Doug Kidd

Sir Douglas Lorimer Kidd, KNZM (born 12 September 1941) is a former New Zealand politician. He was an MP from 1978 to 2002, representing the National Party.^[1] He served for three years as Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Early life

Kidd was born in Levin. From 1960 to 1964, he served in the New Zealand Army Territorial Force as a bombardier gunlayer. He later obtained a LLB from Victoria University of Wellington, and worked as a lawyer. He also had business interests in aquaculture, forestry, and wine making.

Member of Parliament

Kidd was first elected to Parliament in the 1978 election, becoming MP for Marlborough. In the government of Jim Bolger, Kidd held a number of minor ministerial portfolios, including Fisheries, Energy and Labour. He held his Marlborough electorate until the 1996 election, when the electorate was abolished and most of its area incorporated into the new and larger Kaikoura electorate. Kidd came first in Kaikoura in 1996^[2] and held the electorate until the 1999 election, when he opted to become a list MP. He was succeeded in Kaikoura by Lynda Scott.

Status of the Unborn Child Bill

In 1983 Kidd's pro-life Status of the Unborn Child Bill (a private members bill) was drawn from the lot. The bill was prompted by Wall v Livingston [1982], which clarified that embryos and fetuses had no legal status in New Zealand and that third parties could not appeal to the courts on their behalf. The bill was supported by groups such as Society for the Protection of the Unborn Child (now Voice for Life and Right to Life New Zealand) but defeated by pro-choice groups led by Marilyn Waring.^[3]

Speaker of the House

After the 1996 election, Kidd was elected Speaker of the House of Representatives; Derek Quigley also contested the position.^[4] He replaced Peter Tapsell, a Labour Party MP who had held the speakership because National did not want to lose a vote by appointing a Speaker from its own ranks. As the government's majority was now not so precarious, and as Tapsell had lost his seat in any case, National was able to appoint Kidd without difficulty.

Kidd lost the speakership when the National Party lost the 1999 election, being replaced by Jonathan Hunt of the Labour Party. After serving a term in Opposition, he chose to retire from politics at the 2002 election.^[5]

After Parliament

He was made a Distinguished Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (DCNZM) in 2000,^[6] and accepted the equivalent honour of a knighthood (KNZM) when returned to the honours system in 2009.^[7]

He was appointed to the Waitangi Tribunal in 2004.^[8]

References