Ian John Shearer (10 December 1941 – 1 June 2021) was a New Zealand politician of the National Party, environmentalist and research scientist.

Early life and education

Shearer was born at

Whakatāne Whakatāne ( , ) is the seat of the Bay of Plenty region in the North Island of New Zealand, east of Tauranga and north-east of Rotorua, at the mouth of the Whakatāne River. Whakatāne District is the encompassing territorial authority, whi ...

in 1941, the son of Jack Sewell Shearer. He received his education from Whakatane Primary and Whakatane High School. He completed bachelors and masters degrees at

Massey University Massey University ( mi, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa) is a university based in Palmerston North, New Zealand, with significant campuses in Albany and Wellington. Massey University has approximately 30,883 students, 13,796 of whom are extramural or ...

in agricultural science and a PhD in reproductive physiology at the

University of Nottingham The University of Nottingham is a public university, public research university in Nottingham, United Kingdom. It was founded as University College Nottingham in 1881, and was granted a royal charter in 1948. The University of Nottingham belongs t ...

Career

Shearer spent nine years as an animal scientist at the Ruakura Research Centre before becoming a member of parliament in 1975. He represented the electorate in Parliament from to , when he was defeated by Bill Dillon. Under

Robert Muldoon Sir Robert David Muldoon (; 25 September 19215 August 1992) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 31st Prime Minister of New Zealand, from 1975 to 1984, while leader of the National Party. Serving as a corporal and sergeant in th ...

, he was Minister for the Environment, Minister of Science and Technology, and Minister of Broadcasting. In 1985, Shearer publicly questioned the National Party on membership and finances, which resulted in the suspension of his membership in October of that year. Although the suspension was lifted, Shearer resigned all his party roles in December 1985. He later joined the

New Zealand First New Zealand First ( mi, Aotearoa Tuatahi), commonly abbreviated to NZ First, is a nationalist and populist political party in New Zealand. The party formed in July 1993 following the resignation on 19 March 1993 of its leader and founder, Winst ...

Party which was largely made up of National Party dissidents and stood as the New Zealand First candidate in the

Onehunga Onehunga is a suburb of Auckland in New Zealand and the location of the Port of Onehunga, the city's small port on the Manukau Harbour. It is south of the Auckland CBD, city centre, close to the volcano, volcanic cone of Maungakiekie / One Tree ...

electorate at the 1993 general election, losing to Labour's

Richard Northey Richard John Northey (born 28 April 1945) is a New Zealand politician. He was an MP from 1984 to 1990, and again from 1993 to 1996. He served on the Auckland Council between 2010 and 2013, and is a member of the Labour Party. Biography Early ...

. After leaving politics Shearer was the dean of science and engineering at the

Auckland University of Technology Auckland University of Technology (AUT) ( mi, Te Wānanga Aronui o Tāmaki Makau Rau) is a university in New Zealand, formed on 1 January 2000 when a former technical college (originally established in 1895) was granted university status. AUT ...

for nine years and served on 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 ...

. He retired from public service in 2005. He published his autobiography ''The Boy from the Bay'' in 2006.

Personal life

Shearer was married twice, firstly to Sandra May Griffiths, the daughter of Ivor David Griffiths on 5 December 1964, and secondly to Cheryl. He and Sandra had one son and one daughter. Shearer died from

idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), or (formerly) fibrosing alveolitis, is a rare, progressive illness of the respiratory system, characterized by the thickening and stiffening of lung tissue, associated with the formation of scar tissue. It is ...

at his home in Whakatāne on 1 June 2021.

Publications

* ''The Boy from the Bay: an autobiography'' (2006) * ''Whakatāne Hospital, Te Whatumauri Hauora : a history'' (2011) * ''Ōwhakatoro : Sisam & Sons : from Clydesdales to computers'' (2013) – with Barrie Macdonald * ''A century on Cameron Road : a history of Tauranga Hospital, 1914–2014'' (2016) – with Dr Rex E Wright-St Clair * ''Family – the Shearers of Ōkaiawa : the history of a pioneer family'' (2018) * ''The adventures of Slim Jim'' (2020) * ''Antarctica twice, and related issues'' (2020)

Notes

References

* * * , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Shearer, Ian 1941 births 2021 deaths New Zealand National Party MPs New Zealand First politicians Members of the Cabinet of New Zealand People educated at Whakatane High School Unsuccessful candidates in the 1984 New Zealand general election Unsuccessful candidates in the 1993 New Zealand general election Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives New Zealand MPs for North Island electorates People from Whakatāne Massey University alumni Alumni of the University of Nottingham Deaths from pulmonary fibrosis