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The Otago Boys' High School Foundation
PO Box 11,
Dunedin, New Zealand
Tel +64 3 477 2546
Fax +64 3 477 5468
July newsletter –
Reunions
* The 50th Reunion of the intake of 1958 will be celebrated Dunedin over the weekend of 12th to 14th September this year.
Included in the programme are a Friday night get-together, school tour and official photos on the Saturday morning to be followed by lunch at the school and then the formal dinner on the Saturday evening, while a luncheon and farewell is scheduled for the Sunday.
Further details are available from Bob McKillop (rmmck@xtra.co.nz) or at 04/3849800.
While Bob and his team have done a terrific job in tracking almost three-quarters of those who began their secondary schooling at Otago Boys’ in 1958, just over 50 of the intake remain unaccounted for. They’re listed below and Bob would appreciate hearing of the contact details or last-known whereabouts of any of them.
Alistair James Aitchison
Clifford James Anderson
H C Anderson
Johannes Marius De Baaker
Roger Owen Barriett
Dr Murray Alexander Bathgate
Graeme Norman Bell
Eion Barry Belmer
Richard Peter Botting
N D Campbell (possibly Neil Campbell)
Brian George Clarkson
David Douglas Craig
Stewart David Davidson
Peter John Davis
Richard Donald Docherty
Stephen Charles Edson (last known about at Waikato Museum ten years ago)
Lex John Edwards
Stephen Francis Nicholas Elson
James Alexander Fowler
Robert Grant (understood to be farming near Gore)
Roger Francis Hutton
Peter Albert Edward Jack
Ronald Victor Johnston
Peter Kirkham
R D Kennedy
R D Knowles
Ian Knox
Andrew Law
Alastair Charles William MacArthur
John Matthews
Keith Mervyn Muir
Robert Wilson Murdoch
Edward Archibald Park
Jeffrey Paterson
Gavin McInnes Patterson
Noel Kenneth Patterson
Wayne Howard Patterson
Stephen Geoffrey Rea
Gary Andrew Ritchie
Lindsay John Roberts
Henry Wilson Smith
John Smith
Alistair McDonald Stewart
Colin James Stewart
Kenneth Alexander Taylor
Robert Phillip Taylor
Murray James Travis
Francis Lewis David Warren
Graeme Kingsley Warren
Douglas Ian Montrose Watson
Earl Graham Weaver
Ross David Wheeler
John Charles Wilson
Peter Richard Anderson
Website Business Directory
* The Foundation’s website Business Directory continues to generate profile and activity for our advertisers.
This month we welcome Jeremy Craw (Metro Realty), Chatsford (Malcolm Hendry) and Stephen Johnston (Johnston Realty) to the Directory. Jeremy attended Otago Boys’ 1990-94 and is the son of Gavin Craw (1961-65), Malcolm served for several years as a School Board of Trustees member while Stephen attended 1972-75.
A number of other businesses are contemplating an involvement and the Foundation looks forward to their participation.
The website’s viewer numbers increase each month – in the last four weeks 2,546 people have visited the site, viewing 12,867 pages (an average of 5.05 pages per visit) and are staying on the site for three and a half minutes. Since our tracking began in September last year, the site has received 20,533 visits, with pages viewed numbering 80,517 and the average time on site being two minutes 37 seconds.
So numbers are increasing monthly, as are pages viewed and – as a consequence – the length of time on site is also up by a full minute. That means the viewing of advertisers’ banners and the Business Directory clicks-through to their own websites is on the increase.
Those wishing to discuss this advertising avenue are invited to make contact with the Foundation office. Advertisers do not need to be Old Boys’ or have connections with the school … this is an opportunity open to all parties.
Tracking Old Boys
* Our thanks to all those who have come forward with contact details for ‘lost’ Old Boys after the request for information in last month’s newsletter. This is greatly appreciated.
However, we still need your help.
With the 150th celebrations now just five years away, it is imperative we know the whereabouts of each and every living Old Boy, so any information you are able to supply would be welcome.
Please look through the Class Lists on the Home Page of the Foundation’s website (www.obhsfoundation.co.nz) where you can see who is on the database and who isn’t.
An email and/or postal address for the ‘lost’ boys to either the Foundation office (03/4778977 or info@obhsfoundation.co.nz) or to our tracking man Lawrie Currie (1957-62) at lawrie-denise@xtra.co.nz would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Foundation members
* Since the June newsletter, the following Old Boys and connections with the school have made pledges or donations and have been registered as Members of the Foundation –
150th anniversary celebrations – now just five years away
* As noted above, the school’s sesquicentennial will be celebrated in August 2013 and moves are underway to ensure the success of this marvelous milestone in the history of Otago Boys’.
Under the guidance of the Old Boys’ Society, a programme befitting the occasion will be developed, organised and hosted and the first steps are being taken now.
Anyone interested in being involved in the 150th sub-committee is invited to contact Old Boys’ Society President Norcombe Barker (1982-86) on + 64 3 4761616 or through his email address - nork@larnachcastle.co.nz
2008 Founder’s Day
* The 2008 Founder's Day luncheon will be staged at the historic Carey's Bay Hotel on Sunday, 3rd August, starting at noon.
Those wishing to dine should make their booking directly with the hotel (03/4728022) by Friday, 1st August.
All Old Boys, former Masters and friends of the school are most welcome. There is no registration fee and live music is scheduled from 1.30p.m.
The one item on the agenda relates to the possibility of fundraising for a memorial to Sir Keith Park to be erected in the school grounds.
All enquiries should be directed to Magnus Sinclair (03/4727508).
Congratulations
* Damian Scarf (1996-2000), a doctoral student at the University of Otago, has gained a joint Fulbright and New Zealand Government award valued about $30,000 to study pigeons in New York.
By learning more about how the birds’ brains worked, it was also hoped to learn more about the mechanisms involved in human memory, Damian said this week.
In turn, this could eventually contribute to improved approaches to rehabilitation for patients who had experienced brain damage arising from accidents or disease.
Last week he attended a celebration at the Beehive, in Wellington, marking the 60th anniversary of Fulbright links with New Zealand.
‘‘It’s an amazing opportunity to go to the United States and work with someone who’s a leader in my field,’’ Damian said.
‘‘My supervisor, [Otago psychologist Associate Prof Mike Colombo] and the guy I’m going to work with, Prof Herbert Terrace, at Columbia University, New York, are the two leaders in the field, and it’s the best thing that could happen.”
Damian completed a BSc in zoology at Otago in 2006, and is studying for an Otago doctorate in psychology, focusing on ‘‘serial order’’ behaviour in carrier pigeons.
The birds signal their recall of five item sequences by lightly pecking a computer touch screen. Carrier pigeons were chosen not because they were smarter than other pigeons or because of their formidable homing abilities, but because they were more used to interacting with humans.
His experiments aimed to show how the pigeons cognitively represented list information, in the absence of language.
Damian leaves Dunedin in November to spend seven months working with Prof Terrace in his New York laboratory, before returning to complete his doctorate at Otago.
Fulbright awards aim to advance mutual understanding by promoting academic links between scholars in the United States and many overseas countries.
Old Boys in the news
* New Zealand’s ‘‘special tone of voice’’ when writing hymns will be one characteristic Emeritus Professor Colin Gibson (1946-50) will discuss at international hymn society conferences next month.
Colin has been invited to speak at a hymn society conference in Berkeley, California, and the British Hymn Society in Liverpool, England.
The invitations are the result of his work editing a New Zealand and Australian history of hymn writing and composing for an update of a 19th century European dictionary of hymns, which would soon include writings from around the world.
‘‘It’ll be a monster volume of well over 1,000 pages,’’ he said.
Colin has been working on the project for five years, detailing not only the history but also biographies of writers and the backgrounds of significant hymns, like his own He Came Singing Love or Kapiti writer Shirley Murray’s Brother, Sister Let Me Serve You.
The dictionary was due to be published early next year by Canterbury Press in England and Eerdman’s Press, United States.
At the conference in Liverpool, Colin will speak about New Zealand hymn writers’ special voice and how they slowly broke away from the habit of copying the English to develop their own plain and natural way of writing.
‘‘We emerged from the shadow to stand tall with a special tone of voice,’’ he said.
Hymns featured things special to New Zealanders, such as dolphins and the concern for the natural world. At the United States conference, which would be attended by several thousand composers, writers and publishers from North America, he planned to talk about how New Zealand hymn writers had tried to honour our native language.
‘‘New Zealand has been at the forefront. Pakeha cheerfully sing in Maori just as Pakeha hymns are sung by Maori.’’
They also showed New Zealanders’ social alertness by dealing with issues of justice and equality, as well as their keen interest in ecology and landscape.
* Ten years ago, a gangling rugby playing teenager arrived in Dunedin from Edinburgh on an exchange visit to spend a year, which lengthened into almost two, at Otago Boys' High School.
Tom Palmer (1996-97) was in the same boarding house and first XV as one Richie McCaw (1994-98) and they became friends. Tom was sometimes a guest at the McCaw family farm, where they invariably messed about on motorbikes, and they could have been All Blacks team-mates last month instead of confronting each other when England attempted to win in New Zealand for only the third time.
Tom thrived in the tough, demanding environment Down Under. He played for New Zealand Schools against Wales in 1997 alongside Jerry Collins, Aaron Mauger and Carl Hayman and was invited to stay on, but his visa ran out and he returned to Britain to read physics at the University of Leeds. His story has echoes of that of Martin Johnson. England's most successful captain and new team manager could have been an All Black after making an impression with King Country and appearing for New Zealand Under-21.
Tom’s trip to Dunedin was arranged through Boroughmuir High School in Edinburgh, where the London-born youngster and his family moved when his father became Chief Executive of the Citizens Advice Bureau service in Scotland.
“I got a real insight into New Zealand's rugby psyche,” Tom says as he remembers his time in the South Island.
“In Edinburgh I was at a comprehensive school and we played against the public school second XVs. Here I was playing in the under-21 competition. All the local clubs saw us as the privileged posh boys and were keen to give us a good kicking.”
McCaw, who was in the year below Palmer, has similar memories.
“They hated losing to schoolboys. A fair bit of rucking went on. It hardened you up.
“At the time we knew Tom as a Scotsman; it was quite interesting when I saw him turn out for England. Playing in the mud and stuff down in Dunedin, he turned into a pretty good player and has obviously carried that on. He's a good fella and turned into a bit of a mate. We've kept in touch over the years and we say g'day whenever I go over there. It’s interesting to play against him. Never thought I would ten years ago.”
Richie has gone on to become New Zealand captain and has been lauded as currently the best in his position in the rugby world. Tom, on the other hand, has had a stop-start international career, winning only eight caps since his debut in 2001, the most recent before his two appearances last month being more than a year ago. Having played for Scotland Under-21 while at university, Palmer threw his lot in with England when joining the Leeds academy.
He moved to Wasps in 2006 and his part in the club's Guinness Premiership success in May has given him a kick-start after the disappointment of being culled from England's preliminary 2007 World Cup squad.
* Phil Shaw (1991-92) has a part-time job that’s just a little bit different.
He’s a ball spotter.
Working for Dunedin’s world-acclaimed Animation Research Ltd at the United States Golf Open at Torrey Pines in California last week, Phil was hit on the forehead by a wayward Phil Mickelson shot off the first tee. It earned him seven stitches and a valuable souvenir.
But it was embarrassment rather than concussion which followed the misdirected whack.
‘‘It made a hell of a noise. And there was heaps of blood. The first 30 seconds I just held my head. But it didn’t really hurt,’’ Phil said.
‘It was sort of embarrassing. The Americans went a bit overboard yelling out: ‘Man down’, and a guy pushing through saying ‘I’m a paramedic’.’’
Phil, who is group fitness manager at Les Mills, said he only stayed on the ground at the insistence of his Animation Research boss, Ian Taylor, who thought Mickelson would give him something to apologise and compensate him. He was right. The No 2-ranked golfer in the world asked if he was all right and then gave him a signed golf glove, also writing the word ‘‘SORRY’’ on it.
With blood still pouring out of the wound, Phil was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment to his cut.
‘‘I was sitting there and they were replaying the shot on the TV. These people were saying: ‘That’s him, the guy who is on TV’ and pointing to me. It was on YouTube within five minutes.’’
His job as a ball-spotter is to get beside the driven ball as quickly as possible, and, with a GPS system on his back, enable the ball’s position to be sent back to a computer to create graphics for television coverage. The seven handicapper suffered no ill-effects from the stray shot, and said he was itching to cover the British Open at Royal Birkdale next month.
‘‘It was the first time in 90 tournaments I have been struck. They have this thing called ‘June gloom’ over there and it was hard to spot. I lost it in the sky.’’
Shorts
* Congratulations to Foundation Board member and President of the Otago High School Old Boys’ Society Norcombe Barker (1982-86) and his partner Jane Butterfield on the birth of their daughter.
Lilly May arrived on June 26th. Mum and daughter are well. Dad is, apparently, tired.
* The organisers of Otago’s $5 million mini-Winter Olympics have revised their athlete targets upwards from 600 to 800 and are planning for a flood of elite snow sports competitors to the region in September 2009.
Winter Games New Zealand Trust chief executive Arthur Klap (1965-68) said recently the recent endorsement of the games by the international snow sports governing body, FIS, at a congress in South Africa, meant athlete targets could be revised by 30%.
The adjustment was the result of positive feedback from five individual snow sports committees and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC).
Pacific Rim delegates visited Otago in March to view the venues. They indicated teams from their countries would use the games as a test event to qualify for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
* Grant Bowie (1971-1975), has been appointed President of MGM Grand Paradise Ltd in Macau, the role beginning on 1 August.
The position entails responsibility for the overall management, strategic development, expansion and all of the joint company’s activities in Macau.
Grant is a veteran in managing market-leading gaming and hotel properties. After almost 20 years with Conrad Jupiters Golf Coast, Grant’s final position in Australia was the company’s senior Vice-President for the Australian region. From 2003 to 2007, he was based in Macau, Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China, filing the role of President and General Manager of Wynn Macau.
The MGM Grand Macau is a 600-room, 35-storey hotel which rises over 150 metres above the South China Sea waterfront. Separated into three distinct segments as the building rises skywards, it projects three brilliant shades of gold. It was built at a cost of $US1.25 billion.
Grant is a Fellow member of the Foundation as well as having taken out the Old Boys’ life membership option.
* Bruce Didham (1962-65) was recently honoured with a life membership and gold star for 25 years’ service as a volunteer fireman.
Bruce, a former assistant principal at Tahuna Normal Intermediate in Dunedin (the school’s principal being Brent Ward, 1967-71), is now a fulltime ambulance officer and is the Portobello Volunteer Fire Brigade’s chief fire officer. He started his volunteer career with Waiwera South ‘‘to make up the numbers’’, before transferring to Portobello after two years.
In his 25 years of service the role of volunteer firefighters had changed greatly, with their work now including motor vehicle accidents and search and rescues as well as fires. Having attended hundreds of incidents, over the last quarter of a century, Bruce recalls two particular incidents.
One was playing a part in the rescue of 30 stranded pilot whales at Victory Beach in the 1980s and the other, more funny, stories was when he was dampening down a house which had been destroyed in Seal Point Road on the Otago Peninsula with the help of a dog which urinated on the ashes of the house as the volunteers were hosing them down.
* Rob Lawson (1988-91) calls it the ‘‘Craig Norgate factor’’.
The East Otago farmer and Otago chairman of Federated Farmers meat and fibre section, and former Otago cricket captain, said one reason he was initially supportive of PGG Wrightson buying 50% of Dunedin meat co-operative Silver Fern Farms (SFF) was the involvement of businessman and PGG Wrightson chairman, Craig Norgate.
‘‘I am cautiously optimistic. I can see some really positive things, and one of those is the business acumen of Craig Norgate and the PGG Wrightson team.’’
Other factors the Merton farmer saw as favourable were the injection of $220 million from PGG Wrightson; the move to an integrated supply chain linking consumers with farmers; the potential for industry rationalisation; and the market focus the investment would encourage.
Where are they now?
* In August 2007, Barry Don (1956-58) realised a long-held desire to hunt with bow and arrow in Africa.
An avid bowhunter since his teens in Dunedin, and currently with three United States hunts for elk and whitetail deer under his belt, this latest 'adventure of a lifetime' had Barry being hosted and guided by hugely accomplished outfitters 'Greater Kuduland Safaris' in South Africa's Northern Transvaal.
Enjoying fantastic weather, Barry and partner Adele spent two magical weeks absorbing the sights, sounds and smells of the Dark Continent.
Most of the hunting was done from blinds at waterholes, where an ability to be super quiet, ever alert and extremely patient for hours on end is essential.
Barry admits that these attributes were possibly not always too evident during his time at Otago Boys’ High School.
As well as his bow, Barry's digital video camera was always close at hand, the resultant six hours of memorable footage nicely complementing and recording the tangible experience.
Two trophy size impala antelope and an impressively tusked warthog fell to Barry's 63lb pull longbow with the mounted specimens shortly due to be shipped to Barry’s home in Nelson from the South African taxidermist.
Interestingly, Barry views any hunting success pretty much as a bonus.
"It's just being 'out there', attempting to meet all of the challenges associated with the physical and mental aspects of bow hunting that's the thing.
“With this particular trip, simply experiencing Africa and its incredible game animals up close and personal was exciting and rewarding enough in itself."
So where to next? "Alaska is beckoning", says Barry.
School news
* The Otago Boys’ High School Rugby Club website is well worth a visit for those who follow the game.
Included are draws, results and photographs.
The address is – www.obhsrugby.org.nz
North Canterbury Old Boys’ Society annual meeting
* The next North Canterbury (Christchurch) Old Boys’ Society function will be held on Tuesday, 5th August in the Christchurch Club, 154 Worcester Street, Christchurch – beginning at 5.30p.m.
This function will double as the branch Annual Meeting with kindred schools also invited.
August 5th is the same day the annual interschool against Christchurch Boys’ will be contested in the Garden City.
Those wishing to attend should contact North Canterbury branch treasurer David McNab (work: 03/3660169 or email: mcnabdw@xtra.co.nz
Winter interschool results from the last month
vs Christ’s in Dunedin on June 18th –
Small bore - Christ’s 734.8, Otago Boys’ 729.8
Basketball - Otago Boys’ 96, Christ’s 45
Squash - Otago Boys’ 4, Christ’s 1
Debating - Otago Boys’ 253, Christ’s 252
Theatre sports - Otago Boys’ 34, Christ’s 34
Football - Otago Boys’ 3, Christ’s 0
Hockey - Otago Boys’ 9, Christ’s 3
2nd XV rugby - Christ’s 12, Otago Boys’ 11
1st XV rugby - Otago Boys’ 13, Christ’s 5
Overall - Otago Boys’ 6, Christ’s 2, 1 draw
vs Timaru Boys’ in Timaru on June 25th –
Badminton - Otago Boys’ 6-nil
Basketball - Otago Boys’ 94-52
Debating - Otago Boys’ won
Golf - Otago Boys’ won by 66 strokes
Hockey - Otago Boys’ 20-2
Football - Timaru Boys’ won 6-nil
Squash - Timaru Boys’ won 5-nil
Trap shooting - Otago Boys’ 226-221
Cross country - Otago Boys won both the senior and junior races
Rugby - Timaru Boys’ 43-5
Overall - Otago Boys’ 8, Timaru Boys 3
vs King’s on July 4th –
Badminton:
Senior: 3-3 (King's win on count-back 8-6)
Junior: Otago Boys’ 4-2
Chess: King's 61/2 to 51/2
Cross Country:
Senior: Otago Boys’28 to 30 (smallest score wins)
Junior: Otago Boys’ 25 to 30
Hockey: Otago Boys’ 11-nil
Mountain Biking: Otago Boys’ 12-5
Rugby:
1st XV: Otago Boys’ 25, King’s 0
U16: Otago Boys’ 33, King's Lions26
U15: King'sPanthers 26, Otago Boys’ Blue24
U15: King's Wildcats44,Otago Boys’ Blue 7
U14: Otago Boys’ White 39, King's Panthers3
U14: Otago Boys’ 22, King's Wildcats15
U13: Otago Boys’ 22, King's Pumas10
Football:
1st XI: Otago Boys’ 2, King’s 0
2nd XI: Otago Boys’ 4, King’s 2
Year 9: Otago Boys’ 7, King’s 0
Squash: 3-3
Yachting: King's 2, Otago Boys’ 1
Basketball:
1sts: Otago Boys’ 79, King’s 54
Year 10: Otago Boys’ 82, King's 22
In Profile
* Stephen Guest (1962-66) is the Professor of Legal Philosophy at University College, London.
Stephen graduated with honours in both Philosophy (1971) and Law (1973) from the University of Otago and taught logic for two years for the Philosophy Department while still an undergraduate before studying with Ronald Dworkin at University College, Oxford.
He currently chairs with Dworkin the distinguished and internationally well-known annual Colloquia in Legal and Social Philosophy at UCL. He is also staff editor of the UCL Jurisprudence Review, the annual student law journal he founded in 1994. A barrister and solicitor of the New Zealand High Court, and barrister of the Inner Temple, he wrote significant opinions for the defence in the Privy Council of the David Bain murder case and for the Public Defender in the Pitcairn Island sexual abuse case.
Stephen’s research is in legal and political philosophy, particularly on the question of justification in legal reasoning and the relationship between justice, interpretation and laws. He has a strong belief in the academic importance of legal education, particularly its interdisciplinary content, and the effectiveness of distance learning. His well-known book Ronald Dworkin appeared in its second edition in 1997. Amongst other work, he has published in Public Law on constitutional problems of legal revolution, the Law Quarterly Review on hearsay evidence, the Journal of Medical Ethics on the rights of the subjects of medical research, Revue Internationale de Philosophie on the idea of law as justice, to which Dworkin has published a reply, Acta Juridica on equality and legal reasoning, and the University of Queensland Law Journal on judicial policy-making. He has recently produced work shortly to be published on objectivity in value, the implication of moral theory for political stability and environmental sustainability, legality and Fullerian reciprocity on Pitcairn Island, and his father's experience as a POW lecturing on the University of London External degree programme in Stalag IVB in Muhlberg, Germany, and Campo 52 in Chiavari, Italy.
In August 1998, Stephen gave his father's 30th anniversary lecture (the FW Guest Memorial lecture) at the University of Otago entitled 'Freedom and Status Revisited: Where Equality Fits In' which is published in the Otago Law Review 1999. His inaugural lecture, ''Why the Law is Just', was published in Current Legal Problems 2000 and received a spirited but unsuccessful attack from Paul Johnson in The Spectator. In 2004, he delivered the Sir Frank Kitto lecture in Armidale, NSW, at the University of New England. He also has been on Radio 4's Unreliable Evidence with Clive Anderson and Lord Bingham. In 2001, UCL awarded him the distinguished teaching award for the Faculty of Laws.
In 1987, he was Visiting Scholar at New York University Law School and Visiting Researcher at Harvard Law School. He was again Visiting Scholar at NYU for 1996. In both 2005 and 2006, he was Visiting Professor in Jurisprudence in the Faculty of Law at the University of Otago. At UCL, he was Sub-Dean and Faculty Tutor (1980-85), Secretary to the Bentham Committee (1982-87), Vice-Dean and Deputy Head of Department (1993-1995), Convener of the MA in Legal and Political Theory (1995-2000), Director of Research Students (2004-2006), and Legal Member of the University College & Hospital Research Ethics Committee (1985-1999). For many years he was the Convener of the internal UCL LLB and the internal federal University of London LLM programmes in Jurisprudence & Legal Theory, and the Convener and Chief examiner for the London External LLB and LLM in Jurisprudence & Legal Theory. For over ten years, he was the Convener and Chief Examiner of the Law of Evidence for the London External LLB, and he published study guides in that subject for the University of London, as well as in Jurisprudence & Legal Theory for the LLB and LLM.
He plays the violin and was formerly a founder member of the Dunedin Civic Orchestra, a violinist in the New Zealand National Youth Orchestra for seven years, an active member of the Dunedin Opera Company, and was twice a finalist in the New Zealand Chamber Music Federation competition. He was President of the OUSA Music Union 1968-1971 and Board member of the Dunedin Chamber Music society. He was also a violinist in the Oxford University orchestra, the Univ. orchestra, UCL opera and orchestra, and others. He has performed many times at the UCL & Hospital Chamber Music Society. His other main interests are painting, for which he won a prize at the New Zealand Universities Arts Festival in 1968, and hunting deer in the South Island.
* Andrew Geddis (1985-89) is an Associate Professor of Law at the University of Otago.
Andrew completed his undergraduate work at the University of Otago, studying law and political studies. In 1996 he was awarded a Fulbright scholarship to Harvard Law School, where he completed his LLM degree. In 2000 he returned to Otago to take up a lecturing position. He was appointed an Associate Professor in 2007.
He currently teaches Public Law at the 200 level, as well as the 300-400 level papers “Law and the Democratic Process” and “Bills of Rights: Theory and Practice”. In addition, he is the coordinator for the second year course. His research interests lie in the field of public law, rights jurisprudence and democratic theory, with a particular focus on the legal regulation of elections.
Andrew is a member of the Legislation Advisory Committee, and has provided advice on several occasions to parliament’s Justice and Electoral Committee and Privileges Committee. He is also a regular contributor to the opinion pages of the country’s newspapers.
In the latest edition of the University of Otago alumni magazine, Andrew contribution a thought-provoking article, entitled ‘The Electoral Finance Act and knee jerk legislation’. It makes for fascinating treading and, with Andrew’s permission, is reproduced here:
New Zealand's electoral law is like the knee. When it works, you do not even notice it is there. But damaging it can seriously disrupt your every day life.
Unfortunately, if I may extend the metaphor, this country recently has suffered the equivalent to a torn ACL. The Electoral Finance Act 2007, enacted in response to perceived problems with election funding at the2005 election, has become the focus of much public angst.
Political parties trade accusations over who has breached the law on a weekly, if not daily, basis. Media organisations, most notably the New Zealand Herald, are campaigning actively against the legislation. Every decision on how the law applies is scrutinised and critiqued from all corners.
Of course, the Electoral Finance Act always was going to be controversial.
The balance it attempts to strike between the important democratic values of freedom of participation and general equality of influence is open to reasonable dispute. Furthermore, politicians have a vested interest when it comes to designing election rules, so their motivations in this area always are questionable.
Nevertheless, the level of current dispute, as well as its acrimonious nature, is concerning. First, it indicates that a significant portion of those directly involved in the election process (as well as the voting public more generally) do not believe the basic ground-rules the Electoral Finance Act sets for our election campaigns are fair.
Belief in the fairness of the election rules is a necessary prerequisite for accepting the final election result. It is why the losers at the polls consent to the winner gaining public power, even though they may violently disagree with the winner's substantive policies and goals. When this belief is threatened, it undermines the whole point and purpose of elections.
Second, unhappiness with the rules contained in the Electoral Finance Act is leading some to question the actions of those charged with overseeing and administering them. In particular, the Electoral Commission’s actions have been challenged repeatedly, with an underlying message that this agency is either partisan or incompetent.
Such messages, although demonstrably untrue, undermine public trust in the way our election process is run. Losing this trust would be a disaster. A society that does not think its elections are conducted in an honest and fair fashion ends up in a situation like Kenya or Zimbabwe find themselves in today.
Of course, any claim that the Electoral Finance Act is going to destroy New Zealand's democracy is silly. Even the opponents of that legislation’s limits on third party election expenses would not put them in the same league as stuffing ballot boxes or beating up rival supporters. But the Electoral Finance Act has caused damage to our electoral process that now needs fixing. How we might now undertake that restorative project depends in part on how the damage was caused in the first place.
A good portion of the blame for the present situation lies with the legislation’s authors. While the actions of the Exclusive Brethren and like during the 2005 election campaign gave the Labour-led Government legitimate reasons to consider changing our electoral laws, the way it went about enacting those reforms was ill-considered and overly rushed.
The normal parliamentary process for considering and enacting law misfired with regards the Electoral Finance Act. This failure has important flow-on consequences.
For one thing, it is hard to see how Parliament alone can now put the matter right. The level of vitriol that Electoral Finance Act has attracted means any replacement legislation promoted by any political party likely will be attacked as equally partisan.
It is questionable whether even a set of measures recommended by outside experts could now generate broad respect and agreement. The selection of those experts, and the terms of reference given to them, would be subject to intensive scrutiny and questioning.
Given this situation, the best way forward may be to put the issue of election funding directly to the New Zealand public. Canada’s recent use of citizens’ assemblies to address issues of electoral reform provides a model for how this could be done. A randomly selected, representative group of voters from around the country would be charged with deciding how to regulate the issue of electoral financing. Over a series of weeks, they would engage in a process of education on the topic, as well as hear submissions from interested persons or groups, before collectively deciding on the best way forwards.
Their recommendations then would provide a signal as to how ordinary, fully informed New Zealanders want their electoral processes to work. It would then be a brave, or particularly mendacious, government that would dare ignore such a message.
Simply put, the politicians have had their turn at making rules for New Zealand’s elections. It is time for the voters to have theirs.
Lost contacts
* Thank you to those who have helped with tracking recently 'found' Old Boys who have again slipped out of sight.
The following Old Boys have slipped off our contact list in the last few weeks, in most cases their email address bouncing back, and any help in finding them would be appreciated:
Steve Rogers (1974-78), last address being in Glamorgan, Wales.
Murray Foster (1977-81), last address was Dublin, Ireland.
Nick Gibson (1968-73), last address being Wellington, New Zealand.
Peter McKay (1970-73), last address being Christchurch, New Zealand
Clynton Cochrane (1962-65), last address being Hanmer Springs, Canterbury
And, as noted in the June newsletter, we’re still looking for –
Graeme Wilson (1976-79), last known address being Dunedin
Allan Cockerill (1990-94), last known address being Wellington
Steve Dunbar (1987-91), last known to be living in Australia
Paul Johnston (1984-88)
Wayne Smallman (1963), last known as living in France
Donald Boyd (1967-69), last known as living in Dunedin
Recent deaths
* We extend our condolences to the families of the following Old Boys –
Garry John Bradshaw (1956-59), died in Queenstown on 4th June 2008, aged 66. Garry was well known in the stock and station industry, working for much of his career with Dalgety New Zealand Ltd and, more latterly, was an enthusiastic member of the Wakatipu Trails Trust.
Graham Keith McKenzie (1944-48), died in Auckland on 8th June 2008, aged 77.
Maurice Shaw Jones (1934-39), died in Dunedin on 11th June 2008, aged 86. Maurice was the father of Geoffrey Jones (1977-81) and was a Master at Otago Boys’ from 1962 to 1981 and coached rowing at the school for 34 years. Maurice was synonymous with rowing – being a Life member of the Otago Rowing Association and the New Zealand Secondary Schools' Rowing Association, receiving a service award blazer from New Zealand Rowing in 1978 and being awarded a QSM for services to rowing. He wrote the centennial history of the Otago Rowing Association in 1993 and the centennial and 125th histories of the Otago Rowing Club. As a competitor Maurice was a very fine coxswain and the Maurice Jones Cup is awarded to the winner of the under 18 boys’ double sculls at the annual secondary schools’ nationals.
James Henry Kilner (1929-32), died in Oamaru on 15th June 2008, aged 92. James was the brother of the late Bill Kilner (1923-25). He was one of the founding members of the Otago Sports Car Club and a founding member of the North Otago Vintage Farm Machinery Club.
Robert Murray Botting (1952-56), died in Nelson on 17th June 2008.
Fergus (Walter Fergus) McCay (1931-32), died in Christchurch on 22nd June 2008, aged 90. In his younger years Fergus was a member of the Otago Hospital Board and a St Kilda Borough Councillor.
Allan William Buchan (1930-32), died in Dunedin on 2nd July 2008, aged 92.
* We also extend our sympathies to –
David Bell(1982-86), whose father Russell died inDunedin on 15th October 2007.
Frank Zewald (1960-62), whose father Jack died in Durban, South Africa on 21st May 2008.
Hayden Craw (1999-2003), Lachie Craw (2001-05) and Rowan Craw (Year 12), whose grandmother Lola Craw died in Akaroa on 31st May 2008.
Michael Chesney (1980-84), whose grandmother Noni Chesney died in Mosgiel on 9th June 2008. Noni was the widow of Tom Chesney (1923-24).
Peter Hall (1973-75), Logan Hall (1998-2001), Blair Hall (2001-2003), Riley Hall (Year 11) and Matthew Hall (Year 9), whose father and grandfather George Hall died in Mosgiel on 11th June 2008.
Spencer Evans (1985-89), whose father Denis died in Wellington on 11th June 2008.
Colin Lind (1953-57), Leonard Lind (1955-57) and Arthur Lind (1966-68), whose father Arthur died in Dunedin on 12th June 2008. Arthur was also the father of the late Robert Lind (1956-57) and the grandfather of Rikki Lind (1980-83).
Scott McEwing (1985-89), whose grandfather Hardy McEwing died in Dunedin on 13th June 2008.
Ray Baddock (1963-66), whose mother-in-law Win Wells died in Mosgiel on 13th June 2008.
Stephen Heffernan (1984-88), whose mother Edith died in Middlemarch on 16th June 2008.
Garett Shore (1985-89) and Luke Shore (1994-98), whose grandfather Keith Shore died in Wanaka on 17th June 2008.
Stewart Hamilton (1966-69), whose mother Ethel died in Clyde on 17th June 2008. Ethel was the sister-in-law of Stewart McKnight (1947-52) and the aunt of Richard McKnight (1972-76) and Ken McKnight (1978-82).
Brett Aitcheson (1999-2002), Shaun Aitcheson (1999-2002) and Kirk Aitcheson (2001-04) whose grandmother Stella Aitcheson died in Dunedin on 22nd June 2008.
Rob Duffy, Head of Music at Otago Boys’, whose father Thomas died in Dunedin on 25th June 2008. Thomas was the Physical Education master and hockey coach at Otago Boys’ (1947-49) before embarking on a career as a primary school principal, and he was the father-in-law of Kenneth Calder (1966-69).
Brian Olsen (1975-76) whose sister-in-law Widy Olsen died at Port Kembla Hospital in New South Wales, Australia on 26th June 2008.
Ian Knowles (1955-57) and Alan Knowles (1959-61) whose father Gordon died in Dunedin on 27 June 2008.
Dennis Crosado (1949-50) whose son Craig died in Christchurch on 29th June 2008.
Robert Powe (1964-65) whose mother-in-law Jessie Clearwater died in Dunedin on 29th June 2008.
Michael Hudson (1961-65) and Paul Hudson (1962-66) whose mother Nan died in Dunedin on 29th June 2008.
Garry Jenkins (1978-82) whose father Bill died in Dunedin on 1st July 2008.
Alex Boag (1951-53) whose wife Kathleen died in Clyde on 1st July 2008.
Steve Davie
Chief Executive
