Name Ian Shearer Role New Zealand Politician | Education Whakatane High School | |
Books The Boy from the Bay: An Autobiography | ||
Ian John Shearer (born 10 December 1941) is a former New Zealand politician of the National Party.
Biography
Shearer was born at Whakatane in 1941, the son of Jack Sewell Shearer. He received his education from Whakatane Primary, Whakatane High School, Massey University, and the University of Nottingham, where he obtained a PhD in science. On 5 December 1964, he married Sandra May Griffiths, the daughter of Ivor David Griffiths. They were to have one son and one daughter.
He represented the Hamilton East electorate in Parliament from 1975 to 1984, when he was defeated by Bill Dillon. Under Robert Muldoon, he was Minister for the Environment, Minister of Science and Technology, and Minister of Broadcasting.
In 1985, Shearer publicly questioned the National Party on membership and finances, which resulted in the suspension of his membership in October of that year. Although the suspension was lifted, Shearer resigned all his party roles in December 1985. He later joined the New Zealand First Party which was largely made up of National Party dissidents and stood as the New Zealand First candidate in the Onehunga electorate at the 1993 general election, losing to Labour's Richard Northey.