John James Terris, QSO

Queen's Service Order

The Queen's Service Order was established by Queen Elizabeth II on 13 March 1975, awarded by the government of New Zealand "for valuable voluntary service to the community or meritorious and faithful services to the Crown or similar services within the public sector, whether in elected or...

 (born 1939) is 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, priest and broadcaster who represented 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....

 in the New Zealand parliament

Parliament of New Zealand

The Parliament of New Zealand consists of the Queen of New Zealand and the New Zealand House of Representatives and, until 1951, the New Zealand Legislative Council. The House of Representatives is often referred to as "Parliament".The House of Representatives usually consists of 120 Members of...

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Member of Parliament

Terris was first elected as the member of Western Hutt

Western Hutt

Western Hutt was a former New Zealand Parliamentary electorate, from 1978 to 1996.-Population Centres:The main population centre in the electorate was the city of Lower Hutt in the Hutt Valley.-History:...

 in 1978. The seat was a new one, formed out of part of the Hutt electorate

Hutt (New Zealand electorate)

Hutt was a New Zealand Parliamentary electorate. It was one of the original electorates in 1853 and existed during two periods until 1978. It was represented by 13 Members of Parliament.-Population centres:...

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Terris became the opposition spokesperson on broadcasting and later held the positions of Acting Speaker, Deputy Speaker and Chairman of Committees of the House of Representatives from 1984 to 1990. In May 1990 Terris submitted a private members bill to force a binding referendum on the electoral system. His bill was defeated but a referendum eventually occurred in 1992

Electoral reform in New Zealand

Electoral reform in New Zealand has, in recent years, become a political issue as major changes have been made to both Parliamentary and local government electoral systems.- Parliamentary Electoral Reform :...

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Terris represented the electorate of Western Hutt

Western Hutt

Western Hutt was a former New Zealand Parliamentary electorate, from 1978 to 1996.-Population Centres:The main population centre in the electorate was the city of Lower Hutt in the Hutt Valley.-History:...

 in Parliament from 1978 to 1990

New Zealand general election, 1990

The 1990 New Zealand general election was held on 27 October to determine the composition of the 43rd New Zealand parliament. The governing Labour Party was defeated, ending its controversial two terms in office...

, when he was defeated by National's Joy McLauchlan, one of a number of losses contributing to the fall of the Fourth Labour Government

Fourth Labour Government of New Zealand

The Fourth Labour Government of New Zealand was the government of New Zealand from 26 July 1984 to 2 November 1990. It enacted major social and economic reforms, including reformation of the tax system. The economic reforms were known as Rogernomics after Finance Minister Roger Douglas...

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Mayor of Lower Hutt

Terris later served as the Mayor of Lower Hutt

Lower Hutt

Lower Hutt is a city in the Wellington region of New Zealand. Its council has adopted the name Hutt City Council, but neither the New Zealand Geographic Board nor the Local Government Act recognise the name Hutt City. This alternative name can lead to confusion, as there are two cities in the...

 between 1995 to 2004 as an Independent

Independent (politician)

In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...

. He is the only person ever to have been both MP and Mayor in the Hutt Valley.

In the 2010 New Zealand local body elections

New Zealand local elections, 2010

The 2010 New Zealand local elections were triennial elections to select local government officials and district health board members. All elections are conducted by postal ballot, with election day being Saturday 9 October 2010.Elected were:...

 Terris stood for the Greater Wellington Regional Council, Hutt Mana Charitable Trust and the Hutt Valley District Health Board. He was elected to the Hutt Valley District Health Board.

After politics

Terris is currently a host on Hutt Radio 106.1 FM. His early working life was in radio and television and he is an ordained Anglican priest.

He is currently the President of Media Matters in NZ, an advocacy group which campaigns against gratuitous sex and violence in the electronic media. His autobiography "Being Who You Are" was published in 2004. He is a member of the Queen's Service Order and was awarded the New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal

New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal

The New Zealand 1990 Commemorative Medal was instituted by the Queen by Royal Warrant on 9 February 1990. It was to be awarded only during 1990 to about 3,000 people selected in recognition of the contribution they have made to some aspect of New Zealand life, especially the various 1990 celebrations...

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Sources

• New Zealand Parliamentary Record 1840-1984 by J. O. Wilson (1985, Government Printer, Wellington)