Hamish McDouall is a New Zealand local government politician and a former mayor of

Whanganui Whanganui (; ), also spelled Wanganui, is a city in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand. The city is located on the west coast of the North Island at the mouth of the Whanganui River, New Zealand's longest navigable waterway. Whang ...

. He is a member of the New Zealand Labour Party.

Biography

Early life and career

McDouall was born in Wanganui to Shirley (née Sanson) and Gerald McDouall and attended

Wanganui Collegiate School Whanganui Collegiate School (formerly Wanganui Collegiate School; see here) is a state-integrated, coeducational, day and boarding, secondary school in Whanganui, Manawatū-Whanganui region, New Zealand. The school is affiliated to the Anglican c ...

. He studied law and arts at the

University of Otago , image_name = University of Otago Registry Building2.jpg , image_size = , caption = University clock tower , motto = la, Sapere aude , mottoeng = Dare to be wise , established = 1869; 152 years ago , type = Public research collegiate ...

. McDouall was a winner on the gameshow

Sale of the Century ''Sale of the Century'' (stylized as ''$ale of the Century'') is an American television game show that originally debuted on September 29, 1969, on NBC daytime. It was one of three NBC game shows to premiere on that date, the other two being th ...

and was the champion of TVNZ's ''Mastermind'' programme in 1990, collectively winning nearly $100,000 worth in prizes. His winning specialist subject was ''The Life & Works of

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

.'' He played both soccer, cricket and represented Whanganui in roller hockey. He then lived abroad in England, Sweden and Russia before returning to Wanganui in 2001. He then took up work as a barrister and solicitor and worked in corporate, family, and community law. He is the author of four published books.

Political career

McDouall joined the Labour Party in 2007 and was Labour's candidate for the Whanganui electorate in

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

, 2011 and

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

, but lost to incumbent Chester Borrows. At the 2010 local body elections he was elected a member of the Whanganui District Council. After serving one term as deputy mayor to Annette Main, McDouall succeeded the

mayoralty in the 2016 local government elections. After winning the 2016 election with 39.18% of the popular vote and 2,900 more votes than that of his nearest rival, McDouall was returned to the mayoralty in 2019 unopposed. Mcdouall lost the 2022 mayoral to first time candidate Andrew Tripe.

Personal life

He has a wife, Elinor, and two children. He is a second cousin of Prime Minister

Jacinda Ardern Jacinda Kate Laurell Ardern ( ; born 26 July 1980) is a New Zealand politician who has been serving as the 40th prime minister of New Zealand and leader of the Labour Party since 2017. A member of the Labour Party, she has been the member of ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McDouall, Hamish 1960s births Living people New Zealand Labour Party politicians Mayors of Wanganui Deputy mayors of places in New Zealand Unsuccessful candidates in the 2008 New Zealand general election Unsuccessful candidates in the 2011 New Zealand general election Unsuccessful candidates in the 2014 New Zealand general election People educated at Whanganui Collegiate School Contestants on New Zealand game shows Jacinda Ardern