John Mathison OBE (29 September 1901 – 12 October 1982) was a New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

 politician of the Labour Party

New Zealand Labour Party

The New Zealand Labour Party is a New Zealand political party. It describes itself as centre-left and socially progressive and has been one of the two primary parties of New Zealand politics since 1935....

. He was a cabinet minister from 1957 to 1960 in the Second Labour Government

Second Labour Government of New Zealand

The Second Labour Government of New Zealand was the government of New Zealand from 1957 to 1960. It was most notable for raising taxes on alcohol, cigarettes and petrol, a move which was probably responsible for the government lasting for only one term....

.

He represented the Christchurch

Christchurch

Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...

 electorate of Avon

Avon (New Zealand electorate)

Avon is a former New Zealand Parliamentary electorate.-Population centres:The electorate is in the eastern suburbs of Christchurch, New Zealand, based on the suburb of Avonside.-History:...

 from 1947 to 1972

New Zealand general election, 1972

The New Zealand general election of 1972 was held to elect MPs to the 37th session of the New Zealand Parliament. The Labour Party, led by Norman Kirk, defeated the governing National Party.-Background:...

, when he retired. He stood for the Hurunui

Hurunui (New Zealand electorate)

Hurunui was a parliamentary electorate in the Canterbury Region of New Zealand, from 1902 to 1963.The electorate was represented by four Members of Parliament, Andrew William Rutherford from 1902 to 1908, George William Forbes for 35 years from 1908 to 1943, and William Henry Gillespie from 1943...

 electorate in 1946

New Zealand general election, 1946

The 1946 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament's 28th term. It saw the governing Labour Party re-elected, but by a substantially narrower margin than in the three previous elections...

.

He was born in Peebles, Scotland, and emigrated to New Zealand in 1925. Originally a woollen worker (spinner), he joined the Christchurch Tramways in 1926, and later New Zealand Newspapers (publishers of the Christchurch Star-Sun). He was the president of the Tramways Union 1928-32, and later Chairman of the Tramways Board. He was on the Christchurch City Council

Christchurch City Council

The Christchurch City Council is the local government authority for Christchurch in New Zealand. It is a territorial authority elected to represent the people of Christchurch. Since 2007, the Mayor of Christchurch is Bob Parker, who stood as an independent candidate...

1933-58. He was awarded an OBE in 1973, for services to politics.