John Terris
John James Terris, QSO (born 1939) is a New Zealand politician, priest and broadcaster who represented the Labour Party in the New Zealand parliament.
Member of Parliament
| Parliament of New Zealand | ||||
| Years | Term | Electorate | Party | |
| 1978–1981 | 39th | Western Hutt | Labour | |
| 1981–1984 | 40th | Western Hutt | Labour | |
| 1984–1987 | 41st | Western Hutt | Labour | |
| 1987–1990 | 42nd | Western Hutt | Labour | |
Terris was first elected as the member of Western Hutt in 1978.[1] He became the opposition spokesperson on broadcasting and later held the positions of Acting Speaker, Deputy Speaker and Chairman of Committees of the House of Representatives from 1984 to 1990.[2][3] In May 1990 Terris submitted a private members bill to force a binding referendum on the electoral system. His bill was defeated but a referendum eventually occurred in 1992.[4]
Terris represented the Western Hutt electorate until 1990, when he was defeated by National's Joy McLauchlan, one of a number of losses contributing to the fall of the Fourth Labour Government.
Mayor of Lower Hutt
Terris later served as the Mayor of Lower Hutt between 1995 to 2004 as an Independent. He is the only person ever to have been both MP and Mayor in the Hutt Valley.[5]
Outside politics
An ordained Anglican priest, Terris spent his early working life in radio and television.[6]
As of 2013 Terris serves as the President of Media Matters in NZ, an advocacy group which campaigns against what it regards as gratuitous sex and violence in the electronic media.[2] He published his autobiography Being Who You Are, in 2004.[7] He has also published (2013) a handbook on "How To Make a Speech and How To Run A Meeting" (See Amazon.Com/Kindle). He has an interest in heritage issues and regularly contributes to the Radio New Zealand programme Sounds Historical. Terris has also produced a series of 6 video documentaries on local subjects called "Village to City", which he has gifted to the Hutt City Libraries. He is a member of the Queen's Service Order and was awarded the New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal. He became a Rotary Paul Harris Fellow in 2005.
Notes
- ↑ Wilson 1985, p. 239.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Broadcasting Standards Authority seeks to punish complainants viewers.org.nz, 6 December 2010
- ↑ Wilson 1985, p. 252.
- ↑ MMP Or SM? A Big Decision Looms For New Zealand Voters scoop.co.nz, 30 June 2011
- ↑ Lower Hutt The First Garden City - David McGill - 1986 pp 212 Appendix A, 218 Appendix E
- ↑ Being Who You Are - Steele Roberts - 2004
- ↑ Terris, John (2004). Being who you are. Wellington: Steele Roberts. p. 189. ISBN 1877338427.
References
- Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First published in 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Jack Luxton |
Chairman of Committees of the House of Representatives 1984–1990 |
Succeeded by Jim Gerard |
| Preceded by Glen Evans |
Mayor of Lower Hutt 1995–2004 |
Succeeded by David Ogden |
| New Zealand Parliament | ||
| Preceded by Brian Lambert |
Member of Parliament for Western Hutt 1978–1990 |
Succeeded by Joy McLauchlan |
|