Bob White (mayor)

Robert Howard White QSO CStJ JP (25 December 1914 – 4 January 2006) was a New Zealand local-body politician.

For other people named Robert White, see Robert White (disambiguation).

Bob White
QSO CStJ JP
Mayor of Papatoetoe
In office
1965–1986
Preceded byLee Murdoch
Succeeded byAllan Brewster
Personal details
Born
Robert Howard White

(1914-12-25)25 December 1914
Auckland, New Zealand
Died4 January 2006(2006-01-04) (aged 91)

Biography

Born in Auckland on 25 December 1914, White was the son of Amy Charlotte and Alfred Horace White.[1] He was educated at Seddon Memorial Technical College from 1927 to 1930.[1] In 1941, he married Kitty Gwendolyn Mawkes, and the couple went on to have three children.[1]

White served in the Royal New Zealand Air Force.[2]

White was mayor of Papatoetoe from 1965 to 1986.[3] During his tenure in the 1970s, he advocated for a rapid-rail system connecting South Auckland with Auckland City. In 1981 he successfully called for the inclusion of photographs on drivers licenses in an effort to reduce fraud.[4]

In 1977, White received the Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal.[5] In the 1982 New Year Honours, he was made a Queen's Service Order for public services.[6] In 1975, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of St John,[7] and in 1985 he was promoted to Commander of the Order of St John.[8] In 1990, White was awarded the New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal.[1]

Robert White Park in Papatoetoe is named after White.[9]

References
  1. Taylor, Alister; Coddington, Deborah (1994). Honoured by the Queen – New Zealand. Auckland: New Zealand Who's Who Aotearoa. p. 391. ISBN 0-908578-34-2.
  2. "Robert Howard White". Online Cenotaph. Auckland War Memorial Museum. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
  3. Barber, Fiona (14 January 2006). "Obituary: Robert White". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 12 May 2013.
  4. "Obituary: Robert White". New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  5. Taylor, Alister; Coddington, Deborah (1994). Honoured by the Queen – New Zealand. Auckland: New Zealand Who's Who Aotearoa. p. 434. ISBN 0-908578-34-2.
  6. "No. 48839". The London Gazette (3rd supplement). 31 December 1981. p. 40.
  7. London Gazette, No. 46574, 16 May 1975. Retrieved 12 May 2013.
  8. London Gazette, No. 50023, 31 January 1985. Retrieved 12 May 2013.
  9. "Robert White Park - Places New Zealand". places.nz. Retrieved 2 January 2022.


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