Bob Tizard

Robert James Tizard (7 June 1924 – 28 January 2016) was a Labour politician from New Zealand. He served as Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Finance, Minister of Health and Minister of Defence.

Early life and family
Born in Auckland on 7 June 1924, Tizard was the son of Jessie May Tizard (née Phillips) and Henry James Tizard.

He was educated at Meadowbank School and Auckland Grammar School, and earned a university scholarship in 1940. In March 1943 he joined the Royal New Zealand Air Force. A navigator, he was commissioned as a pilot officer in February 1945, and promoted to flying officer in August 1945.

After the war, Tizard studied at Auckland University College, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in 1948 and a Master of Arts in 1950. His MA thesis was entitled Mr H.E. Holland's Blueprint for New Zealand and the World, Harry Holland having been a previous leader of the New Zealand Labour Party.

While at university, Tizard met future wife Catherine Maclean, while he was president of the Auckland University Students Association. On their second date Tizard told Maclean he was "going into politics. And I'm going to marry you." They married in 1951, and Tizard unsuccessfully ran for the Remuera electorate 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 Robert Muldoon. The couple moved to Avondale and started a family, with his wife having four children in six years starting at the age of 21 with Anne, followed by Linda, Judith and Nigel. They moved in 1957 to Glendowie in the Tamaki electorate. Tizard ran for and won the Pakuranga electorate at the general election in 1963. His wife then returned to university to complete her degree in zoology, and later began teaching at Auckland university. The couple divorced in 1980.

Catherine Tizard was Mayor of Auckland from 1983 to 1990 and Governor-General of New Zealand from 1990 to 1996. He is the father of former Consumer Affairs minister Judith Tizard, who succeeded her father as the Member of Parliament for Panmure in 1990.

Tizard later married Mary Nacey, with whom he had a son, Joe. They subsequently divorced. He married Beryl Vignale of Canada in 1989. The couple had been engaged during World War II.

Member of Parliament
Tizard was the Member of Parliament for Tamaki from 1957 to 1960, when he was defeated by National's Robert Muldoon. For the duration of the Second Labour Government Tizard was a backbencher. In the dying days of the government, Prime Minister Walter Nash overruled security services advice and approved the naturalization of a European emigrant living in Tizard's constituency who had in his youth been linked with Marxist circles, but had lived in New Zealand for many years and had a New Zealand wife and children. The police had not given him a clearance because, in their view, he had not accepted "New Zealand ideals". Nash minuted in 1960 that he should be allowed to naturalise. The file lay on his desk without action for many months however. Tizard found the file and took it to the Minister of Internal Affairs, Bill Anderton (who was the only minister in Wellington during the 1960 election period because he was not standing) and he signed the necessary approval.

He returned to parliament in a in the  electorate, but in the 1963 general election was elected MP for Pakuranga. When United States Vice President Spiro Agnew visited Wellington in mid-January 1970, Tizard along with several other Labour Members of Parliament including Arthur Faulkner, Jonathan Hunt, and Martyn Finlay boycotted the state dinner to protest American policy in Vietnam. However, other Labour MPs including Opposition Leader Norman Kirk attended the function which dealt with the Nixon Doctrine. In 1972 he became MP for Otahuhu again. In 1984 he became MP for Panmure, until he retired in 1990.

Cabinet minister
Tizard was Shadow Minister of Finance under leader Norman Kirk. Contrary to expectation, Tizard was instead appointed as Minister of Health and Minister of State Services when the Third Labour Government was elected in 1972. Tizard was unhappy when informed of the decision but vowed he would put his all in to the job he was given. When exiting Kirk's office he said to colleague Warren Freer "I'll show the bastard what can be done with health". Both Freer and Deputy Prime Minister Hugh Watt had favoured Tizard for Finance, but Kirk thought he was not steady enough for the role and was suspicious of him as an "intellectual". Regardless, he soon proved one of Kirk's most effective ministers.

Following the death of Kirk in 1974, Tizard was elected the Labour Party's deputy leader and consequently became Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand. Kirk's replacement as Prime Minister, Bill Rowling, appointed Tizard to the portfolio that he had wanted all along – Minister of Finance. As Minister of Finance, Tizard's 1975 budget introduced a number of progressive measures, such as an expansion of spending on education which provided a standard bursary for all students in tertiary studies.

After the surprise defeat of the Third Labour Government in 1975 Tizard remained on the front bench as both Deputy Leader of the Opposition and Shadow Minister of Finance. on 1 November 1979 he was challenged for the deputy leadership by David Lange the new MP for Mangere. Lange succeeded in the challenge, narrowly defeating Tizard 20 votes to 18.

In the Fourth Labour Government he initially held the roles of Minister of Energy, Minister of Statistics and Minister of Science and Technology during its first term from 1984 to 1987. During the government's second term Tizard retained only the Science and Technology portfolio, but was also appointed Minister of Defence from 1987 to 1990.

Life after politics
In 2009, at the age of 85, Bob Tizard was asked to speak, as a historian, on aspects of World War II at a dinner held to honour Captain Jack Lyon, a New Zealand war hero and former Labour Party Member of Parliament. An mp3 recording of the 25 minute speech is available.

In 2007 Tizard announced his candidacy for the Auckland District Health Board. He was elected to the board, at the age of 83.

Death
Bob Tizard died in Auckland on 28 January 2016, aged 91.