Neville Garde Austen Young (11 December 1940 – 9 February 2019) was a New Zealand lawyer. He served as president of the National Party from 1986 to 1989.

Early life and family

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 11 December 1940, Young was educated at Christ's College from 1955 to 1959, and went on to study law 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 ...

. He was the older brother of jurist

William Young William, Will, Bill or Billy Young may refer to: Arts and entertainment * William Young (composer) (died 1662), English composer and viola da gambist * William Young (architect) (1843–1900), Scottish architect, designer of Glasgow City Chambers ...

. In 1971, Neville Young married Valerie May McKinon, and the couple went on to have two children.

Political career

Young was elected president of the National Party in 1986 after

Sue Wood Susanne Mary Wood (born 1948) served as the president of the New Zealand National Party from 1982 to 1986, the youngest person and the first woman to hold the post. Early life and career Wood was born in Onehunga, Auckland in 1948. She attend ...

stood down from the role, and remained in office until 1989, when he was challenged and defeated by

John Collinge John Gregory Collinge (born 10 May 1939) is a former New Zealand lawyer, politician and diplomat. His former roles include president of the New Zealand National Party and High Commissioner to the United Kingdom. Early life Collinge was born in th ...

. Subsequently, Young was not actively involved in the National Party at a senior level.

Professional career

A barrister and solicitor, Young was a partner in the law firm Young Hunter and Co, and from the early 1970s he was a professional trustee. In 1998, he was appointed chair of the

Earthquake Commission The Earthquake Commission, ( mi, Kōmihana Rūwhenua), is a New Zealand Crown entity that invests in natural disaster research and education as well as providing natural disaster insurance to residential property owners. In March 2022, a bill ...

, and in 1999, he was appointed as a member of the

New Zealand Fire Service Commission The New Zealand Fire Service Commission was the overseeing authority controlling the New Zealand Fire Service and the New Zealand National Rural Fire Authority. A Crown entity reporting to the Minister of Internal Affairs, the Commission was esta ...

. He also served as a member of the board of trustees of the National Provident Fund. In 2004, Young was appointed as a member of the rulings panel of the Electricity Commission, to deal with formal complaints of breaches of electricity governance regulations in New Zealand.

Honours and awards

In 1990, Young 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

2007 Queen's Birthday Honours The Birthday Honours 2007 for the Commonwealth realms were announced on 17 June 2007, to celebrate the Queen's Birthday of 2007.Antigua & Barbuda list: The recipients of honours are displayed here as they were styled before their new honour, and a ...

, 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 (document), royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Monarchy of New Zealand, Queen of New Zealand, "for those ...

, for services to business. In the same honours list, his brother, William, was made a

Distinguished 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 ren ...

Death

Young died at

Waikato Hospital Waikato Hospital is a major regional hospital in Hamilton, New Zealand, Hamilton, New Zealand. It provides specialised and emergency healthcare

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

, on 9 February 2019.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Young, Neville 1940 births 2019 deaths People from Christchurch People educated at Christ's College, Christchurch University of Canterbury alumni 20th-century New Zealand lawyers New Zealand National Party politicians Companions of the New Zealand Order of Merit