Cedric Russell Marshall, CNZM

New Zealand Order of Merit

The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order established in 1996 "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have rendered meritorious service to the Crown and nation or who have become distinguished by their eminence, talents, contributions or other merits."The order includes five...

 (known as Russell Marshall, born at Nelson 1936) 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....

, who had been a Methodist minister from 1960 to 1972, and school teacher 1955–56 and 1972.

Member of Parliament

He represented the seat of Wanganui from 1972 to 1990, when he retired. He was a Cabinet Minister from 1984; Minister of Education

Department of Education (New Zealand)

The New Zealand Department of Education was, pre-1989, the public service department of the New Zealand Government responsible for pre-tertiary education...

 (1984–87), Minister of Foreign Affairs (1987–90), Minister for the Environment (1984–86), Minister of Conservation (1986–87), Minister of Disarmament and Arms Control(1987–89) and Minister of Pacific Island Affairs (1988–90).

After politics

He chaired the New Zealand National Commission for UNESCO from 1990 to 1999, represented New Zealand as representative on the UNESCO Executive Board (1995–1999) and Permanent Delegate to UNESCO (1998–2000). He was a member of the Commonwealth Observer Mission to the Lesotho elections in 1993, and chaired the Commonwealth Observer Mission to the Seychelles elections later the same year. He chaired the Commonwealth Observer Mission to South Africa (COMSA)in 1994. From 1994 to 2002 he was chairman of the international education consultancy PINZ (Polytehnics International New Zealand) and Education New Zealand from 1998 to 2002. He was High Commissioner to the United Kingdom and Nigeria and Ambassador to Ireland (2002–2005). He was a member of the Council of the Victoria University of Wellington, Pro Chancellor (1999) and Chancellor (2000–2002). In 2000-2001 he chaired the Tertiary Education Advisory Commission and was later Chairman of the Tertiary Education Commission (2005–2007). In July 2007 he was elected president of the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs.

He contested the Porirua mayoralty

Mayor of Porirua

The Mayor of Porirua is the head of the municipal government of Porirua, New Zealand, and presides over the Porirua City Council. The mayor is directly elected using a single transferable vote electoral system. As of 2010, there have been four mayors since the establishment of the borough council...

 in October 2010. He came fifth, obtaining 1263 votes (the winner, Nick Leggett

Nick Leggett

Nick Leggett is the current Mayor of Porirua. He was the youngest mayor in New Zealand at the time of his election in October 2010.-Early life:...

, received 5930 votes).