Contents

Maurice McTigue

Maurice Patrick McTigue QSO (born 1940) is a former New Zealand politician of the National Party. He was a Cabinet Minister in the Fourth National Government from 1990 to 1993, holding the Employment portfolio, among others. He represented the Timaru electorate in Parliament from 1985, when he won the by-election after the death of Sir Basil Arthur, having stood against him in the 1984 general election. He lost the seat to Jim Sutton in the 1993 general election.

From 1994 to 1997 he was the High Commissioner to Canada. McTigue joined the Mercatus CenteratGeorge Mason University in 1997 as a distinguished visiting scholar. McTigue is currently J.M. Bemis Chair in Accountability Studies and Vice President of the Mercatus Center.

McTigue was born in 1940 in Methven. He worked as a farmer in Temuka.^[1] He was also president of the New Zealand Jaycees in 1979, attending Jaycee conferences in Asia and Europe.^[2]

At the snap 1984 general election McTigue stood in the Timaru electorate, but was beaten by the incumbent MP Sir Basil Arthur. When Arthur died in 1985 McTigue won the 1985 Timaru by-election.^[3] He lost the seat to Labour's Jim Sutton at the 1993 general election. Soon after McTigue entered the New Zealand Parliament in 1985 he was appointed as National's spokesperson for irrigation by party leader Jim McLay.^[4] From 1987 to 1990 he served as the National Party's junior whip before becoming spokesperson for transport and works in a February 1990 reshuffle.^[5]

In 1990, McTigue was appointed Minister of Employment and Associate Minister of Finance, holding primary financial responsibility for student loans, school funding, public transit, occupational licensing, and the restructuring of employment programs.

In 1991, McTigue accepted the positions of Minister of State Owned Enterprises, Minister of Railways, and Minister of Works and Development, and assumed Chairmanship of the Cabinet's powerful Expenditure Control Committee.

In 1993, McTigue was appointed Minister of Labour and Minister of Immigration.

In April 1994, he moved to Ottawa after being appointed High Commissioner to Canada.^[6] Concurrently, he served as non-resident High Commissioner to Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, and Guyana. An amateur magician, whilst in Canada he co-founded the Ottawa Magicians Guild.

In the 1998 Queen's Birthday Honours, McTigue was appointed a Companion of the Queen's Service Order for public services.^[7]

McTigue is director of the Government Accountability Project at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. In 2003, he was appointed to the Office of Personnel Management Senior Review Committee, formed to make recommendations for new Human Resources systems at the then newly created Department of Homeland Security.

• Norton, Clifford (1988). New Zealand parliamentary election results, 1946–1987. Wellington: Victoria University of Wellington Department of Political Science. ISBN 0-475-11200-8.
• 1990 Parliamentary Candidates for the New Zealand National Party by John Stringer (New Zealand National Party, 1990)

• Maurice McTigue's Mercatus Center Profile Page
• AppearancesonC-SPAN