BANK OF NEW ZEALAND

Evening Star, Issue 21080, 18 April 1932, Page 12

BANK OF NEW ZEALAND

THE HEW CHAIRMAN Mr Oliver Nicholson, of Auckland, a director of the Bank of New Zealand, was last week elected chairman of the bank for the ensuing twelve mouths, on the motion of Mr William Watson, retiring chairman, seconded by Sir Harold Beauchamp, a past chairman. Mr Nicholson was appointed by the Government as director of the Bank of New Zealand in succession to the late Mr J. H. Upton, of Auckland, who retired on account of advancing years, in June, 1924. The new chairman is head of a leading legal firm in Auckland, and also a director and past chairman of the New Zealand Insurance Company, and trustee and past president of the Auckland Savings Bank. He has for many years been a prominent figure in Freemasonry in New Zealand. During the periods when their Excellencies Lord Plunket and Sir Charles Fergusson held the office of Grand Master of New Zealand, Mr Nicholson was ProGrand Master, and he had also served two years’ terms of office as Grand Master on his own account. Apart from craft Freemasonry, he also held tho position of First Grand Principal in the Royal Arch branch of the institution. Mr Nicholson is a native of New Zealand, and was born at Mangonui in August, 18C4. After education at the Auckland Grammar School, he entered the law office of Mr E. A. M'Kechnie, one of Auckland’s early practitioners, as an articled clerk. In 1885 he stood second on the list of candidates for the law examinations in the whole of New Zealand, and for this achievement received a special certificate from the Canterbury Law Society. Shortly afterwards Mr M'Kechnie admitted him to_ partnership. After Mr M'Kechnie died, Mr Nicholson took other partners into what is now one of the leading firms in Auckland. Mr Nicholson was mayor of tho borough of Mount Eden for the first twelve years of its existence, and lie retired from that office in 1918. On his retirement a purse of £250 was subscribed by the burgesses in recognition of his public services, but at Mr Nicholson’s request the money was devoted to the formation of a fund to assist necessitous children belonging to the district to obtain secondary education. In .1908 Mr Nicholson contested the Grey Lynn seat in the Reform interest against Sir George Fowlds, but he was defeated by 889 votes.