Ida Gaskin

Ida Margaret Gaskin (née Jacobs, 9 December 1919 – 8 January 2016) was a Welsh-born New Zealand schoolteacher and politician. She was known for her knowledge of Shakespeare, and for becoming the first woman in New Zealand to win the local version of Mastermind.

Early life and family Gaskin was born in Pontardawe, a steel mill town in Glamorgan, Wales in 1919, the daughter of Edward Jacobs and Edith Jacobs (née Skinner),

Teaching career Gaskin taught at schools in London during World War II. In New Zealand, she taught English at New Plymouth Girls' High School, as well as a Shakespeare module at New Plymouth Boys' High School, where her pupils included Andrew Little.

Mastermind In 1983, Gaskin competed on and won the New Zealand version of the television quiz show Mastermind, with the specialist subject of the works of Shakespeare. She was the first woman to win Mastermind in New Zealand.

Death Gaskin died on 8 January 2016. She was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Waikato in 2002.