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 (born 13 October 1946) is a New Zealand politician who is now retired. He was the 14th Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand. This important role means he was the second-in-command to the Prime Minister. He served in this position from August 1998 to December 1999, as part of the National Party government led by Jenny Shipley.

Early Life and Education

Wyatt Creech was born in Oceanside, California, in the United States. His father, Jesse Wyatt Creech, was from North Carolina and served in the United States Marine Corps. His father was involved in major battles during World War II, including Pearl Harbor and the Guadalcanal Campaign.

Wyatt's mother was from New Zealand. She met his father when his military unit was resting in Masterton, New Zealand. When Wyatt was just three months old, his family moved back to New Zealand. They settled in Wairarapa, where his father became a farmer, raising sheep and beef.

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

Travels and Further Study

After finishing his agricultural studies, Wyatt Creech traveled a lot. He drove overland from India to the United Kingdom, passing through many countries like Nepal, Pakistan, Iran, and France. He also explored Eastern Europe, including Russia.

When he returned to New Zealand, he studied at Victoria University of Wellington. He earned a degree with a double major in political science (the study of how governments work) and international politics (the study of how countries interact). After this, he traveled again, focusing on North America. Later, he came back to Wairarapa and started a vineyard in Martinborough, a new area for growing grapes for wine.

Starting a Political Career

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

Wyatt Creech challenged this result. He argued that some votes were not valid and that his opponent had spent too much money on his campaign. This process took almost a year. On 12 July 1988, the Electoral Court decided in Wyatt Creech's favor. He then became the Member of Parliament (MP) for Wairarapa, winning by 34 votes. An MP is a person elected to represent their area in the New Zealand Parliament. Over time, his winning margin in Wairarapa grew much larger.

Becoming a Cabinet Minister

When the National Party won the 1990 election, Wyatt Creech was appointed to the Cabinet. The Cabinet is a group of senior ministers who make important decisions for the government. He started as the most junior member.

His first main roles were Minister of Revenue (in charge of taxes) and Minister of Customs (in charge of goods coming into the country). Over the years, he held many other important roles, or "portfolios," in the government. These included:

• Associate Minister of Finance (helping with the country's money)
• Minister for State Owned Enterprises (overseeing government-owned businesses)
• Minister of Employment (focused on jobs)
• Minister of Education (in charge of schools and learning)
• Minister for Courts (related to the justice system)
• Minister of Health (focused on healthcare)

Wyatt Creech also helped create important agreements on superannuation (retirement savings) and employment. In December 1997, he supported Jenny Shipley when she became the new leader of the National Party, replacing Prime Minister Jim Bolger. After this, Wyatt Creech became the Deputy Leader of the National Party.

Serving as Deputy Prime Minister

In August 1998, the government's partnership with another party, New Zealand First, ended. Because of this, Winston Peters, who was the Deputy Prime Minister, was removed from his role. 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 government lost by a large margin to the Labour Party. Before this election, Wyatt Creech decided not to run for the Wairarapa area again. Instead, he became a List MP. This means he was elected based on his party's overall vote, rather than winning a specific local area. As the Deputy Leader of his party, he was placed high on the party's list, which meant he was re-elected even though his party lost many seats. Just before the election, he was appointed to the Privy Council, a group of important advisors.

After the election, Wyatt Creech became the Deputy Leader of the Opposition (the main party not in power) and 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.

Life After Politics

After leaving politics, Wyatt Creech became involved in the dairy industry. He helped start the Open Country Cheese Company, which made cheese. This company grew and is now called Open Country Dairy Co Ltd. It has facilities in different parts of New Zealand that produce milk powder and cheese. He left the board of this company in 2008.

In 2007, he and his partners started a new company called Kaimai Cheese, which focused on making special cheeses. He was the Chairman of this company until 2013, when its assets were sold. He also joined the board of NZ Windfarms in 2009, a company that uses wind to create energy, and left in December 2013.

Wyatt Creech also served on the boards of other companies and trusts. These included a stock feed company, an education research trust, and a company providing community health services.

In September 2009, he became the Deputy Chair of the New Zealand Fire Service Commission. By mid-2014, he was the Chair of the New Zealand Fire Service Commission and also the Chair of Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga. This organization helps protect New Zealand's historical places. He was also the Deputy Chair of Healthcare Holdings Limited.

In 2009–2010, Wyatt Creech led a review of how Environment Canterbury was performing. His report was very critical, but its recommendations were fully put into action by the government.

He also worked as an international election observer. He was part of teams that watched elections in the Solomon Islands in 2001 and 2010, and in the Falkland Islands in 2013.

From December 2004 to June 2006, Wyatt Creech was a director of an investment company called Bluechip. The company later failed in 2008. In 2012, he and another former director faced lawsuits related to their duties to investors. However, by 2014, all legal claims against them were dropped.

In 2014, he was appointed Chair of the Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Board by the Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage, Chris Finlayson.

Awards and Recognition

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