Maurice McTigue

The Honourable Maurice McTigue
16th High Commissioner to Canada
In office 22 April 1994 – 23 July 1997
Prime Minister	Jim Bolger
Preceded by	Judith Trotter
Succeeded by	Jim Gerard
46th Minister of Immigration
In office 27 March 1993 – 21 December 1993
Prime Minister	Jim Bolger
Preceded by	Bill Birch
Succeeded by	Roger Maxwell
31st Minister of Labour
In office 27 March 1993 – 21 December 1993
Prime Minister	Jim Bolger
Preceded by	Bill Birch
Succeeded by	Doug Kidd
11th Minister of Employment
In office 2 November 1990 – 1 July 1993
Prime Minister	Jim Bolger
Preceded by	Annette King
Succeeded by	Denis Marshall
Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Timaru
In office 15 June 1985 – 6 November 1993
Preceded by	Sir Basil Arthur
Succeeded by	Jim Sutton
Personal details
Born	1940 Methven, New Zealand
Political party	National
Spouse	Barbara
Profession	Farmer

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 Center at George 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.

Early life and career

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

Member of Parliament

New Zealand Parliament

Years	Term	Electorate		Party
1985–1987	41st	Timaru			National
1987–1990	42nd	Timaru			National
1990–1993	43rd	Timaru			National

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. 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. 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.

Minister of Employment & Associate Minister of Finance

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.

Other minister positions & Chairmanship of Expenditure Control Committee

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.

Minister of Labour and Minister of Immigration

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

High Commissioner to Canada

In April 1994, he moved to Ottawa after being appointed High Commissioner to Canada. 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. As a political appointee with no previous international diplomatic experience of any note, McTigue was regarded in some quarters as inexperienced and largely inept in his role. He experienced some difficulty with his management of the High Commission as its Head of Mission, arising from his unfamiliarity with the role.

Despite that, in the 1998 Queen's Birthday Honours, McTigue was appointed a Companion of the Queen's Service Order for public services.

Mercatus Center

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.

References

• 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)

External links

• Maurice McTigue's Mercatus Center Profile Page
• Appearances on C-SPAN