Phil Amos
Phillip Albert Amos, QSO (4 September 1925 – 8 June 2007), was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party.
Biography
| Parliament of New Zealand | ||||
| Years | Term | Electorate | Party | |
| 1963–1966 | 34th | Manurewa | Labour | |
| 1966–1969 | 35th | Manurewa | Labour | |
| 1969–1972 | 36th | Manurewa | Labour | |
| 1972–1975 | 37th | Manurewa | Labour | |
Amos was born in Wanganui, and was an RNZAF pilot in the Pacific in World War II. After the war, he was a teacher.
In 1960 he stood for Labour in the Rodney electorate, coming second.
He was the Member of Parliament for Manurewa from 1963 to 1975, when he was defeated.[1]
He was the Minister of Education in the Third Labour Government from 1972 to 1975,[2] and also served as the last Minister of Island Affairs from 1973 to 1974.[3][4] As Minister of Education, he drove the integration of Catholic schools, and the reduction of class sizes.
In 1976 while protesting the visit of US cruiser Long Beach in his small yacht the Dolphin he was convicted of obstruction, but won on appeal with the help of then lawyer David Lange.
As a friend of the Tanzanian President Nyerere, he lived in a remote part of Tanzania from 1976 to 1988. Disillusioned with Rogernomics, he joined and was president of the NewLabour Party after his return to Auckland. He was a Swahili interpreter/translator.
In the 1994 Queen's Birthday Honours, Amos was made a Companion of the Queen's Service Order for public services.[5]
He was married to Jill Turner and then to Odilia. He died in Auckland in 2007.[6]
Notes
- ↑ Wilson 1985, p. 180.
- ↑ Wilson 1985, pp. 92–93.
- ↑ Wilson 1985, p. 92.
- ↑ New Zealand Parliamentary Debates, Vols. 382-389 (1973-1974).
- ↑ London Gazette (supplement), No. 53697, 10 June 1994. Retrieved 11 January 2013.
- ↑ Obituary in Dominion Post, 14 June 2007, page B7
References
- Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First ed. published 1913]. New Zealand parliamentary record, 1840–1984 (4 ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103.
Further reading
- Directions. Series eleven, Wellington, [N.Z.]: Radio New Zealand Replay Radio, 1994
- This interview was conducted by Neville Glasgow. This interview is cassette # 69 in this series.
- Interview with Phil Amos [Auckland College of Education and Old A's oral Archives Project], Auckland, [N.Z.]: n.p., 2006
- This interview was conducted by Richard Thompson.
| New Zealand Parliament | ||
|---|---|---|
| New constituency | Member of Parliament for Manurewa 1963–1975 |
Succeeded by Merv Wellington |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Herbert Pickering |
Minister of Education 1972–1975 |
Succeeded by Les Gandar |
|