{{Short description|New Zealand politician}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2014}} {{Use New Zealand English|date=August 2014}} '''Richard James Gerard''' {{post-nominals|country=NZL|QSO}} (born 20 October 1936) is a former New Zealand politician. He was a [[New Zealand National Party|National Party]] Member of Parliament from 1984 to 1997.
==Early life== Gerard was born on 20 October 1936 in [[Canterbury, New Zealand|Canterbury]].<ref>''Who’s Who in the New Zealand Parliament 1993'' by the Parliamentary Service, Wellington NZ</ref> His father was the National MP [[Geoff Gerard (politician)|Geoff Gerard]]. Gerard received his education at [[Christ's College, Christchurch|Christ's College]] and then became a sheep farmer in [[Cheviot, New Zealand|Cheviot]]. He held several roles with [[Federated Farmers]].{{sfn|Gustafson|1986|p=313}}
==Political career== Gerard served on the Oxford County Council for some time. He was the National Party chair of the Rangiora electorate for eight years.{{sfn|Gustafson|1986|p=313}}
===Member of Parliament=== {{NZ parlbox header}} {{NZ parlbox|term=41st |start={{NZ election link year|1984}} |end=1987 |party=New Zealand National Party |electorate=[[Rangiora (New Zealand electorate)|Rangiora]] }} {{NZ parlbox|term=42nd |start={{NZ election link year|1987}} |end=1990 |party=New Zealand National Party |electorate=Rangiora }} {{NZ parlbox|term=43rd |start={{NZ election link year|1990}} |end=1993 |party=New Zealand National Party |electorate=Rangiora }} {{NZ parlbox|term=44th |start={{NZ election link year|1993}} |end=1996 |party=New Zealand National Party |electorate=Rangiora }} {{NZ parlbox|term=45th |start={{NZ election link year|1996}} |end=1997 |party=New Zealand National Party |electorate=List |list=17 }} {{End}} He was first elected to Parliament in the [[1984 New Zealand general election|1984 election]], replacing the retiring [[Derek Quigley]] in the [[Rangiora (New Zealand electorate)|Rangiora electorate]].{{sfn|Wilson|1985|p=199}} He remained MP for Rangiora until the [[1996 New Zealand general election|1996 election]], when the electorate was abolished. Gerard was unsuccessful in his campaign for the new [[Waimakariri (New Zealand electorate)|Waimakariri electorate]], losing to former [[New Zealand Labour Party|Labour Party]] leader [[Mike Moore (New Zealand politician)|Mike Moore]]. He remained in Parliament as a [[list MP]].
In 1990, Gerard was elected [[Chairman of Committees (New Zealand House of Representatives)|Chairman of Committees]]. Until 1992, the Chairman of Committees was known as the Deputy Speaker only when presiding over the House. On 10 November 1992, the position of Deputy Speaker was made official under the Standing Orders, and the role of Chairman of Committees was discontinued, with Gerard becoming the first Deputy Speaker.<ref name="Conditions">{{cite web |title=Members' Conditions Of Service |url= http://www.parliament.nz/en-NZ/AboutParl/HowPWorks/PPNZ/2/a/c/00HOOOCPPNZ_31-Chapter-3-Members-Conditions-of-Service.htm |publisher=New Zealand Parliament |access-date=19 February 2011}}</ref> He held that role until 13 December 1996.
In April 1997, he resigned from Parliament to become New Zealand's [[List of High Commissioners of New Zealand to Canada|High Commissioner to Canada]] in [[Ottawa]].<ref name="Jim Gerard profile" /> This was the first resignation by a list MP since New Zealand adopted the [[Mixed-member proportional representation|mixed-member proportional]] electoral system.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Young|first=Audrey|date=2017-01-16|title=MP resignations before and after MMP|language=en-NZ|work=[[The New Zealand Herald]] |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11780469|access-date=2020-07-23|issn=1170-0777}}</ref> Gerard was replaced by the next candidate on National's [[party list]], [[Annabel Young]].
In 1990, Gerard received the [[New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Taylor |first1=Alister |last2=Coddington |first2=Deborah |authorlink1=Alister Taylor |authorlink2=Deborah Coddington |title=Honoured by the Queen – New Zealand |year=1994 |publisher=New Zealand Who's Who Aotearoa |location=Auckland |isbn=0-908578-34-2 |page=152}}</ref> In the [[1999 New Year Honours (New Zealand)|1999 New Year Honours]], he was appointed a [[Queen's Service Order|Companion of the Queen's Service Order]] for public services.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dpmc.govt.nz/publications/new-year-honours-list-1999 |title=New Year honours list 1999 |date=31 December 1998 |publisher=Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet |access-date=31 August 2019}}</ref>
===Waimakariri District=== Gerard was elected [[Mayor of Waimakariri]] in 2001. He was re-elected in 2004, but lost the mayoralty in 2007 to [[Ron Keating]].<ref name="Jim Gerard profile">{{cite web|title=Jim Gerard|url=http://www.elections2010.co.nz/2010/candidates/jim-gerard|publisher=Elections 2010|access-date=21 October 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101013071106/http://www.elections2010.co.nz/2010/candidates/jim-gerard|archive-date=13 October 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="2007 Waimakariri results (mayor)">{{cite web|title=Waimakariri District Mayor |url= http://www.elections2010.co.nz/2007/elections/waimakariri-district-mayor |publisher=Elections NZ|access-date=21 October 2010}}</ref> In October 2010, he was elected councillor for Waimakariri<ref name="2010 Rangiora Ward results">{{cite web |title=Waimakariri District Council - Rangiora Ward |url=http://www.elections2010.co.nz/2010/elections/waimakariri-district-council-rangiora-ward |publisher=Elections NZ |access-date=21 October 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101101110700/http://www.elections2010.co.nz/2010/elections/waimakariri-district-council-rangiora-ward |archive-date=1 November 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and was again returned to that role in 2013.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Waimakariri District Council|date=17 October 2013|title=2013 Triennial Elections|url=https://www.waimakariri.govt.nz/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/25031/Waimakariri-District-Council-2016-Triennial-Elections-Final-FPP-Result....pdf}}</ref> At the 2016 and 2019 local elections, Gerard did not contest a councillor position; instead, he contested and was elected to the Rangiora community board.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Waimakariri District Council|date=13 October 2016|title=2016 Triennial Elections|url=https://www.waimakariri.govt.nz/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/25031/Waimakariri-District-Council-2016-Triennial-Elections-Final-FPP-Result....pdf}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Waimakariri District Council|date=17 October 2019|title=2019 Triennial Elections|url=https://www.waimakariri.govt.nz/__data/assets/pdf_file/0033/74976/Waimakariri-District-Council-2019-Triennial-Elections-Final-FPP-Result.pdf}}</ref>
==Notes== {{Reflist}}
==References== *{{cite book |last = Gustafson |first = Barry |author-link = Barry Gustafson |title = The First 50 Years : A History of the New Zealand National Party |year = 1986 |publisher = Reed Methuen |location = Auckland |isbn = 0-474-00177-6}} *{{Cite book |last= Wilson |first= Jim | author-link=Jim Wilson (librarian) |title= New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 |edition= 4th |orig-year= First ed. published 1913 |year= 1985 |publisher= V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer |location= Wellington |oclc=154283103}}
{{s-start}} {{S-off}} {{s-bef | before = [[John Terris]]}} {{s-ttl | title=[[Chairman of Committees (New Zealand House of Representatives)|Chairman of Committees of the House of Representatives]] | years=1990–1992 }} {{s-non | reason = Position abolished }} |- {{s-par | nz}} {{s-bef | before = [[Derek Quigley]]}} {{s-ttl | title= [[Rangiora (New Zealand electorate)|Member of Parliament for Rangiora]]| years=1984–1996}} {{s-non | reason = Electorate abolished}} {{end}} {{Waimakariri District}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gerard, Jim}} [[Category:1936 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:New Zealand National Party MPs]] [[Category:Mayors of places in the Canterbury Region]] [[Category:New Zealand list MPs]] [[Category:High commissioners of New Zealand to Canada]] [[Category:High commissioners of New Zealand to Barbados]] [[Category:People educated at Christ's College, Christchurch]] [[Category:Companions of the Queen's Service Order]] [[Category:Local politicians in New Zealand]] [[Category:New Zealand MPs for South Island electorates]] [[Category:Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives]]