987 election Gair was challenged for the position of deputy leader by Ruth Richardson. Rather than attempt to beat off the challenge, the genial Gair retired voluntarily and backed Bolger's preferred deputy Don McKinnon who narrowly defeated Richardson by a single vote to take his place as deputy leader.^[17]

Mayor of North Shore City[]

Gair served as the 3rd Mayor of North Shore City from 1995 until 1998, defeating incumbent Paul Titchener.^[18]

Later life and death[]

Gair retired from Parliament at the 1990 elections. He later served as the High Commissioner to London. He lived in Northcross on the North Shore.^[19]

Gair died on 17 August 2015.^[2] His wife, Fay Gair, died in 2018.^[3]

Honours and awards[]

In the 1988 Queen's Birthday Honours, Gair was made a Companion of the Queen's Service Order for public services.^[20] In the 1994 Queen's Birthday Honours, he was appointed a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George.^[21]

Notes[]

References[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to George Gair.

• Gustafson, Barry (1986). The First 50 Years : A History of the New Zealand National Party. Auckland: Reed Methuen. ISBN 0-474-00177-6.
• Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First ed. published 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103.