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Clive Denby Matthewson MNZM (born 1944) is a New Zealand civil engineer and former politician.

Biography

Early life and career

Matthewson was born in Wellington in 1944. He was educated at Waitaki Boys' High School and University of Canterbury. He has a PhD in Civil Engineering which he completed in 1970. The title of his PhD thesis was: "The elastic behaviour of a laterally loaded pile". He worked as a civil engineer until he was elected to parliament in 1984.

Political career

He was chairman of the Wanganui electorate for the Labour Party and also a member of Labour's governing body the New Zealand Council. In 1977, he sought the Labour nomination for the Christchurch electorate of Papanui, but was beaten by former Eden MP Mike Moore. Two years later he stood for the Labour candidacy for the Christchurch Central seat in a by-election, but was again unsuccessful. Matthewson then unsuccessfully contested the Clutha electorate in the 1981 election for the Labour Party.

In the 1983 electoral redistribution, the number of Dunedin electorates was reduced from three to two. Brian MacDonell, who had since 1963 represented Dunedin Central, was supposed to represent the new Dunedin West electorate. However, Labour's president, Jim Anderton, presided over MacDonell's de-selection and installed his personal friend Matthewson instead. Matthewson was elected to Dunedin West in 1984. Matthewson was considered one of the most effective backbenchers in the Fourth Labour Government. In August 1989, he was appointed by Prime Minister Geoffrey Palmer as Under-Secretary to the Minister of Health and Labour.

In February 1990, he was elected to cabinet and was appointed by Palmer as Minister of State Services, Minister of Science, Minister in charge of the Audit Department and Associate Minister of State Owned Enterprises, Energy, Commerce and Labour.

After the government was defeated he was appointed Shadow Minister of Social Security and State Services by Labour leader Mike Moore in 1991. He left Labour in 1995 to jointly establish the United New Zealand party with six other sitting MPs. Matthewson became United's leader, and when the party formed a coalition with the governing National Party in 1996 he was made a Cabinet Minister. In the 1996 election, Peter Dunne was the only United politician to keep his seat, and Matthewson, who had contested the new Dunedin South electorate, did not return to Parliament.

In the 1998 New Year Honours, he was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for public services as a Member of Parliament.

At the 1998 local-body elections Matthewson ran for the position of Mayor of Dunedin, but was defeated by incumbent Sukhi Turner.

Post-politics

He was the Director of Development and Alumni Relations at the University of Otago from 2002 to 2008, and between 23 July 2004 and 30 September 2008 was on the board of directors for the New Zealand Railways Corporation.

Personal life

Matthewson is married with five children. Katherine Rich, a former National Party MP, is his niece.

Notes

1. ^ Who's Who 1993, p. 53.
2. "2001 Annual Report - Council of the University" (PDF). University of Otago. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 May 2010. Retrieved 31 January 2010.
3. Matthewson, Clive (1969). The elastic behaviour of a laterally loaded pile (Doctoral thesis). UC Research Repository, University of Canterbury. doi:10.26021/10985. hdl:10092/101930.
4. "Now 12 Seek Papanui". The Press. 15 November 1977. p. 3.
5. "By-election list closes with 18 vying for Labour seat". The Press. 21 July 1979. p. 1.
6. Norton 1988, p. 210.
7. Bassett 2008, chapter 5.
8. Young, Audrey (4 February 2008). "Staunch Labourite won't follow Key's suggestion at election". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 31 January 2010.
9. Bassett 2008, p. 483.
10. ^ Who's Who 1993, p. 54.
11. "Labour line-up". The New Zealand Herald. 6 December 1991. p. 5.
12. "Parliament hobbles the party-hoppers". The New Zealand Herald. 20 December 2001. Retrieved 31 January 2010.
13. ^ Campbell, Ashley (27 July 2002). "It's a long time in politics". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 31 January 2010.
14. "Electorate Candidate and Party Votes Recorded at Each Polling Place - Dunedin South" (PDF). Retrieved 2 July 2013.
15. "New Year honours list 1998". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 31 December 1997. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
16. "The Results". Otago Daily Times. 12 October 1998. p. 6.
17. Rudd, Allison (25 September 2008). "Gerrard relishes role as university envoy". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 31 January 2010.
18. Graham, Pam (24 July 2004). "Rail board is 'jobs for the boys'". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 31 January 2010.
19. Cullen, Michael (24 September 2008). "Next step in integrated rail business". New Zealand Government. Retrieved 31 January 2010.
20. Stuart, Sarah (19 March 2013). "Twelve Questions: Katherine Rich". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 10 June 2015.

References

• Who's Who in the New Zealand Parliament 1993. Wellington: Parliamentary Service. 1993.
• Bassett, Michael (2008). Working with David: Inside the Lange Cabinet. Auckland: Hodder Moa. ISBN 978-1-86971-094-1.
• Norton, Clifford (1988). New Zealand Parliamentary Election Results 1946–1987: Occasional Publications No 1, Department of Political Science. Wellington: Victoria University of Wellington. ISBN 0-475-11200-8.

• 1944 births
• Living people
• People educated at Waitaki Boys' High School
• Members of the New Zealand Order of Merit
• New Zealand Labour Party MPs
• Leaders of political parties in New Zealand
• Engineers from Dunedin
• United New Zealand MPs
• University of Canterbury alumni
• New Zealand MPs for Dunedin electorates
• Unsuccessful candidates in the 1981 New Zealand general election
• Unsuccessful candidates in the 1996 New Zealand general election
• Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives
• New Zealand civil engineers
• Academic staff of the University of Otago