Bob Tizard

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 1983–90 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. He returned to parliament in a 1963 by-election in the Otahuhu 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 appointed as Minister of Health when the Kirk Labour Government was elected in 1972. Following the death of Kirk in 1974, he became Minister of Finance and Deputy Prime Minister, replacing Bill Rowling (who the caucus elected Prime Minister) in both roles. As Minister of Finance, Tizard's 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. In the Lange Government he held the Defence portfolio as well as the Science and Technology portfolio.

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 here.

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.