Robin Gray (New Zealand politician) facts for kids

Sir Robert McDowall Gray (born 2 July 1931 – died 2 April 2022), usually known as Robin Gray, was an important politician in New Zealand. He was a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1978 to 1996. He also held the special job of Speaker of the House of Representatives between 1990 and 1993.

Early Life and Moving to New Zealand

Robin Gray was born in a place called Borgue in Scotland. After serving in the British Army, he moved to New Zealand in 1952. He became a farmer in Waitahuna, which is in Central Otago. After he finished his political career, he settled down in Mosgiel.

Becoming a Member of Parliament

Robin Gray joined the National Party in 1956. This is one of New Zealand's main political parties. He held many different roles within the party over the years.

In the 1978 election, he was chosen by the people to become a Member of Parliament (MP). An MP is someone elected to represent a group of people (called an electorate) in the country's Parliament. Robin Gray became the MP for the Clutha area. He continued to be the MP for Clutha until 1996.

He also had important roles within his party in Parliament. He became the National Party's Junior Whip in 1985. A "Whip" is like a manager for a political party's members in Parliament. They make sure everyone votes the way the party wants and attends important meetings. Robin Gray then became the Senior Whip in 1987.

Speaker of the House of Representatives

When the National Party won the 1990 election, Robin Gray was chosen to be the Speaker of the House of Representatives. The Speaker is like the referee in Parliament. They make sure debates are fair, rules are followed, and everyone gets a chance to speak.

However, after the 1993 election, the National Party only had a very small majority of one seat. This meant that if Robin Gray stayed as Speaker, the government would have a problem. The Speaker cannot vote on laws unless there is a tie. If he couldn't vote, the government would lose its small majority and might not be able to pass laws.

Because of this, the National Party offered the Speaker's job to Peter Tapsell from the Labour Party instead. This was a way to make sure Parliament could still work properly.

After this, Robin Gray was given other important roles. He became the Minister of State and also the Associate Minister of Foreign Affairs. This meant he helped with New Zealand's relationships with other countries.

In 1994, Robin Gray was given a very special honour. He was appointed a Knight Bachelor. This means he was given the title "Sir" before his name because of his important service. He retired from politics in the 1996 election.

As Speaker, Robin Gray was allowed to use the special title "The Honourable." This title shows respect for people who have held very high positions in government. He was allowed to use this title for the rest of his life.

Life After Parliament

After leaving Parliament in 1996, Robin Gray mostly retired from public life. However, he still sometimes attended conferences and shared his thoughts on politics in New Zealand. He believed that political parties should do more to help their members speak up at meetings. He worked to make sure people had more chances to get involved in formal political discussions.

Robin Gray was also the first president of the New Zealand Business and Parliament Trust. He passed away at his home in Mosgiel on 2 April 2022.