Peter John Gresham ONZM, JP

Justice of the Peace

A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...

 (born 7 July 1933) is a former 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. He was an MP from 1990 to 1999, representing the National Party

New Zealand National Party

The New Zealand National Party is the largest party in the New Zealand House of Representatives and in November 2008 formed a minority government with support from three minor parties.-Policies:...

.

Early life

Gresham was born in Geraldine in 1933 and attended Geraldine (Primary) School and St. Kevins College

St. Kevin's College, Oamaru

St Kevin's College in Oamaru, New Zealand was founded in 1927. It is a Catholic school run by the Christian Brothers and Dominican Sisters for boaders and day students...

 in Oamaru

Oamaru

Oamaru , the largest town in North Otago, in the South Island of New Zealand, is the main town in the Waitaki District. It is 80 kilometres south of Timaru and 120 kilometres north of Dunedin, on the Pacific coast, and State Highway 1 and the railway Main South Line connects it to both...

. Before entering politics, Gresham was an accountant.

Political career

Gresham was first elected to Parliament in the 1990 elections

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...

 as MP for Waitotara

Waitotara (New Zealand electorate)

Waitotara is a former New Zealand Parliamentary electorate, in South Taranaki.-Population Centres:The electorate is rural, in South Taranaki. It is based on the town of Waitotara, and is north of the city of Wanganui.-History:...

, and then re-elected in the 1993 elections

New Zealand general election, 1993

The 1993 New Zealand general election was held on 6 November 1993 to determine the composition of the 44th New Zealand Parliament. It saw the governing National Party, led by Jim Bolger, win a second term in office, despite a major swing back towards the Labour Party. The new Alliance and New...

. At the 1996 election

New Zealand general election, 1996

The 1996 New Zealand general election was held on 12 October 1996 to determine the composition of the 45th New Zealand Parliament. It was notable for being the first election to be held under the new Mixed Member Proportional electoral system, and produced a parliament considerably more diverse...

, the bulk of his Waitotara seat was merged with Wanganui to create the new seat of Whanganui

Whanganui (New Zealand electorate)

Whanganui is a New Zealand parliamentary electorate. It was first established in 1855 for the 2nd Parliament and has existed continuously since then.It is currently held by Chester Borrows MP.-Population centres:...

, and Gresham was defeated by Jill Pettis

Jill Pettis

Marjorie Jill Pettis is a New Zealand politician, and a member of the Labour Party.Pettis became MP for Whanganui in the 1993 elections, but in 2005 she narrowly lost the seat to Chester Borrows. She was returned to Parliament however as a list MP...

 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....

. Gresham remained in Parliament as a list MP, but retired at the 1999 elections

New Zealand general election, 1999

The 1999 New Zealand general election was held on 27 November 1999 to determine the composition of the 46th New Zealand Parliament. The governing National Party, led by Prime Minister Jenny Shipley, was defeated, being replaced by a coalition of Helen Clark's Labour Party and the smaller Alliance...

. In 1993-1996, he served as Minister of Social Welfare and Minister of Senior Citizens.

Life outside of politics

In 2002, Gresham was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (O.N.Z.M.) and is a Knight of Malta.

He now has 12 Grandchildren: Hugo, Freddie, Lily, Angus, Lucy, Sarah, Isac, Samuel, Oscar, Rosie, Jonty and Greer. Also he has 2 step-Grandchildren: Eliot and Rosa Faulkner