Melvyn Francis Courtney (born 2 October 1943) is a Nelson City Councillor and a former
Labour
Labour or labor may refer to:
* Childbirth, the delivery of a baby
* Labour (human activity), or work
** Manual labour, physical work
** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer
** Organized labour and the labour ...
then
Independent
Independent or Independents may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups
* Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s
* Independ ...
Member of Parliament
A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...
for
Nelson
Nelson may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey
* ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers
* ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...
, in the
South Island
The South Island, also officially named , is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand in surface area, the other being the smaller but more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman ...
of New Zealand.
Early life and family
Courtney was born 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 / ...
on 2 October 1943, the son of Clifford Francis and Joyce Elizabeth Courtney.
He grew up in the suburb of
Spreydon
Spreydon is a suburb of Christchurch, New Zealand, south-south-west of Cathedral Square. The most central street through Spreydon is Barrington Street. Spreydon is flanked by the suburbs Hoon Hay, Sydenham, and Lower Cashmere. State Highway ...
, and was educated at
Christchurch Technical College.
His family wished to get a state house, but faced constant rejection from state housing officials. They went to local MP
Mabel Howard
Mabel Bowden Howard (18 April 1894 – 23 June 1972) was a well-known New Zealand trade unionist and politician. She was the first woman secretary of a predominantly male union (the Canterbury General Labourers' Union).
She was a Member of Parl ...
who helped them to be accepted. His father had problems with alcohol and eventually left the family. As a 14-year old he got an after-school job at a grocery store eventually leaving school at 16 to work at the store full time before shifting to work at a supermarket.
He studied business administration and trained in the grocery industry in Christchurch. In 1968, Courtney married his wife, Wendy, and the couple went on to have three children.
His family moved from Christchurch to Nelson in 1970. He owned and operated Courtney Enterprises which, in the mid-1970s, owned two supermarkets and had fifty employees in Nelson.
Political career
Courtney was the vice-chairman of the Labour Representation Committee and organised campaigns in the electorate for Mabel Howard and later
Norman Kirk
Norman Eric Kirk (6 January 1923 – 31 August 1974) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 29th prime minister of New Zealand from 1972 until his sudden death in 1974.
Born into poverty in Southern Canterbury, Kirk left school at ...
in the 1960s. He noticed firsthand Howard's cognitive decline stating: "She was past her best. She didn't know who I was. She kept thinking I was a newspaper reporter."
As the campaign began Howard was clearly ill and Courtney, as a member of her campaign committee, ensured she was assisted at public appearances. Howard had helped his family in their hour of need and he wanted to help her. He was a Labour candidate 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, who ...
in
1968
The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide.
Events January–February
* January 5 – "Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia.
* Januar ...
, but was not elected.
Courtney was an elected member of
Nelson City Council
Nelson City Council is a unitary local authority. It has its headquarters in Nelson.
History
Nelson City Council was created in 1992.
Local governance of Nelson began with Nelson Province in 1853, which covered the entire upper South Island. ...
for six years during the 1970s under mayor
Roy McLennan
Roy Alexander McLennan (30 October 1924 – 18 September 2013) was a New Zealand local-body politician. He served as Mayor of Nelson, New Zealand, mayor of Nelson from 1971 to 1980.
Early life and family
Born in Wellington in 1924, McLennan wa ...
; for some of that time, he was also a member of parliament. He had a three-year gap and then became a member of the city council for another three-year term under mayor
Peter Malone.
Member of Parliament
When Nelson's MP Sir
Stan Whitehead
Sir Stanley Austin Whitehead (8 October 1907 – 9 January 1976) was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party. He was the eighteenth Speaker of the House of Representatives from 1973 to 1976, and Member of Parliament for the Nelson electo ...
died in early 1976, Courtney stood for the Labour nomination in the subsequent by-election. The party head office in Wellington, as well as party leader
Bill Rowling
Sir Wallace Edward Rowling (; 15 November 1927 – 31 October 1995), commonly known as Bill Rowling, was a New Zealand politician who was the 30th prime minister of New Zealand from 1974 to 1975. He held office as the parliamentary leader of t ...
, favoured law professor
Geoffrey Palmer Geoffrey Palmer may refer to:
Politicians
* Sir Geoffrey Palmer, 1st Baronet (1598–1670), English lawyer and politician
*Sir Geoffrey Palmer, 3rd Baronet (1655–1732), English politician, Member of Parliament (MP) for Leicestershire
*Geoffrey Pa ...
, but as he had neither lived in the area for decades and had been a party member for less than two-years there was resistance to Palmer's nomination. A group of local party members threatened legal action over his membership tenure if he was nominated. To prevent a split in the membership Arthur Baysting, the secretary of the Nelson Labour Electorate Committee (LEC), pushed for Courtney to be selected believing him to be the most electable alternative to Palmer.
Ultimately Courtney was chosen as Labour's candidate.
Courtney waged a local issues campaign and proved "an excellent choice" as a candidate. He stressed Nelson's needs as a community as the major theme of his campaign, which was managed by MPs
Colin Moyle
Colin James Moyle (born 18 July 1929) is a former politician of the New Zealand Labour Party who served as a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1963 to 1976 and again from 1981 to 1990. He was a Government minister in the Third Labour and Fourth ...
and
Arthur Faulkner
Arthur James Faulkner (20 November 1921 – 15 May 1985) was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party.
Early life and career
Faulkner was born in the Auckland suburb of Devonport in 1921. He was educated at Takanini School then Otahuhu D ...
. Moyle, Faulkner and Labour leader
Bill Rowling
Sir Wallace Edward Rowling (; 15 November 1927 – 31 October 1995), commonly known as Bill Rowling, was a New Zealand politician who was the 30th prime minister of New Zealand from 1974 to 1975. He held office as the parliamentary leader of t ...
spoke at meetings in support of Courtney and defended him from attacks by National that he was the wrong choice of a candidate and that Palmer was more suitable, highlighting that Courtney had lived and worked in Nelson for the last six years while Palmer had not.
Labour fought a strong campaign and not only retained the seat but increased their majority as well, the victory at the polls vindicated the decision of the Labour Party's selection committee.
Courtney represented the
Nelson electorate from 1976 to 1981 and was opposition spokesman for horticulture and fisheries for five years. He was a recipient of both the
Queen's Silver Jubilee Medal
The Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal (french: link=no, Médaille du jubilé d'argent de la reine Elizabeth II) is a commemorative medal created in 1977 to mark the 25th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's accession in 1952. The medal is p ...
in 1977 for service to the community and 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 recognition of services to New Zealand.
The Labour Party suffered three defeats in the 1975, 1978 and 1981 general elections under the leadership of Bill Rowling. Courtney saw the momentum that had been gained under the prime ministership of the charismatic Labour leader
Norman Kirk
Norman Eric Kirk (6 January 1923 – 31 August 1974) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 29th prime minister of New Zealand from 1972 until his sudden death in 1974.
Born into poverty in Southern Canterbury, Kirk left school at ...
(1972–74) was being eroded and lost by Rowling. Courtney firmly believed that change was needed in the leadership in order to beat
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 ...
and the National Party. Rowling was not an effective counter to Muldoon: in Parliament Muldoon had the measure of Rowling and Rowling was perceived as weak in the media. Courtney has stated: "Rowling's handling of the Moyle 'affair' in 1977 by asking
Colin Moyle
Colin James Moyle (born 18 July 1929) is a former politician of the New Zealand Labour Party who served as a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1963 to 1976 and again from 1981 to 1990. He was a Government minister in the Third Labour and Fourth ...
to resign in response to Rob Muldoon's attacks in parliament was wrong." After Courtney's strong performance in the
Nelson by-election in 1976 the 1978 Labour Party general election result was a "major disappointment" for Courtney.
In May 1979 he broke ranks with trade unions and publicly disagreed with a strike action by butchers. In August he openly contradicted Rowling (who held the neighbouring electorate) by stating his support for a private jet-foil service across the
Cook Strait
Cook Strait ( mi, Te Moana-o-Raukawa) separates the North and South Islands of New Zealand. The strait connects the Tasman Sea on the northwest with the South Pacific Ocean on the southeast. It is wide at its narrowest point,McLintock, A H, ...
. There was also increasing dissatisfaction among party locals with Courtney. The LEC chairman Ron Bingham and erstwhile backer Baysting felt he was becoming too close to business and employers, contrasting with their expectations of a Labour MP at the time.
In June 1980 Courtney was against the "
Think Big
In their most common sense, the terms thought and thinking refer to conscious cognitive processes that can happen independently of sensory stimulation. Their most paradigmatic forms are judging, reasoning, concept formation, problem solving, an ...
" policy for the fishing industry. As the opposition convener of the fisheries sub-committee on production and marketing, he asserted "the policy is falling apart" expressing the view of many commercial fishers: "The industry expanded so rapidly it was overcapitalized with too many boats...the inshore fleet expanded and joint venture and duty free boats exerted further pressure"
Commercial Fishing
Commercial fishing is the activity of catching fish and other seafood for commercial profit, mostly from wild fisheries. It provides a large quantity of food to many countries around the world, but those who practice it as an industry must often ...
Magazine, June 1980 pg.5.
Independent
There was media speculation that Courtney might defect from Labour and join National or Social Credit instead due to increasing differences over direction. However, in July 1980, he reaffirmed his ties with Labour stating that his first instincts were to "...stay within and try to change things from there." But he did say he was prepared to stand aside from the Labour candidacy rather than give up on his strong views on moral issues and those affecting his constituency. In the December 1980 leadership vote of confidence Courtney voted against Rowling. Rowling clung onto the Labour leadership by one vote, his own.
In February 1981 Courtney announced that he had let his membership of the Labour Party (which was due in January) lapse.
In March 1981 Courtney withdrew from the Labour Party caucus and sat in the
New Zealand House of Representatives
The House of Representatives is the sole chamber of the New Zealand Parliament. The House passes Law of New Zealand, laws, provides Ministers of the New Zealand Government, ministers to form Cabinet of New Zealand, Cabinet, and supervises the ...
as an
independent
Independent or Independents may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups
* Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s
* Independ ...
. Courtney's announcement of his independent candidacy for the
1981 general election was made only a few days before the 35th anniversary of the death of
Harry Atmore
Harry Atmore (14 December 1870 – 20 August 1946) was a New Zealand Independent Member of Parliament for Nelson in the South Island.
Harry Atmore held the Nelson seat as an Independent for a total of thirty years from 1911 to 1914 and th ...
, MP for Nelson from 1911 to 1946. Atmore had been the last independent MP to be elected to the
New Zealand Parliament
The New Zealand Parliament ( mi, Pāremata Aotearoa) is the unicameral legislature of New Zealand, consisting of the King of New Zealand ( King-in-Parliament) and the New Zealand House of Representatives. The King is usually represented by h ...
.
In August 1981 when the
touring South Africa rugby team came to Nelson, Courtney as a city councillor alongside the mayor of Nelson
Peter Malone, deputy mayor Pat Tindle, and fellow councillors including Malcolm Saunders amongst others attended the civic reception at the Rutherford Hotel.
1981 election
At the 1981 election supporters rallied around Courtney's independent campaign and, although defeated, it was by the very narrow margin of 698 votes. Courtney took 37.0 per cent of the total vote, 3.4 percentage points behind the Labour candidate, and nearly three times as many votes as the
National
National may refer to:
Common uses
* Nation or country
** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen
Places in the United States
* National, Maryland, ce ...
candidate's share of the vote. This was the best result by an independent candidate in
New Zealand elections
New Zealand is a representative democracy in which members of the unicameral New Zealand Parliament gain their seats through elections. General elections are usually held every three years; they may be held at an earlier date (a "snap" electi ...
in nearly 40 years with political scientists Stephen Levine and Alan McRobie commenting that the Nelson contest was 'what would have been the most dramatic election upset of the last 45 years'.
Return to local politics
Courtney came out of political retirement for the
2016 local elections.
Of the 12 successful candidates, Courtney was elected with 6,743 votes. Courtney was re-elected with 8,601 votes in the
2019 local elections. He also stood unsuccessfully in the
2019 mayoral election, placing second to incumbent mayor
Rachel Reese
Rachel Hadley Reese (born ) is a New Zealand local-body politician. She was the mayor of Nelson from 2013 to 2022. She was Nelson's first female mayor.
Early life and education
Reese was born in Mosgiel and grew up in Dunedin. She attended St ...
.
In the
2022 local elections Courtney was elected in the
Stoke
Stoke is a common place name in the United Kingdom.
Stoke may refer to:
Places United Kingdom
The largest city called Stoke is Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire. See below.
Berkshire
* Stoke Row, Berkshire
Bristol
* Stoke Bishop
* Stok ...
-
Tahunanui Ward achieving the election threshold on the first iteration of voting under the
STV system.
Outside politics
Courtney owned and operated supermarkets in Nelson and at its peak, he had five of them.
He retired to Australia in about 2000. He returned to live in Nelson in late 2014 or early 2015.
Notes
References
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External links
Mel Courtney's Political Papers. National Register of Archives and Manuscripts Radio New Zealand Interview 1981. Sound ArchivesSubmission on Electoral (Integrity) Amendment Bill 2018 Nelson City Council Roll of Honour
{{DEFAULTSORT:Courtney, Mel
1943 births
Living people
People from Nelson, New Zealand
Nelson City Councillors
Independent politicians in New Zealand
21st-century New Zealand politicians
Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives
Independent MPs of New Zealand
New Zealand social democrats
New Zealand Labour Party MPs
New Zealand MPs for South Island electorates
20th-century New Zealand politicians
New Zealand businesspeople in retailing
New Zealand businesspeople
People associated with the Cawthron Institute