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The Honourable
Geoff Gerard
CMG
The Honourable Geoff Gerard CMG
	Gerard in 1957
34th Minister of Lands
	In office; 12 December 1960 – 12 December 1966
Prime Minister	Keith Holyoake
Preceded by	Jerry Skinner
Succeeded by	Duncan MacIntyre
	In office; 26 September 1957 – 12 December 1957
Prime Minister	Keith Holyoake
Preceded by	Ernest Corbett
Succeeded by	Jerry Skinner
15th Minister of Forests
	In office; 12 December 1960 – 12 December 1966
Prime Minister	Keith Holyoake
Preceded by	Eruera Tirikatene
Succeeded by	Duncan MacIntyre
	In office; 26 September 1957 – 12 December 1957
Prime Minister	Keith Holyoake
Preceded by	Sid Smith
Succeeded by	Eruera Tirikatene
28th Minister of Marine
	In office; 2 May 1961 – 20 December 1963
Prime Minister	Keith Holyoake
Preceded by	John McAlpine
Succeeded by	Jack Scott
	In office; 13 February 1957 – 12 December 1957
Prime Minister	Sidney Holland; Keith Holyoake
Preceded by	John McAlpine
Succeeded by	Bill Fox
7th Minister of Social Security
	In office; 13 February 1957 – 26 September 1957
Prime Minister	Sidney Holland; Keith Holyoake
Preceded by	Dean Eyre
Succeeded by	Jack Scott
Member of the New Zealand Parliament; for Mid-Canterbury
	In office; 25 September 1943 – 27 September 1946
Preceded by	Mary Grigg
Succeeded by	Electorate abolished
Member of the New Zealand Parliament; for Ashburton
	In office; 27 September 1946 – 26 November 1966
Preceded by	Electorate re-established
Succeeded by	Rob Talbot
Personal details
Born	Richard Geoffrey Gerard; 4 October 1904; Christchurch, New Zealand
Died	26 September 1997 (aged 92)
Political party	National
Spouse	Margaret Scott (m. 1928; died 1988)
Relations	Jim Gerard (son)
Children	5
Profession	Farmer

Richard Geoffrey Gerard CMG (4 October 1904 – 26 September 1997) was a New Zealand politician of the National Party, and a cabinet minister.

Biography

New Zealand Parliament
Years	Term	Electorate
1943–1946	27th	Mid-Canterbury	National
1946–1949	28th	Ashburton	National
1949–1951	29th	Ashburton	National
1951–1954	30th	Ashburton	National
1954–1957	31st	Ashburton	National
1957–1960	32nd	Ashburton	National
1960–1963	33rd	Ashburton	National
1963–1966	34th	Ashburton	National

Gerard was born in Christchurch on 6 October 1904. He received his education at Christ's College and then farmed at Mount Hutt.^[1]^[2]

On 1 August 1928, Gerard married Margaret Scott at All Saints' Church, Sumner, and the couple went on to have five children.^[2]^[3]

Gerard represented the Canterbury electorates of Mid-Canterbury from 1943 to 1946, and then the Ashburton electorate from 1946 to 1966 when he retired.^[4] He was Minister of Marine under Holland and Holyoake (1957, 1961–1963),^[5] Minister of Social Security (1957) under Holland and Holyoake,^[6] Minister of Lands under Holyoake (1957, 1960–1966),^[7] and Minister of Forests under Holyoake (1957, 1960–1966).^[7]

Outside of Parliament, Gerard was a member of the Nature Conservation Council from 1967 to 1974, and a member of the Lyttelton Harbour Board from 1968 to 1980.^[2]

In 1953, Gerard was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal.^[2] In 1967, he was granted retention of the title The Honourable, in recognition of his term as a member of the Executive Council.^[8] He was appointed a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George, for public services, in the 1981 New Year Honours.^[4]^[9] In 1990, he received the New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal.^[2]

Gerard died on 26 September 1997,^[10] having been predeceased by his wife, Margaret, in 1988.^[11] His son Jim followed in his footsteps, representing the Rangiora electorate from 1984.^[1]

Notes

^ ^a ^b Gustafson 1986, p. 313.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Taylor, Alister; Coddington, Deborah (1994). Honoured by the Queen – New Zealand. Auckland: New Zealand Who's Who Aotearoa. p. 152. ISBN 0-908578-34-2.
^ "Wedding: Gerard–Scott". The Star. No. 18530. 2 August 1928. p. 13. Retrieved 9 March 2024 – via PapersPast.
^ ^a ^b Wilson 1985, p. 199.
^ Wilson 1985, pp. 87–89.
^ Wilson 1985, p. 87.
^ ^a ^b Wilson 1985, pp. 88–89.
^ "Retention of the title of "Honourable"" (PDF). New Zealand Gazette. No. 44. 13 July 1967. p. 1199. Retrieved 9 March 2024.
^ London Gazette (supplement), No. 48469, 31 December 1980. Retrieved 26 May 2013.
^ "Obituary – Hon. Richard Geoffrey Gerard CMG". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 564. 14 October 1997. Retrieved 9 March 2024.
^ "Deaths". The Press. 8 March 1988. p. 43. Retrieved 9 March 2024 – via PapersPast.

References

Gustafson, Barry (1986). The First 50 Years : A History of the New Zealand National Party. Auckland: Reed Methuen. ISBN 0-474-00177-6.
Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First ed. published 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103.

Political offices
Preceded by Sid Smith	Minister of Forests 1957 1960–1966	Succeeded by Eruera Tirikatene
Preceded by Eruera Tirikatene	Minister of Forests 1957 1960–1966	Succeeded by Duncan MacIntyre
New Zealand Parliament
Preceded by Mary Grigg	Member of Parliament for Mid-Canterbury 1943–1946	Constituency abolished
In abeyance Title last held by William Nosworthy	Member of Parliament for Ashburton 1946–1966	Succeeded by Rob Talbot