Maurice Rhodes Carter (1 July 1917 – 9 May 2011) was a New Zealand property developer, philanthropist and local politician.

Biography

Carter was born on 1 July 1917 in

Bradford Bradford is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Bradford district in West Yorkshire, England. The city is in the Pennines' eastern foothills on the banks of the Bradford Beck. Bradford had a population of 349,561 at the 2011 ...

, Yorkshire, England. He spent much of his youth in

Kettlewell Kettlewell is a village in Upper Wharfedale, North Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it lies north of Grassington, at the point where Wharfedale is joined by a minor road (Cam Gill Road) which leads north ...

, and Kettlewell Lane in the

Christchurch Central City Christchurch Central City or Christchurch City Centre is the geographical centre and the heart of Christchurch, New Zealand. It is defined as the area within the Four Avenues (Bealey Avenue, Fitzgerald Avenue, Moorhouse Avenue and Deans Avenue ...

is named after him. He was apprenticed as a carpenter and in 1936, he went with friends on an

overseas experience Overseas Experience (OE) is a New Zealand term for an extended overseas working period or holiday. Sometimes referred to as "The big OE" in reference to the extended duration of the travel - typically at least one year, and often extended far longe ...

to Argentina where they worked on a plantation. He emigrated to New Zealand in 1938. Although he enlisted for service in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, he did not go overseas as the army got him to work on army facilities in Burnham and Weedons. In 1946, he founded his construction company that he named The Carter Group. The company built many of the houses in the Christchurch suburbs of

Bryndwr Bryndwr ( ; ) is a suburb in the north-west of Christchurch, New Zealand. Development Bryndwr, meaning 'hillside by water' (from ''Bryn'' "hillside" + ''dŵr'' "by water"), and probably named for the slopes beside the Wairarapa and Waimairi str ...

and Burnside and at the peak, the company built 100 houses per year. Known for their quality, houses are still advertised as "Maurice Carter homes" years after his death. Carter was a local politician. An elected member of

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, who ...

for 33 years (1956–1989), he was

deputy mayor The deputy mayor (also known as vice mayor, assistant mayor, or mayor ''pro tem'') is an elective or appointive office of the second-ranking official that is present in many, but not all, local governments. Duties and functions Many elected dep ...

under

Hamish Hay Sir Hamish Grenfell Hay (8 December 1927 – 7 September 2008) was a New Zealand politician, who served as Mayor of Christchurch for fifteen years, from 1974 to 1989. He was Christchurch's longest-serving mayor. Early life and family Hay was one ...

from 1983 to 1989. In addition, he held membership of the Christchurch Drainage Board (27 years, with 9 as chairman), the Regional Planning Authority and then the Canterbury United Council (both predecessors to the

Canterbury Regional Council Environment Canterbury, frequently abbreviated to ECan. is the promotional name for the Canterbury Regional Council. It is the regional council for Canterbury, the largest region in the South Island of New Zealand. It is part of New Zealand's st ...

), and was then a member of the Canterbury Regional Council for six years (1989–1995). Carter and his wife set up the Maurice Carter Charitable Trust in 1969; their shops in Bryndwr were vested into this trust. The trust provides grants to a variety of causes.

Family and death

Carter met his wife-to-be—Merle Cunningham—at Burnham Military Camp, where she gave a concert to the troops. On 28 August 1942, Carter and Cunningham were married at

Sumner Sumner may refer to: Places Antarctica * Mount Sumner, a mountain in the Rare Range, Antarctica * Sumner Glacier, southern Graham Land, Antarctica Australia * Sumner, Queensland, suburb of Brisbane New Zealand * Sumner, New Zealand, seaside sub ...

. They were to have five children. Carter's son

David David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

is a National Party politician who has been a member of Parliament since 1994. He was the

Speaker of the House The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England. Usage The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hungerf ...

from 2013 to 2017. Carter's son

Philip Philip, also Phillip, is a male given name, derived from the Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominent Philips who popularize ...

and grandson Tim have taken over the Carter Group from him and both have served on Christchurch City Council. Carter's grandson

Matt Doocey Matthew Maurice Doocey (born 1972) is a New Zealand politician who was elected to the New Zealand Parliament at the 2014 general election as a representative of the New Zealand National Party. He was re-elected in 2017 with a majority increase ...

has been a member of Parliament, also for the National Party, since 2014. Merle Carter died in 2008. Maurice Carter died at Princess Margaret Hospital in Christchurch on 9 May 2011. He is buried at

Bromley Cemetery Bromley Cemetery is a cemetery in Christchurch, New Zealand. It occupies approximately 10 hectares to the east of the city centre, on the corner of Keighleys Road and Linwood Avenue. The Christchurch City Council maintains and administers the ce ...

Honours and awards

In the 1976 Queen's Birthday Honours, Carter was appointed an

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

, for services to local-body and community affairs. In the 1992 Queen's Birthday Honours, he was promoted to

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

, again for services to local-body and community affairs.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carter, Maurice 1917 births 2011 deaths Real estate and property developers New Zealand Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Deputy mayors of Christchurch Christchurch City Councillors Canterbury regional councillors Burials at Bromley Cemetery Politicians from Bradford British emigrants to New Zealand New Zealand businesspeople New Zealand military personnel of World War II