Terry McDavitt

New Zealand educator, politician and activist

Terry McDavitt

McDavitt in 1986

19th Deputy Mayor of Wellington
In office
1988–1989
Mayor| Jim Belich
Preceded by| Helene Ritchie
Succeeded by| David Watt
Wellington City Councillor
In office
1983–1992
Ward| At-large (1983-86)
Lambton (1986-92)
Personal details
Born|  (1948-01-02) 2 January 1948 (age 76)
Dannevirke, New Zealand
Political party| Labour
Other political
affiliations| Values Party
Alma mater| Victoria University of Wellington

Terry Joseph McDavitt JP (born 2 January 1948) is a New Zealand educator, politician and activist.

## Biography[edit]

### Early life[edit]

Terry McDavitt was born in Dannevirke in 1948. He was educated in Wellington at St. Patrick's College, later attending Victoria University of Wellington and graduated in 1970 with a Master of Arts degree.[1] He was an activist in his youth and organised multiple protests against the Vietnam War and apartheid.[2] In 1979 he became head of General Studies at Wellington Polytech, a position he retained until 1987, when he resigned to focus on his political career.[3][4]

McDavitt married Kate Ford in 1970 and had two children; Ruth in 1975 and Joseph in 1978. He and Ford were divorced in 1984. McDavitt married Sue Lee in 1994.[1]

### Political career[edit]

McDavitt became politically active in the early 1970s and joined the environmentalist Values Party. in 1974 he stood unsuccessfully for the Wellington City Council on a Values ticket.[5] He also served as the General Secretary of the Values Party from 1974 until 1979 when he decided to leave the party.[1]

By the 1980s McDavitt had left the Values Party and had joined the Labour Party. He stood again for the City Council in 1983 on a Labour ticket and was elected.[6][7] He transferred to the Lambton Ward in 1986 would remain on the council until 1992 when he decided not to seek re-election.[1] In 1988 he was appointed deputy to Mayor Jim Belich, holding that position until 1989 when Labour lost their majority on the council.[2]

In 1989 he was elected to the Wellington Regional Council on a Labour ticket, chairing the transport committee, and would serve for 21 years until he was defeated in 2010 standing as an independent.[8] He was the chair of both the public transport and land transport committees and also served as Deputy Chair of the Regional Council from 2001 to 2007.

## Notes[edit]

1. ^ a b c d Taylor 1998, pp. 500.
2. ^ a b Naylor, Shani (11 January 1989). "Terry McDavitt: ready when duty called". The Evening Post.
3. ^ Busby, Anita (15 May 1987). "McDavitt quits job for council". The Dominion.
4. ^ "Farewelling Polytech's Problems". The Evening Post. 10 February 1987.
5. ^ "City Council". The Dominion. 14 October 1974.
6. ^ Dawson, P.L. (25 October 1983). Declaration of Result of Election (Report). Wellington City Council.
7. ^ "Local Body Polls '83". The Evening Post. 10 October 1983.
8. ^ "2010 election results". Greater Wellington Regional Council. Retrieved 29 May 2017.

## References[edit]

* Taylor, Alister, ed. (1998). New Zealand Who's Who, 1998 edition. Auckland. ISSN 1172-9813.`{{cite book}}`: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

## External links[edit]

* Photo of McDavitt (left) as Values Party secretary

Political offices

Preceded by

Helene Ritchie

|  Deputy Mayor of Wellington
1988-1989  | Succeeded by

David Watt

New constituency |  Wellington City Councillor for Lambton Ward
1986–1992  | Succeeded by

Liz Thomas

Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI
* VIAF

National|

* United States