Garnet Hercules Mackley (9 December 1883 – 24 April 1986) was a New Zealand businessman, railways manager and politician.

Career

Mackley was born in

Port Chalmers Port Chalmers is a town serving as the main port of the city of Dunedin, New Zealand. Port Chalmers lies ten kilometres inside Otago Harbour, some 15 kilometres northeast of Dunedin's city centre. History Early Māori settlement The origi ...

. He became general manager of New Zealand Railways in 1933. During his tenure, Mackley worked hard to improve the standard and range of services provided by the railways. He won approval for the construction of an inspection car known as the "Red Terror" in which he travelled the entire system inspecting stations and meeting staff. Published: New Zealand Government Railways Department, Wellington The car's success encouraged him to order the construction of

railcar A railcar (not to be confused with a railway car) is a self-propelled railway vehicle designed to transport passengers. The term "railcar" is usually used in reference to a train consisting of a single coach (carriage, car), with a drive ...

s that were to serve the railways for many years, specifically the Midland,

Wairarapa The Wairarapa (; ), a geographical region of New Zealand, lies in the south-eastern corner of the North Island, east of metropolitan Wellington and south-west of the Hawke's Bay Region. It is lightly populated, having several rural service ...

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, and

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classes. He also wanted to improve the comfort of passengers and initiated a local building programme which provided the basis of passenger carriage stock for many years. In the

1938 New Year Honours The 1938 New Year Honours were appointments by King George VI to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of the United Kingdom and British Empire. They were announced on 1 January 1938.United Kingdom and Britis ...

, Mackley was appointed a

Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, George III, King George III. ...

. In 1940 he retired, Published: New Zealand Government Railways Department, Wellington and was made managing director of the Whakatane Paper Mills.

Member of Parliament

Mackley then entered politics, becoming a Member of Parliament for the

New Zealand National Party The New Zealand National Party ( mi, Rōpū Nāhinara o Aotearoa), shortened to National () or the Nats, is a centre-right political party in New Zealand. It is one of two major parties that dominate contemporary New Zealand politics, alongside ...

. He was elected as the MP for

Masterton Masterton ( mi, Whakaoriori), a large town in the Greater Wellington Region of New Zealand, operates as the seat of the Masterton District (a territorial authority or local-government district). It is the largest town in the Wairarapa, a r ...

(1943–1946) and then for

(1946–1949), after which he retired. In 1950 he was appointed to the Legislative Council by National, as a member of the so-called

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charged with voting for the abolition of the Council (or Upper House).

Notes

References

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External links

Photos of Mackley and the ''Red Terror''
, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Mackley, Garnet 1883 births 1986 deaths New Zealand centenarians Men centenarians New Zealand National Party MPs New Zealand public servants New Zealand people in rail transport Members of the New Zealand Legislative Council New Zealand National Party MLCs People from Port Chalmers Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives New Zealand MPs for North Island electorates New Zealand Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George