Rex Austin
William Rex Austin MBE (23 May 1931 – 23 June 2022) was a New Zealand politician of the National Party.
Rex Austin | |
|---|---|
.jpg.webp) Austin in 1950 | |
| Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Awarua | |
| In office 1975–1987 | |
| Preceded by | Aubrey Begg |
| Succeeded by | Jeff Grant |
| Personal details | |
| Born | William Rex Austin 23 May 1931 Riverton, New Zealand |
| Died | 23 June 2022 (aged 91) Invercargill, New Zealand |
| Political party | National |
| Spouse |
Miriam Helen Brumpton
(m. 1958; died 2007) |
| Relations | Butler Te Koeti (great-uncle) |
| Children | 4 |
| Alma mater | Lincoln College |
Biography
| Years | Term | Electorate | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975–1978 | 38th | Awarua | National | ||
| 1978–1981 | 39th | Awarua | National | ||
| 1981–1984 | 40th | Awarua | National | ||
| 1984–1987 | 41st | Awarua | National | ||
Austin was born in Riverton, Southland, in 1931.[1] Of Māori descent, he affiliated to Ngāi Tahu, Waitaha and Kāti Māmoe.[2] He received his education at Southland Technical College and Lincoln College;[3] at the latter institution, he obtained a diploma in agriculture.[4] In 1958, he married Miriam Helen Brumpton, with whom he had four sons.[1]
Austin farmed at Colac Bay in Southland and lived in Riverton. From 1971, he was a member of the Southland Hospital Board.[1]
In the 1975 election he was elected to Parliament as the National Party MP for Awarua, which he represented until 1987.[5]
Austin and Ben Couch were the second and third Māori (after Sir James Carroll) to win a general electorate, as opposed to one of the Māori electorates.
Austin died in Invercargill on 23 June 2022, at the age of 91.[6]
Honours
In 1977, Austin was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal, and in 1990 the New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal.[7] In the 1994 New Year Honours, he was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire, for services to the community.[8]
References
- Traue, James Edward, ed. (1978). Who's Who in New Zealand, 1978 (11th ed.). Wellington: Reed Publishing. p. 47.
- "Obituaries – William Rex Austin MBE". Hansard. New Zealand Parliament. 28 June 2022. Retrieved 26 July 2022.
- Gustafson, Barry (1986). The First 50 Years: A History of the New Zealand National Party. Auckland: Reed Methuen. p. 298. ISBN 0-474-00177-6.
- "Rex Austin". Lincoln University. Retrieved 28 November 2015.
- Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First ed. published 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. p. 181. OCLC 154283103.
- "W. Rex Austin". The Southland Times. 27 June 2022. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
- Taylor, Alister; Coddington, Deborah (1994). Honoured by the Queen – New Zealand. Auckland: New Zealand Who's Who Aotearoa. p. 52. ISBN 0-908578-34-2.
- "No. 53528". The London Gazette (2nd supplement). 31 December 1993. p. 34.