The Wizard of New Zealand (born Ian Brackenbury Channell; 4 December 1932) is a British-born New Zealand educator, comedian,

illusionist Magic, which encompasses the subgenres of illusion, stage magic, and close up magic, among others, is a performing art in which audiences are entertained by tricks, effects, or illusions of seemingly impossible feats, using natural means. It ...

, and politician. He is also known by his shorter name, The Wizard.

Life and career

England

The Wizard was born Ian Brackenbury Channell on 4 December 1932 in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, England. Educated at

Framlingham College Framlingham College is a public school (independent day and boarding school) in the town of Framlingham, near Woodbridge, Suffolk, England. Together with its preparatory school and nursery at Brandeston Hall, it serves pupils from 3 to 18 yea ...

Suffolk Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowes ...

, and from 1945 to 1951 at

Bromley Grammar School Bromley is a large town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. It is south-east of Charing Cross, and had an estimated population of 87,889 as of 2011. Originally part of Kent, Bromley became a market town, char ...

for Boys, now Ravensbourne School. In 1951 he was called up for

national service National service is the system of voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service. The term ''national service'' comes from the United Kingdom's National Service (Armed Forces) Act 1939. The l ...

in the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

. Although he initially trained to be a pilot, he was later transferred to navigator training in Canada and was subsequently posted as the

Adjutant Adjutant is a military appointment given to an officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of human resources in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed forces as a non-commission ...

RAF Duxford Duxford Aerodrome is located south of Cambridge, within the civil parish of Duxford, Cambridgeshire, England and nearly west of the village. The airfield is owned by the Imperial War Museum (IWM) and is the site of the Imperial War Muse ...

. He left the RAF in 1953 and became a sales representative for a paper merchant. In 1956 he married his girlfriend, Monica, and from 1958 spent two years teaching English in Iran. He then returned to England in order to attend the

University of Leeds , mottoeng = And knowledge will be increased , established = 1831 – Leeds School of Medicine1874 – Yorkshire College of Science1884 - Yorkshire College1887 – affiliated to the federal Victoria University1904 – University of Leeds , ...

and graduated with a double honours degree in

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries betwe ...

and sociology in 1963. As a student at Leeds he was a member of the institution's ''

University Challenge ''University Challenge'' is a British television quiz programme which first aired in 1962. ''University Challenge'' aired for 913 episodes on ITV from 21 September 1962 to 31 December 1987, presented by quizmaster Bamber Gascoigne. The BBC ...

'' team.

Australia

Shortly after his graduation in 1963, he was recruited by the

University of Western Australia The University of Western Australia (UWA) is a public research university in the Australian state of Western Australia. The university's main campus is in Perth, the state capital, with a secondary campus in Albany, Western Australia, Albany an ...

Adult Education Board to run their community arts programme. In 1967 he became a teaching fellow at the newly opened School of Sociology at the

University of New South Wales The University of New South Wales (UNSW), also known as UNSW Sydney, is a public research university based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is one of the founding members of Group of Eight, a coalition of Australian research-intensive ...

in Sydney. He was required to study towards a PhD thesis, but was informally promised a lectureship once completed. During this time he created a direct action reform movement called Alf (Action for Love and Freedom) and implemented what he called "The Fun Revolution". In 1968 he separated from his wife and his thesis was terminated due to insufficient progress. As his position was dependent on the continuation his studies, he was consequently dismissed as a teaching fellow. The next year he was appointed as "Wizard" (effectively an events officer) of the University of New South Wales. He would also take on another persona, when elected as dictator of the student union. In late 1969 he was made Wizard by the

World University Service The World University Service (WUS) is an international organisation founded in 1920 in Vienna as an offshoot of the World Student Christian Federation to meet the needs of students and academics in the aftermath of World War I. After World War II, ...

of Australia and toured university campuses throughout 1970. He was able to persuade the

Melbourne University The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb nor ...

Union Activities Department to appoint him their unpaid " Cosmologer, Living Work of Art and

Shaman Shamanism is a religious practice that involves a practitioner (shaman) interacting with what they believe to be a spirit world through altered states of consciousness, such as trance. The goal of this is usually to direct spirits or spiritu ...

" in 1971. The vice-chancellor gave him the use of the Old Pathology Lecture Theatre for his classes in synthetic cosmology and the director of the

National Gallery of Victoria The National Gallery of Victoria, popularly known as the NGV, is an art museum in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1861, it is Australia's oldest and most visited art museum. The NGV houses an encyclopedic art collection across two ...

accepted the offer of his live body as a living work of art. At this time, shocked when the student pacifist society sent money to the

Viet Cong , , war = the Vietnam War , image = FNL Flag.svg , caption = The flag of the Viet Cong, adopted in 1960, is a variation on the flag of North Vietnam. Sometimes the lower stripe was green. , active ...

, he founded Alf's Imperial Army devoted to sensational but non-violent warfare and regularly organised battles on campus. He founded the

Imperial British Conservative Party The Imperial British Conservative Party was a farcical political party founded by The Wizard of New Zealand in 1974. It "stood for the traditions of British imperialism in the face of capitalism, globalisation and the distinct lack of culture ...

to provide a counterbalance to international

capitalism Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their operation for Profit (economics), profit. Central characteristics of capitalism include capital accumulation, competitive markets, pric ...

and the various forms of

Nazism Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Na ...

. The Wizard stood unsuccessfully in three Australian Federal elections, contesting

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

1969 This year is notable for Apollo 11's first landing on the moon. Events January * January 4 – The Government of Spain hands over Ifni to Morocco. * January 5 **Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 crashes into a house on its approach to ...

, and Kooyong in

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, me ...

and

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; f ...

New Zealand

In 1974, The Wizard migrated to

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 / ...

in New Zealand and began to speak on a ladder in Cathedral Square. The city council attempted to have him arrested, but he became so popular that they made the square a

public speaking Public speaking, also called oratory or oration, has traditionally meant the act of speaking face to face to a live audience. Today it includes any form of speaking (formally and informally) to an audience, including pre-recorded speech deliver ...

area. Wearing his costume as a

false prophet In religion, a false prophet is a person who falsely claims the gift of prophecy or divine inspiration, or to speak for God, or who makes such claims for evil ends. Often, someone who is considered a "true prophet" by some people is simultaneou ...

of the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

, or his wizard's pointy hat, he has spoken there at lunchtimes in the summer months. He confronted Telecom over the colour of public telephone boxes, played for the local rugby team, heckled Christian

evangelist Evangelist may refer to: Religion * Four Evangelists, the authors of the canonical Christian Gospels * Evangelism, publicly preaching the Gospel with the intention of spreading the teachings of Jesus Christ * Evangelist (Anglican Church), a c ...

Ray Comfort Ray Comfort (born 5 December 1949) is a New Zealand-born Christian minister and Evangelism, evangelist who lives in the United States. Comfort started Living Waters Publications, as well as the ministry ''The Way of the Master'', in Bellflower, ...

, evaded the compulsory

New Zealand census The New Zealand Census of Population and Dwellings ( mi, Te Tatauranga o ngā Tāngata Huri Noa i Aotearoa me ō rātou Whare Noho) is a national population and housing census conducted by government department Statistics New Zealand every five y ...

and performed

rain dance Rainmaking is a weather modification ritual that attempts to invoke rain. Among the best known examples of weather modification rituals are North American rain dances, historically performed by many Native American tribes, particularly in the ...

s in

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. ...

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

and the Australian

outback The Outback is a remote, vast, sparsely populated area of Australia. The Outback is more remote than the bush. While often envisaged as being arid, the Outback regions extend from the northern to southern Australian coastlines and encompass a n ...

. With the help of the mayor,

Vicki Buck Vicki Susan Buck (born 16 July 1955) is a New Zealand politician. She was Mayor of Christchurch for nine years from 1989 to 1998. She retired after three terms, having been very popular. She made a political comeback, standing in the 2013 loc ...

, the city of Christchurch hosted a wizards' conclave in 1995 when visiting colleagues gathered to help build a wizard's nest on top of the university library tower, to witness the New Zealand Wizard hatching from a giant egg in the city art gallery, sky diving whilst chanting a spell for a major rugby match and performing various rituals round the city. Soon afterwards, accompanied by 49 assistant wizards, he came down by gondola from the

Port Hills The Port Hills are a range of hills in Canterbury Region, so named because they lie between the city of Christchurch and its port at Lyttelton. They are an eroded remnant of the Lyttelton volcano, which erupted millions of years ago. The hi ...

with tablets bearing the address of his new website. In 1982, the New Zealand Art Gallery Directors Association issued a statement that in their opinion The Wizard was an authentic living work of art and the

city council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...

appointed him "Wizard of Christchurch". In 1990 the Prime Minister of New Zealand,

Mike Moore Michael Moore is an American filmmaker and author. Michael Moore may also refer to: Academia * Michael G. Moore (fl. 1970s–2020s), professor of education * Michael S. Moore (academic) (fl. 1960s–2020s), American law professor * Michael Moore ...

, an old friend, appointed him the official "Wizard of New Zealand". He initially provided his services free. In 1998, the Christchurch City Council signed a contract with him to "provide acts of wizardry and other wizard-like-services – as part of promotional work for the city of Christchurch" for an annual fee of $16000. The Wizard also received financial support from his partner, Alice Flett. On 8 September 2003 The Wizard's large wooden house was destroyed by a fire, which Christchurch police treated as arson. The Wizard, his partner and two boarders were lucky to escape with their lives and The Wizard's extensive book and video collections were destroyed. The "Wizardmobile", constructed from the front halves of two

VW Beetle The Volkswagen Beetle—officially the Volkswagen Type 1, informally in German (meaning "beetle"), in parts of the English-speaking world the Bug, and known by many other nicknames in other languages—is a two-door, rear-engine economy car, ...

s, was also attacked and damaged. The Wizard was awarded the

Queen's Service Medal The Queen's Service Medal is a medal awarded by the government of New Zealand to recognise and reward volunteer service to the community and also public service in elected or appointed public office. It was established in 1975 and is related to ...

in the 2009 Queen's Birthday Honours, for service to the community. After the February

2011 Christchurch earthquake A major earthquake occurred in Christchurch on Tuesday 22 February 2011 at 12:51 p.m. local time (23:51 UTC, 21 February). The () earthquake struck the entire of the Canterbury region in the South Island, centred south-east ...

, The Wizard planned to retire and permanently leave Christchurch, saying that the town he loved had gone and that it was the end of an era. After it was announced by the

Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority The Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority (CERA; Māori: ''Te Mana Haumanu ki Waitaha'') was the public service department of New Zealand charged with coordinating the rebuild of Christchurch and the surrounding areas following the 22 Februar ...

and the Anglican bishop that the remains of

Christchurch Cathedral ChristChurch Cathedral, also called Christ Church Cathedral and (rarely) Cathedral Church of Christ, is a deconsecrated Anglican cathedral in the city of Christchurch, New Zealand. It was built between 1864 and 1904 in the centre of the city, ...

would be demolished, The Wizard returned to Christchurch to oppose the demolition. The Wizard continues to speak on the need to preserve Christchurch's heritage buildings. Since 2014, Ari Freeman has been The Wizard's apprentice. In October 2021, the Christchurch City Council ended its contract with The Wizard after two decades of service. The Wizard said he was disappointed but will continue to appear in the city. The Wizard stood as a candidate in the 2022 Christchurch mayoral election, receiving 2,474 votes and coming in fifth place.

Public speaking

The Wizard performed in Cathedral Square on weekdays from 1–2pm from November to Easter. He now spends a significant amount of his time in

Oamaru Oamaru (; mi, Te Oha-a-Maru) is the largest town in North Otago, in the South Island of New Zealand, it is the main town in the Waitaki District. It is south of Timaru and north of Dunedin on the Pacific coast; State Highway 1 and the railway ...

, a place known as a center for arts and craftsmanship. He was present at the official reopening of

Oamaru Airport Oamaru Airport is an airport located 20 km north of Oamaru alongside State Highway 1, at Hilderthorpe in the North Otago region and the Waitaki District of New Zealand. History On 10 December 1960 South Pacific Airlines of New Zealand ...

on 6 August 2006, where he claimed to have successfully cast a spell to disperse the fog that was preventing the first flight from landing.

Autobiography

In 1998, an autobiography titled ''My Life as a Miracle'' was published.

Cartography

The Wizard produced an upside-down map using the

Hobo–Dyer projection The Hobo–Dyer map projection is a normal cylindrical equal-area projection, with standard parallels (there is no north-south or east-west distortion) at 37.5° north and south of the equator. The map was commissioned in 2002 by Bob Abramms and ...

which placed New Zealand and Australia top-centre.

Documentaries

''The Wizard of New Zealand QSM'', directed by Grant John Neville and

Director of Photography The cinematographer or director of photography (sometimes shortened to DP or DOP) is the person responsible for the photographing or recording of a film, television production, music video or other live action piece. The cinematographer is the ch ...

Karlos Filipov includes interviews with The Wizard,

and many others. Among other topics, the documentary details the Wizard's views that women cause wars through their shopping habits and that governments with monarchies are more stable. It was awarded Best Short Documentary at the

Beijing International Film Festival The Beijing International Film Festival (Chinese: 北京国际电影节), abbreviated BJIFF, is a film festival in Beijing, China. Founded in 2011, the film festival is supported and sponsored by China Film Administration, China Media Group an ...

2010, and Best Film about Real People at the Official Best of Fest 2010. ''The Wizard and the Commodore – Chathams Islands/New Zealand'', directed by Samuel A. Miller follows the subject on a trip to the

Chatham Islands The Chatham Islands ( ) (Moriori: ''Rēkohu'', 'Misty Sun'; mi, Wharekauri) are an archipelago in the Pacific Ocean about east of New Zealand's South Island. They are administered as part of New Zealand. The archipelago consists of about te ...

, about 900 km east of mainland New Zealand. The film premiered on in New Zealand.

Notes

External links

Official web page

History page from Christchurch Library website

Entry in the Encyclopedia of New Zealand from the Ministry of Culture and Heritage website

Sign The Pledge – it's a wizard idea
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wizard Of New Zealand, The 1932 births Living people Academics from London Alumni of the University of Leeds New Zealand magicians Wizard, The Wizard, The English emigrants to New Zealand Recipients of the Queen's Service Medal Contestants on University Challenge Royal Air Force airmen Cathedral Square, Christchurch