Wyatt Creech facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Right Honourable Wyatt Creech CNZM
14th Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand
In office 14 August 1998 – 10 December 1999
Prime Minister	Jenny Shipley
Preceded by	Winston Peters
Succeeded by	Jim Anderton
11th Deputy Leader of the National Party
In office 8 December 1997 – 7 February 2001
Leader	Jenny Shipley
Preceded by	Don McKinnon
Succeeded by	Bill English
39th Minister of Education
In office 1 March 1996 – 31 January 1999
Prime Minister	Jim Bolger Jenny Shipley
Preceded by	Lockwood Smith
Succeeded by	Nick Smith
21st Minister of Revenue
In office 2 November 1990 – 29 February 1996
Prime Minister	Jim Bolger
Preceded by	Peter Neilson
Succeeded by	Peter Dunne
52nd Minister of Customs
In office 2 November 1990 – 1 July 1993
Prime Minister	Jim Bolger
Preceded by	Peter Neilson
Succeeded by	Murray McCully
Member of the New Zealand House of Representatives
In office 27 November 1999 – 27 July 2002
Constituency	National Party List
In office 12 July 1988 – 27 November 1999
Preceded by	Reg Boorman
Succeeded by	Georgina Beyer
Constituency	Wairarapa
Personal details
Born	(1946-10-13) 13 October 1946 (age 78) Oceanside, California, United States
Political party	National
Spouse	Diana (Danny) Marie
Alma mater	Massey University

Wyatt Beetham Creech CNZM PC (born 13 October 1946) is a New Zealand politician who has now retired. He was an important member of the National Party. He served as the 14th Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand from August 1998 to December 1999 under Prime Minister Jenny Shipley.

Early Life and Education

Wyatt Creech was born in Oceanside, California, United States. His father, Jesse Wyatt Creech, was a US Marine. He fought in famous battles like Pearl Harbor and the Guadalcanal Campaign during World War II.

Wyatt's mother was from New Zealand. She met his father when his military group was resting in Masterton, New Zealand. When Wyatt was three months old, his family moved to New Zealand permanently. They settled in Wairarapa, where his father became a farmer.

Wyatt went to primary school in Masterton. He then went to secondary school at Wanganui Collegiate in Wanganui. After school, he worked on his family's farm. He also studied agriculture at Massey University.

After university, Wyatt travelled a lot. He drove overland from India to the United Kingdom, passing through many countries. He also explored Eastern Europe, including Russia. When he returned to New Zealand, he studied political science at Victoria University of Wellington. He travelled again, this time in North America. Later, he came back to Wairarapa and started a vineyard in Martinborough.

Starting a Political Career

In 1987, Wyatt Creech ran for the Wairarapa seat in the New Zealand general election. He was a candidate for the National Party. On election night, it looked like he had won by a small number of votes. However, after the official count two weeks later, the current Labour Party MP, Reg Boorman, was declared the winner by just seven votes.

Wyatt Creech challenged this result. After a long process, a special court reviewed the votes. On 12 July 1988, the court decided that Wyatt Creech had won the election. He became the Member of Parliament (MP) for Wairarapa with a majority of 34 votes. Over the years, his support in Wairarapa grew a lot.

Becoming a Cabinet Minister

When the National Party won the 1990 election, Wyatt Creech became a member of the Cabinet. This meant he was a senior minister in the government. His first main jobs were Minister of Revenue and Minister of Customs.

Over his time in government, he held many other important roles. These included Associate Minister of Finance, Minister of Employment, and Minister of Education. He also served as Minister of Health for a short time.

Wyatt Creech helped create important agreements between different political parties. These included the Superannuation Accord and the Employment Accord. In December 1997, he supported Jenny Shipley when she became the new leader of the National Party. He then became the Deputy Leader of the National Party.

Serving as Deputy Prime Minister

In August 1998, the government's partnership with the New Zealand First party ended. The Deputy Prime Minister at the time, Winston Peters, was removed from his role. Prime Minister Jenny Shipley then chose Wyatt Creech to become the new Deputy Prime Minister.

However, about a year later, in the 1999 election, the National Party lost to the Labour Party. Before this election, Wyatt Creech decided not to run for the Wairarapa seat again. Instead, he became a List MP. This meant he was elected based on his party's overall votes, which ensured he stayed in Parliament. Just before the election, he was made a member of the Privy Council, a special advisory body.

After the National Party lost the 1999 election, Wyatt Creech became the Deputy Leader of the Opposition. He was also the Shadow Minister of Health. He remained the party's deputy leader until February 2001, when he decided to step down. Bill English took over his role. Wyatt Creech did not run for re-election in the 2002 election and retired from politics.

Life After Politics

After leaving politics, Wyatt Creech helped start a new company called Open Country Cheese Company. This company made cheese and later milk powder. It grew into a large dairy company with factories in different parts of New Zealand. He stepped down from the company's board in 2008.

He also helped start Kaimai Cheese, a company focused on special cheeses, and was its Chairman until 2013. Wyatt Creech also joined the board of NZ Windfarms, a company that uses wind to create energy. He left that board in 2013.

He has also served on the boards of other companies and trusts, including those involved in stock feed manufacturing and education research. In 2009, he became the Deputy Chair of the New Zealand Fire Service Commission. By 2014, he was the Chair of the New Zealand Fire Service Commission and Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga, which looks after New Zealand's historic places.

Wyatt Creech has also worked internationally. He was part of teams that observed elections in the Solomon Islands and the Falkland Islands. In 2014, he was appointed Chair of the Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Board.

Awards and Recognition

In 1990, Wyatt Creech received the New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal. In 2003, he was given the title of Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit. This award recognized his important work as a Member of Parliament.