Peter Skellerup | |
---|---|
Deputy mayor of Christchurch | |
In office 1974–1980 | |
Preceded by | Robert Macfarlane |
Succeeded by | Rex Lester |
Personal details | |
Born | Peter Jensen Reid Skjellerup 14 January 1918 Christchurch,New Zealand |
Died | 15 May 2006 88) Christchurch,New Zealand | (aged
Relatives | George Skellerup (father) Valdemar Skellerup (brother) Frank Skjellerup (uncle) |
Occupation | Industrialist |
Known for | Managing director of Skellerup Industries |
Military service | |
Allegiance | New Zealand |
Branch/service | Army |
Years of service | From 1942 |
Unit | 37th Battalion 2NZEF |
Peter Jensen Reid Skellerup CBE (also Skjellerup,14 January 1918 –15 May 2006) was a New Zealand industrialist and philanthropist.
Skellerup was born in Christchurch in 1918. His father was George Skellerup (1881–1955),founder of rubber manufacturing company Skellerup Industries. His mother was Elizabeth,née Reid. His father was born in Australia but the family stemmed from Denmark,with his father's birth name including a silent "j" that he dropped from the name at some point. On their birth certificates,the original spelling Skjellerup was used for all five siblings born between 1907 (his brother Valdemar was the oldest) and 1918 (Peter was the youngest). The three middle siblings were girls. [1] [lower-alpha 1] Frank Skjellerup,an Australian amateur astronomer,was his uncle. [2] Peter received his education at Christchurch Boys' High School. He saw service in World War II with the 37th Battalion of the 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force in the Solomon Islands fighting again Japan. [3] [4]
Upon leaving school in 1934,he became an office boy in one of his father's companies,the Latex Rubber Company. [3]
He took over as joint managing director in 1955 upon his father's death alongside his brother Valdemar. In 1977,he became deputy chairman of the Skellerup parent company. In 1982,he was handed full control by his brother not long before his brother's death. [3]
Skellerup was first elected to Christchurch City Council in 1958 and served almost continuously until 1980. [3] The Labour Party won the 1957 general election and upon the Second Labour Government being formed,several sitting city councillors received high-ranking positions in government and resigned from their local roles. This triggered the 1958 Christchurch local by-election,where four city councillor positions were contested by nine candidates. Skellerup,standing for the conservative Citizens' ticket,came forth and was thus elected. [5] In the 1959 Christchurch local election,the Citizens' ticket won all 19 city council seats,with Skellerup coming fifth (the mayor,George Manning,was from the Labour Party). [6] [7] Skellerup came sixth in 1962. [8] In the 1965 local election,Skellerup stood for both the city council and the mayoralty. He was decisively defeated by the mayoral incumbent,Manning,but came second in the city council election (once again for 19 positions). [9] [10] In 1968,Skellerup stood for council only and came second. [11] During this term,Skellerup lost his council seat over a technicality. He had breached the Local Authorities (Members’Interests) Act 1968. [12]
In the lead up to the 1971 election,Skellerup was publicly critical of the Citizens' mayor,Ron Guthrey,over his proposal to build a road through North Hagley Park. Skellerup had never been fond of Guthrey and as a past chairman of the Parks and Reserves Committee,he was extremely annoyed by Guthrey going behind his back and announcing the road proposal without checking with him first. At the election,Guthrey was defeated,Labour gained a majority on the city council,but Skellerup was the highest-polling council candidate by a large margin. [13] [14]
The 1974 election was a turnaround,with Labour's incumbent Pickering defeated by the Citizens' candidate Hamish Hay. According to Hay,Skellerup was not considered as the Citizens' mayoral candidate over the furore that he had caused for Guthrey. The Citizens' ticket also gained a majority on the city council and from 1974 to 1980,Skellerup was deputy-mayor to Hay. [15] [16]
Skellerup was also a member of the Lyttelton Harbour Board for twelve years,for three of those he was the chairman. [3] Since 1964,he was Consul of Denmark,first for the South Island and later for all of New Zealand. [3] [17]
In 1941,he married Rita Margaret Grogan (26 August 1919 –1985);they had one son and three daughters. [17] His wife died in 1985. His second marriage was to Evelyn Rogers,who died in 1999. [3]
In 1974,he was awarded Knight of the Order of the Dannebrog by Denmark. [17] In the 1979 New Year Honours,Skellerup was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire,for services to the City of Christchurch. [18] Skellerup sponsored the Antarctic wing at Canterbury Museum and to recognise his contribution,Skellerup Glacier in New Zealand's Ross Dependency in Antarctica was named for him. [19]
Skellerup died in Christchurch on 15 May 2006,and was buried at Ruru Lawn Cemetery. [3] [20] He was survived by the four children from his first marriage. [3]
The 1957 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament's 32nd term. It saw the governing National Party narrowly defeated by the Labour Party. The 1957 elections marked the beginning of the second Labour government, although this administration was to last only a single term.
Vicki Susan Buck is a New Zealand politician. She was Mayor of Christchurch for nine years from 1989 to 1998. She retired after three terms, having been very popular. She made a political comeback, standing in the 2013 local elections in the Riccarton-Wigram ward as councillor for Christchurch City Council, being returned with the highest number of votes across all city wards. She subsequently accepted the role of deputy mayor.
Neville George Pickering was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party.
Sir Hamish Grenfell Hay was a New Zealand politician, who served as Mayor of Christchurch for fifteen years, from 1974 to 1989. He was Christchurch's longest-serving mayor.
Albert Ronald Guthrey was a New Zealand local politician. He served as a Christchurch City Councillor for 22 years before being elected Mayor of Christchurch. He was a World War II veteran and he and his family were well-known business operators in Christchurch.
George Waldemar Skellerup was a New Zealand businessman, company director and industrialist.
The 1935 Christchurch City mayoral election was held on 8 May. The incumbent, Dan Sullivan of the Labour Party narrowly beat the conservative candidate, Hugh Acland, a surgeon and World War I veteran. The election attracted nationwide attention, as Christchurch was a Labour-stronghold and due to Acland's widespread popularity, it was regarded as a test whether Labour could potentially win the November 1935 general election.
The 1980 Christchurch mayoral election was part of the New Zealand local elections held that same year. In 1980, election were held for the Mayor of Christchurch plus other local government positions. The polling was conducted using the standard first-past-the-post electoral method.
The 1965 Christchurch mayoral election was part of the New Zealand local elections held that same year. In 1965, election were held for the Mayor of Christchurch plus other local government positions. The polling was conducted using the standard first-past-the-post electoral method.
Sir Valdemar Reid Skellerup was a New Zealand industrialist.
The 1958 Christchurch mayoral election was held to elect a successor to Robert Macfarlane who resigned as Mayor of Christchurch upon his selection as Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives. The polling was conducted using the standard first-past-the-post electoral method.
The 1968 Christchurch mayoral election was part of the New Zealand local elections held that same year. In 1968, election were held for the Mayor of Christchurch plus other local government positions. The polling was conducted using the standard first-past-the-post electoral method.
The 1971 Christchurch mayoral election was part of the New Zealand local elections held that same year. In 1971, elections were held for the Mayor of Christchurch plus other local government positions. The polling was conducted using the standard first-past-the-post electoral method. The incumbent, Ron Guthrey of the Citizens' ticket, was defeated by the Labour Party candidate Neville Pickering.
The 1974 Christchurch mayoral election was part of the New Zealand local elections held that same year. In 1974, election were held for the Mayor of Christchurch plus other local government positions. The polling was conducted using the standard first-past-the-post electoral method. A significant change was the introduction of a ward system, with city councillors elected in five wards.
The 1977 Christchurch mayoral election was part of the New Zealand local elections held that same year. In 1977, election were held for the Mayor of Christchurch plus other local government positions. The polling was conducted using the standard first-past-the-post electoral method.
The 1983 Christchurch mayoral election was part of the New Zealand local elections held that same year. In 1983, election were held for the Mayor of Christchurch plus other local government positions. The polling was conducted using the standard first-past-the-post electoral method.
The 1986 Christchurch mayoral election was part of the New Zealand local elections held that same year. In 1986, election were held for the Mayor of Christchurch plus other local government positions. The polling was conducted using the standard first-past-the-post electoral method.
The 1989 Christchurch mayoral election was part of the New Zealand local elections held that same year. In 1989, election were held for the Mayor of Christchurch plus other local government positions. The polling was conducted using the standard first-past-the-post electoral method.
The 1938 Christchurch City mayoral election was held on 11 May. The incumbent, John Beanland of the Citizens' Association, failed to get the nomination by his party and the surgeon Dr. John Guthrie was nominated instead. The Labour Party nominated Robert Macfarlane. Both the Labour and conservative candidate had been members of Christchurch City Council for some years. Macfarlane narrowly won the mayoralty.
The 1944 Christchurch City mayoral election was held on 27 May. The incumbent was Ernest Andrews of the conservative Citizens' Association. Andrews was challenged by his predecessor, Robert Macfarlane, of the Labour Party, who had returned from active war service. Andrews won by a large majority.