Christopher David Beeby (October 1935 – 19 March 2000) was a New Zealand diplomat who held several ambassadorships and was involved in international litigation and negotiations, notably over Antarctic resources. Beeby was New Zealand's ambassador to Iran (1978 to 1980) and

to France "To France" is a single by musician Mike Oldfield, released in 1984. It is from the album ''Discovery'' and features Maggie Reilly on vocals. The musical theme used in "To France" was also used on the first track on side two of the ''Discovery' ...

(1991 to 1996) and was a member of the

World Trade Organization The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an intergovernmental organization that regulates and facilitates international trade. With effective cooperation in the United Nations System, governments use the organization to establish, revise, and e ...

Appellate Body The Appellate Body of the World Trade Organization (WTOAB) is a standing body of seven persons that hears appeals from reports issued by panels in disputes brought on by WTO members. The WTOAB can uphold, modify or reverse the legal findings an ...

from 1995 to his death in 2000. While ambassador to Iran, Beeby assisted American diplomats in the

Iran hostage crisis On November 4, 1979, 52 United States diplomats and citizens were held hostage after a group of militarized Iranian college students belonging to the Muslim Student Followers of the Imam's Line, who supported the Iranian Revolution, took over t ...

Biography

Christopher David Beeby was born on 10 or 15 October 1935, in

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

, New Zealand, to C. E. Beeby and

Beatrice Beeby Beatrice Eleanor Beeby (; 1903 – 20 December 1991) was a New Zealand educator. She was key figure in the establishment of the nursery playcentre movement in New Zealand, which developed into the present-day Playcentre organisation. Early ye ...

. He attended the

Victoria University of Wellington Victoria University of Wellington ( mi, Te Herenga Waka) is a university in Wellington, New Zealand. It was established in 1897 by Act of Parliament, and was a constituent college of the University of New Zealand. The university is well know ...

and the

London School of Economics , mottoeng = To understand the causes of things , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £240.8 million (2021) , budget = £391.1 millio ...

. He entered the New Zealand Department of Foreign Affairs in 1963 as a legal adviser, first working on the

New Zealand Australia Free Trade Agreement New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz (South Korean band), The Boyz Albums and EPs * New (album), ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartn ...

. He was promoted to a divisional head in the department's legal division in 1969 and headed the economic division from 1976 to 1978. Beeby worked to draft anti-nuclear legislation for New Zealand and served as Counsel for New Zealand in the

International Court of Justice The International Court of Justice (ICJ; french: Cour internationale de justice, links=no; ), sometimes known as the World Court, is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN). It settles disputes between states in accordanc ...

during the Nuclear Tests Case in 1973 and 1974. As Ambassador of New Zealand to Iran from 15 May 1978 to 15 June 1980, Beeby was involved in the

in 1979, when he, as ambassador, and another employee at the New Zealand embassy, Richard Sewell, helped several American diplomats escape to safety. ''

The New Zealand Herald ''The New Zealand Herald'' is a daily newspaper published in Auckland, New Zealand, owned by New Zealand Media and Entertainment, and considered a newspaper of record for New Zealand. It has the largest newspaper circulation of all newspapers ...

'' named Beeby and Sewell the "New Zealanders of the Year for 1979" for their actions. In 1983 Beeby chaired several negotiations on the

Convention on the Regulation of Antarctic Mineral Resource Activities The Convention on the Regulation of Antarctic Mineral Resource Activities (popular as CRAMRA) is a treaty that is part of the Antarctic Treaty System. The convention was concluded at Wellington on 2 June 1988. The government of New Zealand is the de ...

. He spent six years working towards a convention that eventually manifested as the

Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty The Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty, also known as the Madrid Protocol, is a complementary legal instrument to the Antarctic Treaty signed in Madrid on October 4, 1991. It entered into force on January 14, 1998. The ...

. He was involved in the Rainbow Warrior Case in 1989 to 1990. Beeby was Deputy-Secretary of Foreign Affairs from 1985 to 1991 and

Ambassador of New Zealand to France The Ambassador from New Zealand to France is New Zealand's foremost diplomatic representative in the Republic of France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprise ...

(1992 to 1995). While living in Paris, in 1993 Beeby's offices were raided by French farmers. He was also at one point New Zealand's Permanent Representative to the

OECD The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD; french: Organisation de coopération et de développement économiques, ''OCDE'') is an intergovernmental organisation with 38 member countries, founded in 1961 to stimulate e ...

. In 1995 he attempted to mediate an end to the

Pacific Salmon War The Pacific Salmon War was a period of heightened tensions between Canada and the United States over the Pacific Salmon catch. It began in 1992 after the first Pacific Salmon Treaty, which had been ratified in 1985, expired, and lasted until a ne ...

between Canada and the United States, but was unsuccessful. That same year he was appointed as an original member of the

, which he chaired in 1998. He was still serving upon his death. He died on 19 March 2000 at the age of 64, in

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...

Phil Goff Philip Bruce Goff (born 22 June 1953) is a New Zealand politician. He was a member of the New Zealand Parliament from 1981 to 1990 and again from 1993 to 2016. He served as leader of the Labour Party and leader of the Opposition between 11 No ...

, then Foreign Minister of New Zealand, said that “Chris Beeby was widely regarded as an exceptional diplomat and one of the best international lawyers of modern times.” Beeby Peak in Antarctica is named after him.

References

{{Reflist 2000 deaths New Zealand diplomats Members of the Appellate Body 1935 births People from Wellington City Victoria University of Wellington alumni New Zealand public servants Alumni of the London School of Economics 20th-century New Zealand lawyers