Ian James Brooks (21 April 1928 – 20 April 2022) was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party.

Early life and career

Brooks was born in Blenheim on 21 April 1928, the son of Ernest Brooks, and was educated at

Marlborough College Marlborough College is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English Independent school (United Kingdom), independent boarding school) for pupils aged 13 to 18 in Marlborough, Wiltshire, England. Founded in 1843 for the sons of Church ...

. He worked in the grocery trade for eight years and was then a senior clerk at the

New Zealand Post Office The New Zealand Post Office (NZPO) was a government department of New Zealand until 1987. It was previously (from 1881 to 1959) named the New Zealand Post and Telegraph Department (NZ P&T). As a government department, the New Zealand Post Office ...

for twenty years. He was a part-time farmer, and his 1940s

Allis-Chalmers Allis-Chalmers was a U.S. manufacturer of machinery for various industries. Its business lines included agricultural equipment, construction equipment, power generation and power transmission equipment, and machinery for use in industrial setti ...

model C tractor is on display at Marlborough Museum. In 1954, he married Lowis Rita Terrill, the daughter of Leonard Terrill. They had two sons and two daughters.

Political career

Brooks unsuccessfully contested the electorate in the , but he was beaten by the incumbent,

Tom Shand Thomas Philip Shand (16 April 1911 – 11 December 1969) was a New Zealand politician of the National Party. Biography Early life and career Shand was born in 1911 in Ngapara, North Otago. His parents were Gilbert Esme Tressillian Shand and Con ...

of the National Party. After Shand's death only days after the general election, Brooks had a decisive win against Shand's son in the resulting by-election in February turning a 2500 vote loss from three months earlier into an 1100 vote winning margin. The Police once urged him to cancel an electorate meeting in

Hanmer Springs Hanmer Springs is a small town in the Canterbury region of the South Island of New Zealand. The Māori name for Hanmer Springs is Te Whakatakanga o te Ngārahu o te ahi a Tamatea, which means “where the ashes of Tamate’s (sic) fire lay� ...

as they had received a death threat against him over his opposition to the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

. He held the Marlborough electorate until he was defeated in by National's

Ed Latter Edward Gale Latter (29 February 1928 – 29 August 2016) was a New Zealand politician of the National Party. Biography Latter was born in 1928 at Waiau. His parents were Edward Circuit Le Clere Latter and Moana Latter (née Gale). He rec ...

for what was usually a safe National seat. He stood once more in the Marlborough electorate in the but was narrowly defeated by National's

Doug Kidd Sir Douglas Lorimer Kidd (born 12 September 1941) is a former New Zealand politician. He was an MP from 1978 to 2002, representing the National Party. He served for three years as Speaker of the House of Representatives. Early life Kidd was ...

Life after politics

In his spare time, Brooks grew bulbs. His parents were in

The Salvation Army The Salvation Army (TSA) is a Protestant church and an international charitable organisation headquartered in London, England. The organisation reports a worldwide membership of over 1.7million, comprising soldiers, officers and adherents col ...

and Brooks joined them as a child, and remained an active member in Blenheim, playing the bass

saxhorn The saxhorn is a family of valved brass instruments that have conical bores and deep cup-shaped mouthpieces. The saxhorn family was developed by Adolphe Sax, who is also known for creating the saxophone family. The sound of the saxhorn has a ...

in the Salvation Army band. Brooks was widowed by the death of his wife, Lowis, in 2016. He died on 20 April 2022 at Wairau Hospital in Blenheim, the day before his 94th birthday.

References

External links

Wedding photo
hosted by Marlborough Museum {{DEFAULTSORT:Brooks, Ian 1928 births 2022 deaths New Zealand Labour Party MPs Unsuccessful candidates in the 1975 New Zealand general election Unsuccessful candidates in the 1969 New Zealand general election Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives New Zealand MPs for South Island electorates People educated at Marlborough Boys' College