Sir Douglas Lorimer Kidd (born 12 September 1941) is a former New Zealand politician. He was an MP from 1978 to 2002, representing the
National Party. He served for three years as
Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Early life
Kidd was born in
Levin. From 1960 to 1964, he served in the
New Zealand Army Territorial Force as a
bombardier gunlayer. He later obtained a
LLB
Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...
from
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 worked as a
lawyer
A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...
. He also had business interests in
aquaculture
Aquaculture (less commonly spelled aquiculture), also known as aquafarming, is the controlled cultivation ("farming") of aquatic organisms such as fish, crustaceans, mollusks, algae and other organisms of value such as aquatic plants (e.g. lot ...
,
forestry
Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests, woodlands, and associated resources for human and environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands. Th ...
, and
wine making
Winemaking or vinification is the production of wine, starting with the selection of the fruit, its fermentation into alcohol, and the bottling of the finished liquid. The history of wine-making stretches over millennia. The science of wine and w ...
.
Member of Parliament
Kidd was first elected to Parliament in the
1978 election, becoming MP for . In the government of
Jim Bolger
James Brendan Bolger ( ; born 31 May 1935) is a New Zealand retired politician of the National Party who was the 35th prime minister of New Zealand, serving from 1990 to 1997.
Bolger was born to an Irish immigrant family in Ōpunake, Taran ...
, Kidd held a number of minor ministerial portfolios, including Fisheries, Energy and Labour. He held his Marlborough electorate until the
1996 election, when the electorate was abolished and most of its area incorporated into the new and larger electorate. Kidd came first in Kaikoura in 1996. In
the following election he sought election as a
list MP
A list MP is a member of parliament (MP) elected from a party list rather than from by a geographical constituency. The place in Parliament is due to the number of votes that the party won, not to votes received by the MP personally. This occurs ...
only. He was succeeded in Kaikoura by
Lynda Scott
Lynda Marie Scott is a former New Zealand politician of the National Party.
Early life
Scott trained as a nurse in Wellington and then became a doctor in Auckland. She worked as a geriatrician. For a time, she also served as a director of Blen ...
and retired from Parliament at the
2002 election.
Status of the Unborn Child Bill
In 1983 Kidd's
anti-abortion
Anti-abortion movements, also self-styled as pro-life or abolitionist movements, are involved in the abortion debate advocating against the practice of abortion and its legality. Many anti-abortion movements began as countermovements in respons ...
Status of the
Unborn Child
''Unborn Child'' is the sixth studio album by American pop/folk duo Seals and Crofts. It included two low-charting singles, the title track (which reached ) and "The King of Nothing", which reached . The single "Unborn Child" reached No. 63 in ...
Bill (a
private members bill
A private member's bill is a bill (proposed law) introduced into a legislature by a legislator who is not acting on behalf of the executive branch. The designation "private member's bill" is used in most Westminster system jurisdictions, in whi ...
) was drawn from the lot. The bill was prompted by Wall v Livingston
982
Year 982 ( CMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place Europe
* Summer – Emperor Otto II (the Red) assembles an imperial expeditionary force at Tara ...
which clarified that embryos and fetuses had no legal status in New Zealand and that third parties could not appeal to the courts on their behalf. The bill was supported by groups such as Society for the Protection of the Unborn Child (now
Voice for Life
Voice for Life, formerly known as the Society for the Protection of the Unborn Child (SPUC), is a New Zealand anti-abortion advocacy group. Besides opposing abortion, Voice for Life has also lobbied against infanticide, embryonic stem cell rese ...
and
Right to Life New Zealand
Right to Life New Zealand is a Christchurch-based anti-abortion group. It broke away from the New Zealand Society for Protection of the Unborn Child (now Voice for Life) in 2000 following disagreements between the Christchurch branch spokesperso ...
) but defeated by pro-choice groups led by
Marilyn Waring
Dame Marilyn Joy Waring (born 7 October 1952) is a New Zealand public policy scholar, international development consultant, former politician, environmentalist, feminist and a principal founder of feminist economics.
In 1975, aged 23, she beca ...
.
Speaker of the House
After the 1996 election, Kidd was elected
Speaker of the House of Representatives;
Derek Quigley
Derek Francis Quigley (born 31 January 1932) is a New Zealand former politician. He was a prominent member of the National Party during the late 1970s and early 1980s, and was known for his support of free market economics and trade liberalisa ...
also contested the position. He replaced
Peter Tapsell, a
Labour Party MP who had held the speakership because National, which had won the election by a single seat, did not want to lose a vote by appointing a Speaker from its own ranks. Kidd lost the speakership when the National Party lost the
1999 election, being replaced by
Jonathan Hunt of the Labour Party. After serving a term in
Opposition
Opposition may refer to:
Arts and media
* ''Opposition'' (Altars EP), 2011 EP by Christian metalcore band Altars
* The Opposition (band), a London post-punk band
* ''The Opposition with Jordan Klepper'', a late-night television series on Comed ...
, he chose to retire from politics at the
2002 election.
After Parliament
In the
2000 Queen's Birthday Honours, Kidd was appointed a
Distinguished Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit
The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have rend ...
, for services as Speaker of the House of Representatives between 1996 and 1999, and he accepted redesignation as a
Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit
The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have ren ...
in
August 2009 following the restoration of titular honours by the New Zealand government.
Kidd was appointed to the
Waitangi Tribunal
The Waitangi Tribunal (Māori: ''Te Rōpū Whakamana i te Tiriti o Waitangi'') is a New Zealand permanent commission of inquiry established under the Treaty of Waitangi Act 1975. It is charged with investigating and making recommendations on cla ...
in 2004.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kidd, Doug
1941 births
Knights Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit
Living people
Members of the Cabinet of New Zealand
20th-century New Zealand lawyers
New Zealand National Party MPs
Speakers of the New Zealand House of Representatives
Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives
Victoria University of Wellington alumni
People from Levin, New Zealand
People from the Marlborough Region
New Zealand list MPs
21st-century New Zealand politicians
Members of the Waitangi Tribunal
New Zealand politicians awarded knighthoods