Lindsay Tisch

William Lindsay Tisch MP JP (born 9 October 1947), known as Lindsay Tisch, is a New Zealand politician, and member of the National Party.

Early life

Tisch was born in Auckland, New Zealand, in 1947. He obtained a diploma in agriculture from Lincoln College.^[1] He has worked as a farmer, and was a management consultant. He was a director of Land Corp (1991–1997), and is a member of the Institute of Directors in New Zealand and the New Zealand Institute of Property Management.^[1]

Tisch is a Justice of the Peace, a trustee of the Pohlen Hospital Foundation based in Matamata, and a member of Matamata Lions Clubs.^[1]

Member of Parliament

He joined the National Party in 1966, and has held a number of senior roles in its organisational wing. In 1994 he served briefly as the party's president, and in the 1996 election, he was the party's campaign manager.^[1]

Tisch was first elected to Parliament in the 1999 election, replacing John Luxton in the electorate of Karapiro. He retained his seat in the 2002 election, when the name of the electorate was changed back to Piako. The electorate was named after a little-known river past Morrinsville, and Tisch was successful in lobbying to have the electorate renamed after the Waikato River.^[2]

In 2004, Tisch voted against the Civil Union Act 2004, a bill making it legal for those in same-sex as well as heterosexual relationships to enter into a civil-union.^[3] In 2005, Tisch voted for Gordon Copeland's Marriage (Gender Clarification) Amendment Bill, a bill which would have amended the Marriage Act to define marriage as only between a man and woman.^[4]

In the 2008 election, Tisch was re-elected in the recreated Waikato seat with a majority of 12,850 over Jacinda Ardern.

In 2009, it was revealed Tisch was using a front company to maximise his accommodation allowance paid by the taxpayer. Tisch was claiming $410 a week which was paid to his property investment company, Heritage 653 Limited.^[5]

Tisch voted against the Marriage (Definition of Marriage) Amendment Bill, a bill allowing same-sex couples to marry in New Zealand.^[6]

He currently serves as one of the Assistant Speakers of the House, having previously served as the Deputy Speaker of the House, and is a Justice of the Peace.^[1]

In June 2016 he announced he would not seek re-election in the 2017 general election.^[7]

Awards

Tisch was one of the 3,632 recipients of the New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal,^[8] which he received for services to the public.^[1]

References