Colin Knight

Colin Leslie Knight (2 September 1934 – 14 April 2016) was a New Zealand educationalist. He served as principal of the Christchurch Teachers' College from 1986 to 1995.

Early life and family Born at Rotherham, North Canterbury, on 2 September 1934, Knight was the son of James Percy Knight and Rosetta Knight (née Beaman). He studied at Canterbury University College, from where he graduated Master of Arts with second-class honours in 1958. The same year he married Noela Yvonne Harman; the couple went on to have two children.

Knight served as the Canterbury regional superintendent of education between 1984 and 1986, when he was appointed a principal of Christchurch Teachers' College. He also served as president of the New Zealand Council for Educational Research, and vice president of the New Zealand Council for Teacher Education.

In the 1999 New Year Honours, Knight was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to education.

Knight wrote a number of textbooks for secondary school students, including Becoming a New Zealander (1970), The Instant Society (1972), and New Zealand Geography: a Systems Approach (with John Buckland and Frank McPherson; 1973).

Politics At the 1969 general election, Knight ran for Parliament as the National Party candidate in Christchurch Central. He came second, 3406 votes behind the Labour candidate, Bruce Barclay.

Later life and death Knight was set to chair the board of the Christchurch Baccalaureate College, which was set to open in 2002. However, the school failed financially in August 2001 and never opened. A lover of rhododendrons,

Knight died on 14 April 2016.