Source: New Zealand Parliament – Hansard
OBITUARIES
Sir Michael Hardie Boys
Rt Hon CHRISTOPHER LUXON (Prime Minister): I seek leave to move a motion without notice on the death of former Governor-General Sir Michael Hardie Boys.
SPEAKER: Is there any objection to that course of action being followed? There is none.
Rt Hon CHRISTOPHER LUXON: I move, That the House express its sympathy and its condolences to the family of Sir Michael Hardie Boys, and pay tribute to the outstanding contribution he made to this country.
The Rt Hon Sir Michael Hardy Boys died in Waikanae on 29 December 2023 at the age of 92. It was with sadness that I heard of the death of this eminent New Zealander, respected jurist, and constitutional expert who guided New Zealand during its transition to an MMP electoral system.
Sir Michael had a distinguished career in law, and practiced in his home town of Wellington before being appointed a High Court judge in 1980. He was appointed to the Court of Appeal and became a Privy Councillor in 1989, and in 1994 he was elected an Honorary Bencher of Gray’s Inn, London.
He was a council member of the Wellington District Law Society, and president and a council member of the New Zealand Law Society. He was also a member of the legal aid board, and its chairman.
Sir Michael was appointed as New Zealand’s 17th Governor-General in 1996, ahead of New Zealand’s first MMP election. Sir Michael saw public education as vital if confidence in the electoral and political system was to be maintained, and in the lead-up to that election, he spoke widely on the constitutional role of the Governor-General under MMP, having examined proportional representation systems all around the world and overseas. With a distinguished background in the law his constitutional knowledge and adept stewardship proved invaluable in an extraordinary period of change for New Zealand.
Following his term of office as Governor-General of New Zealand, he continued to concentrate on supporting young people and community groups; Sir Michael was an enthusiastic volunteer in Kapanui School’s literacy programme for over a decade. He was a trustee and later chair of the New Zealand Portrait Gallery as it was settling into its new premises in Shed 11, and at an age when most others would consider retiring, Sir Michael served on the Court of Appeal of Kiribati.
For his dedication to public services, Sir Michael was appointed New Zealand’s first Knight Grand Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit when it was established in 1996, a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George, an additional Companion of the Queen’s Service Order, and Knight of the Order of St John.
For his coat of arms, Sir Michael chose the Latin motto “Certus et Constans”, meaning “sure and steadfast”. This was the motto of the Boys’ Brigade, an organisation I belonged to—a youth organisation—and which Sir Michael helped to establish in Wellington, and which he supported in many various decades as a result.
Sir Michael will be remembered as sure and steadfast in his many areas of service to New Zealand. He brought intelligence and he brought calm thoughtfulness to his official roles, as well as generously giving up his time and his talents to support a range of community organisations. The thoughts of the Government are with Sir Michael’s family, and I hope that they feel incredibly proud of the contribution and the legacy that he leaves New Zealand.
SPEAKER: The question is that the motion be agreed to.
