New knights noted for public service

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33869, 14 June 1975, Page 1

New knights noted for public service

New Zealand’s four new knights have each been honoured for their services to the public.

Sir Arnold Nordmeyer, who is now aged 73, was ordained a Presbyterian minister in 1925, and was a minister at the Kurow Presbyterian Church for 10 years until he resigned to contest the Oamaru seat for the Labour Party in 1935.

He won the seat and was a Member of Parliament from 1935 to 1949, and again from 1951 until his retirement from politics in 1969. He held three Cabinet posts: Minister of Health (1941-47). Minister of Industries and Commerce (1947-49). and Minister of Finance (1957-60). He was vice-president of the Labour Party for 10 years and its president from 1950 to 1955. Since his retirement from the political arena, Sir Arnold has been chairman of the Royal Commission into the Meat Industry (1973-74) and is still a director of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand and the chairman of the ’Superannuation Corporation. Sir Georgg Wood, whose knighthood pays special recognition to his chairmanship of the Consumer Council, will retire from the council next month after 15 years as its chairman. He had a distinguished career in the Public Service, and was the Government Statistician from 1946 to 1958. From 1938 to 1945 he was seconded to the British Government as a statistician in Palestine, for which he received the 0.8. E. four years later. From 1958 to 1960 he was chairman of the United Nations Statistical Commission and from 1958 to 1963 was a director of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand. Bank director Special reference is made to sendees to the Maori people in the knighthood for Sir Charles Bennett. He had a distinguished army career during World War II and rose to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel and commanded the Maori Battalion. His war service earned him the Distinguished Service Order. Between 1959 and 1963 Sir Charles was New Zealand High Commissioner to Malaysia and from then until 1969 was assistant secretary of Maori Affairs. He is also a director of the Bank of New Zealand and is on several other official boards and committees. He has been president of the Labour Party since 1973. Sir Frank Holmes, who has been professor of Money and Finance at Victoria University for the last four years, has been chairman of the Advisorv Council on Educational Planning since 1971 and was chairman of the Education Development Conference last year.

Affairs Department between ; 1949 and 1952 after which he became lecturer in economics at Victoria University. He was adviser to the Royal Commission in Monetary, Banking and Credit Systems in 1955 and 1956 and was chairman of the Monetary and Economic Council from 1961 to 1964 and again in 1970. A former Labour Cabinet Minister has received a C.M.G. Mr W. A. Fox, who is now aged 75, emigrated to New Zealand after World War I and played a prominent part in trade union affairs. He is a former vice-president of the Federation of Labour and was member of Parliament for

Miramar from 1956 to 1966. Between 1957 and 1960 he was Minister of Marine and Minister of Housing. At present he is chairman of the Rent Appeal Board. Mrs P. Moncrieff, C.8.E., of Nelson, was a founder member of the Abel Tasman National Park Board in 1943 and retired from it only last year. She is the author of “New Zealand Birds and How to Identify Them,” now in five editions, and vice-president of the New Zealand Forest and Bird Society. She was instru mental in having Farewell Spit declared a bird sanctuary and with her late husband presented Haulashore Island to the people of Nelson as a recreation area.

He was on the staff of the Prime Minister’s and External