Sir Clifford George Skeggs (born 19 March 1931) is a New Zealand businessman from Dunedin, and was

Mayor of Dunedin The Mayor of Dunedin is the head of the local government, the city council of Dunedin, New Zealand. The Mayor's role is "to provide leadership to the other elected members of the territorial authority, be a leader in the community and perform c ...

from 1977 to 1989.

Early life and family

Skeggs was born in

Bluff Bluff or The Bluff may refer to: Places Australia * Bluff, Queensland, Australia, a town * The Bluff, Queensland (Ipswich), a rural locality in the city of Ipswich * The Bluff, Queensland (Toowoomba Region), a rural locality * Bluff River (New ...

, and was educated at Bluff School and Southland Technical College. He married Marie Ledgerwood in 1951, and they went on to have three sons.

Business career

He was involved in the fishing industry from 1953, and developed the Skeggs Group of which he was the chairman and chief executive into what was the largest private inshore fishing fleet in New Zealand with investments including shipping, aviation (Pacifica Air) and property.

Political career

Skeggs was on the

Dunedin City Council The Dunedin City Council ( mi, Kaunihera ā-Rohe o Ōtepoti) is the local government authority for Dunedin in New Zealand. It is a territorial authority elected to represent the people of Dunedin. Since October 2022, the Mayor of Dunedin is Jul ...

and Otago Harbour Board, and later was chairman of the port company Port Otago. He was

mayor of Dunedin The Mayor of Dunedin is the head of the local government, the city council of Dunedin, New Zealand. The Mayor's role is "to provide leadership to the other elected members of the territorial authority, be a leader in the community and perform c ...

from 1977 to 1989.

Honours and awards

In the 1987 Queen's Birthday Honours, Skeggs was appointed a

Knight Bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised orders of chivalry; it is a part of the British honours system. Knights Bachelor are th ...

, in recognition of his service as the mayor of Dunedin. In 2000, he was inducted into the

New Zealand Business Hall of Fame The New Zealand Business Hall of Fame is a figurative hall of fame dedicated to New Zealanders who have made a significant contribution to the economic and social development of New Zealand. The hall was established in 1994 by the Young Enterpri ...

References

1931 births Living people People from Bluff, New Zealand Businesspeople from Dunedin Mayors of Dunedin New Zealand Knights Bachelor People educated at Aurora College (Invercargill) Dunedin City Councillors Businesspeople awarded knighthoods New Zealand justices of the peace {{NewZealand-mayor-stub