| The Honourable Sir Peter Tapsell KNZM, MBE, FRCS, FRCSEd |
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|---|---|
| 24th Speaker of the House of Representatives | |
| In office 1993–1996 |
|
| Prime Minister | Jim Bolger |
| Preceded by | Robin Gray |
| Succeeded by | Doug Kidd |
| 30th Minister of Defence | |
| In office 9 February 1990 – 2 November 1990 |
|
| Prime Minister | Geoffrey Palmer |
| Preceded by | Bob Tizard |
| Succeeded by | Warren Cooper |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 21 January 1930 |
| Political party | Labour |
Sir Peter Wilfred Tapsell, KNZM, MBE, FRCS, FRCSEd (born 21 January 1930) was Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives from 1993 to 1996. He was notable for being the first Māori Speaker,[1] and for being the first Speaker since 1943 to hold office while not a member of the governing party.
He was an orthopaedic surgeon before entering politics.[2][3]
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Tapsell was born and raised in Rotorua, and went to Rotorua Boys' High School. With the help of a scholarship, he studied medicine at the University of Otago,[4] graduating in 1952. He worked at several hospitals throughout New Zealand before travelling to the United Kingdom to undertake further study. Upon his return to New Zealand, he took up a position in Rotorua. Highly active in Māori cultural organisations, Tapsell was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 1968 for services to medicine and the Māori people.[5]
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| Years | Term | Electorate | Party | |
| 1981–1984 | 40th | Eastern Maori | Labour | |
| 1984–1987 | 41st | Eastern Maori | Labour | |
| 1987–1990 | 42nd | Eastern Maori | Labour | |
| 1990–1993 | 43rd | Eastern Maori | Labour | |
| 1993–1996 | 44th | Eastern Maori | Labour | |
Tapsell stood as the Labour Party candidate for Rotorua in the 1975 election and the 1978 election, but was not successful in entering Parliament until the 1981 election, when he stood as a candidate in the Eastern Maori electorate.[2] At various stages of his parliamentary career, Tapsell served as Minister of Internal Affairs,[6] Minister for the Arts, Minister of Police,[6] Minister of Civil Defence,[7] Minister of Science, Minister of Forestry,[2] and Minister of Defence.[2]
After the 1993 election, the National Party had a majority of only one seat. The appointment of the Speaker, therefore, presented a problem - if National selected a Speaker from among its own ranks, as was traditional, it would lose its majority, since the Speaker was not permitted to vote at that time. Therefore, Prime Minister Jim Bolger decided to offer the Speaker's position to a member of the Labour Party, thereby retaining the crucial vote. Tapsell was the person chosen by Bolger for this role.
Despite many objections from his Labour Party colleagues, Tapsell opted to accept the position. His elevation was not unchallenged, however, with an objection being raised by Winston Peters and his New Zealand First party. Peters claimed that his objection was on behalf of the incumbent Speaker, long-serving National MP Robin Gray, who had expected to resume his duties but was now being "cast aside" for political reasons. Critics of Peters, however, claimed that New Zealand First merely wanted to leave National and Labour deadlocked, as it would be New Zealand First that held the balance of power in that situation. Robin Gray, however, refused the nomination, and Tapsell took the Speaker's chair unopposed.
In the 1996 election, however, Tapsell lost his electorate seat to New Zealand First's Tuariki Delamere by 4215 votes.[8] This was part of a major shift away from the Labour Party by Māori voters, with New Zealand First capturing all of the Māori electorates. Whether Tapsell would have retained the Speaker's role is uncertain, as a reform of Parliamentary procedure meant the Speaker no longer lost their vote. The loss of his electorate seat, however, prompted Tapsell's retirement from politics.
Since his retirement, Tapsell has been involved in a number of organisations, becoming the Patron of the Monarchist League of New Zealand. He also assists several medical charities, and the University of Waikato awarded him an honorary doctorate in 1997.[9] In 2006, Tapsell spoke at an event with Hak Ja Han, wife of Unification Church leader Sun Myung Moon, and praised their teaching of a "concept of the ideal family as comprising a father, a mother, children and grandchildren" as being "very Māori."[10]
The British parliament also has a Sir Peter Tapsell, who was born eleven days after the New Zealand politician.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Robin Gray |
Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives 1993–1996 |
Succeeded by Doug Kidd |