HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

David Francis Caygill (born 15 November 1948) is a former New Zealand politician. Caygill was born and raised in
Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River ...
. He entered politics in 1971 as Christchurch's youngest city councillor at the age of 22. He served as a Member of Parliament (MP) from
1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd go ...
to
1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 800, causing the plane to crash and killing everyone on b ...
, representing the Labour Party. A supporter of
Rogernomics In February 1985, journalists at the ''New Zealand Listener'' coined the term Rogernomics, a portmanteau of "Roger" and "economics" (by analogy with " Reaganomics"), to describe the neoliberal economic policies followed by Roger Douglas. Douglas ...
, he served as
Minister of Finance A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation. A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", ...
between 1988 and 1990. From 2010 to 2019, he was one of the government-appointed commissioners at Environment Canterbury.


Early life and family

Caygill was born in Christchurch on 15 November 1948, the son of Gwyneth Mary Caygill (née Harris) and Bruce Allot Caygill. He was educated at St Albans Primary School and
Christchurch Boys' High School , motto_translation = I Seek Higher Things , type = State school, Day and Boarding school , gender = Boys , song = The School We Magnify , colours = Blue and Black , established = , address = 71 Straven Ro ...
, and then studied at the
University of Canterbury The University of Canterbury ( mi, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha; postnominal abbreviation ''Cantuar.'' or ''Cant.'' for ''Cantuariensis'', the Latin name for Canterbury) is a public research university based in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was f ...
, graduating
Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...
in 1971 and
Bachelor of Laws 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 Ch ...
in 1974. In 1971 Caygill was President of the
University of Canterbury Students' Association The University of Canterbury Students' Association (UCSA) is a student organisation associated with the University of Canterbury in New Zealand, established in 1894. Organisation USCA is funded by students and is governed by a constitution throu ...
from 1975 to 1978. In 1974, he married Eileen Ellen Boyd, and the couple went on to have four children. From 1975 to 1978 he practised law with a Christchurch legal firm.


Political career

Caygill's early political philosophies were aligned with the National Party and he chaired the St Albans branch of the Young Nationals as a schoolboy. His allegiance switched to Labour in part due to the
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietna ...
, which Labour opposed.


Local-body politics

Upon the urging of Neville Pickering, Caygill successfully ran for the
Christchurch City Council The Christchurch City Council is the local government authority for Christchurch in New Zealand. It is a territorial authority elected to represent the people of Christchurch. Since October 2022, the Mayor of Christchurch is Phil Mauger, wh ...
in 1971, and served until 1980. On 29 April 1974, he became the city's youngest ever acting
Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...
for a period of five days. He was chair of the council's staff and community services committee. From 1977 to 1980 he was a member of the Canterbury Regional Planning Authority and was chairman of the Authority's air pollution committee. He was also a council member of Christchurch Polytechnic.


Member of Parliament

Caygill was first elected to Parliament at the 1978 general election as MP for the Christchurch electorate of
St Albans St Albans () is a cathedral city in Hertfordshire, England, east of Hemel Hempstead and west of Hatfield, north-west of London, south-west of Welwyn Garden City and south-east of Luton. St Albans was the first major town on the old Rom ...
. He served for six terms. Caygill was described as one of the most energetic new members elected at the 1978 election. Just under a year in a reshuffle in October 1979 Caygill was promoted by Labour leader Bill Rowling and given the economic development portfolio. In March 1981 he had his responsibilities switched and was instead appointed Shadow Minister of Local Government. His duties changed again in February 1982 and he became Shadow Minister of Energy. When
David Lange David Russell Lange ( ; 4 August 1942 – 13 August 2005) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 32nd prime minister of New Zealand from 1984 to 1989. Lange was born and brought up in Otahuhu, the son of a medical doctor. He became ...
replaced Rowling leader he appointed Caygill as Shadow Minister of Trade and Industry in March 1983.


Lange Ministry (1984–1989)

When the Fourth Labour Government was formed after the 1984 elections, Caygill aligned himself with
Roger Douglas Sir Roger Owen Douglas (born 5 December 1937) is a retired New Zealand politician who served as a minister in two Labour governments. He became arguably best known for his prominent role in New Zealand's radical economic restructuring in the 19 ...
, the controversial
Minister of Finance A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation. A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", ...
. Douglas, Caygill, and
Richard Prebble Richard William Prebble (born 7 February 1948) is a former member of the New Zealand Parliament. Initially a member of the Labour Party, he joined the newly formed ACT New Zealand party under Roger Douglas in 1996, becoming its leader from 1 ...
were together dubbed "the Treasury Troika", and were responsible for most of the economic reform undertaken by the Labour government. The "
Rogernomics In February 1985, journalists at the ''New Zealand Listener'' coined the term Rogernomics, a portmanteau of "Roger" and "economics" (by analogy with " Reaganomics"), to describe the neoliberal economic policies followed by Roger Douglas. Douglas ...
" reforms, which were based on
free market In economics, a free market is an economic system in which the prices of goods and services are determined by supply and demand expressed by sellers and buyers. Such markets, as modeled, operate without the intervention of government or any ...
economic theory, were unpopular with many traditional Labour supporters, but Caygill managed to avoid the worst of the condemnation directed towards Douglas and Prebble. When the two became founding members of the
ACT New Zealand ACT New Zealand, known simply as ACT (), is a right-wing, classical-liberal political party in New Zealand. According to former party leader Rodney Hide, ACT's values are "individual freedom, personal responsibility, doing the best for our n ...
political party in 1994, Caygill chose not to join them. Caygill was appointed by the new
Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...
,
David Lange David Russell Lange ( ; 4 August 1942 – 13 August 2005) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 32nd prime minister of New Zealand from 1984 to 1989. Lange was born and brought up in Otahuhu, the son of a medical doctor. He became ...
, as Minister of Trade and Industry, and Minister of National Development, on 26 July 1984. In 1987, after Labour had been re-elected, he was appointed
Minister of Health A health minister is the member of a country's government typically responsible for protecting and promoting public health and providing welfare and other social security services. Some governments have separate ministers for mental health. Coun ...
. As health minister he rejected the orthodoxy of the Gibbs report, which sought to create a more competition oriented hospital service.


Minister of Finance (1988–1990)

When Douglas was fired by Prime Minister Lange, Caygill was appointed
Minister of Finance A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation. A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", ...
in his place. After Lange himself had resigned, Caygill retained his position under both Geoffrey Palmer and Mike Moore, Lange's short-lived successors as Prime Minister. As finance minister he passed the "inflation busting" Reserve Bank Act. He also became Minister of Revenue, but dropped the health portfolio. In his last budget as Minister of Finance, Caygill lifted the quarantining of rental losses on investment property, allowing an investor to offset losses on their investment property against their other taxable income. Caygill was described as a consummate back-room politician; "Calm, utterly discreet, yet equally forceful, he aygillis said to have people march angrily into his room then leave it an hour later smiling — even if they have lost the argument."


Opposition (1990–1996)

After the defeat of the Fourth Labour Government in November 1990 Caygill became Shadow Minister of Finance. In December 1991 Caygill was replaced as finance spokesperson by Michael Cullen, who was more moderate in his economic policies. Caygill continued to hold a senior position in the Labour Party and was instead appointed Shadow Minister of Justice and Energy. After Labour's narrow defeat at the 1993 election,
Helen Clark Helen Elizabeth Clark (born 26 February 1950) is a New Zealand politician who served as the 37th prime minister of New Zealand from 1999 to 2008, and was the administrator of the United Nations Development Programme from 2009 to 2017. She w ...
won the leadership of the party. At the same time Caygill replaced her as deputy leader defeating Cullen by the narrow margin of 23 votes to 21. He cited Sir Geoffrey Palmer as a role model for his deputy leadership. Under Clark he was Deputy Leader of the Opposition as well as Shadow Attorney-General. In June 1995 after Labour MP
Margaret Austin Margaret Elizabeth Austin (née Leonard; born 1 April 1933) is a former New Zealand politician. She was an MP from 1984 to 1996, representing first the Labour Party and then briefly United New Zealand. Life Early life, family and career Aust ...
defected from Labour to form a new party,
United New Zealand United New Zealand was a centrist political party in New Zealand founded in 1995. It merged with the Christian-based Future New Zealand party to form the United Future New Zealand party in 2000. History Formation United was founded on 28 June ...
, Caygill replaced her as Shadow Minister of Education. He supported Clark in an attempt to oust her as leader in favour of frontbencher
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 ...
in the lead up to the 1996 election. Over the course of the parliamentary term Caygill had been privately contemplating retiring from politics. On 7 June he informed Clark that he had decided to stand down at the election. Caygill announced his retirement on 11 June 1996 to a surprised caucus, after which Cullen was elected as his successor as deputy leader unopposed. He said there had been no pressure on him to quit but hoped it would provide the "circuit-breaker" to Labour's troubles. At the 1996 election, Caygill retired from
Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. ...
.


Life after politics

After leaving politics, Caygill returned to his original occupation, law. For some time, he was a partner at Buddle Findlay, a prominent law firm. He also worked for a number of government bodies, and was chair of the
Accident Compensation Corporation The Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) ( mi, Te Kaporeihana Āwhina Hunga Whara) is the New Zealand Crown entity responsible for administering the country's no-fault accidental injury compensation scheme, commonly referred to as the ACC sche ...
. He chaired a ministerial inquiry into the
New Zealand electricity market The New Zealand electricity market (NZEM) is a decentralised electricity market regulated by the Electricity Industry Participation Code administered by the Electricity Authority (EA). The authority was established in November 2010 to replace t ...
in 2000, and was appointed chairman of the Electricity Commission in 2007. He is a board member of the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority. He is the chair of the Education New Zealand Trust. From 2010 to 2019, Caygill was one of the commissioners at Environment Canterbury appointed by the National Government. He held the role of deputy chair. Caygill was appointed, in December 2010, as the Chair of the 2011 NZ ETS Review Panel.


Honours and awards

In 1990, Caygill was awarded the
New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal The New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal was a commemorative medal awarded in New Zealand in 1990 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, and was awarded to approximately 3,000 people. Background The New Zea ...
. In the
1997 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1997 were appointments by most of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries, and honorary ones to citizens of other countries ...
, he was appointed a
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 public services. He was conferred an honorary Doctor of Commerce degree by
Victoria University of Wellington Victoria University of Wellington ( mi, Te Herenga Waka) is a university in Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand. It was established in 1897 by Act of New Zealand Parliament, Parliament, and was a constituent college of the University of New Z ...
in 2004.


Notes


References

* * * , - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Caygill, David 1948 births Living people Companions of the New Zealand Order of Merit New Zealand finance ministers New Zealand Labour Party MPs 20th-century New Zealand lawyers Christchurch City Councillors Members of the Cabinet of New Zealand New Zealand MPs for Christchurch electorates Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives Canterbury regional councillors People educated at Christchurch Boys' High School University of Canterbury alumni