John Jeffries

Sir John Francis Jeffries (28 March 1929 – 25 January 2019) was a New Zealand local politician, civil servant and later a judge of the High Court.

Biography Early life and career Jeffries was born in Wellington on 28 March 1929 to Frank and Mary Jeffries and grew up in Lyall Bay. He was the second born in a family of five. His mother was a schoolteacher and his father was a joiner by trade who was unemployed during the Great Depression. His family experienced much prejudice in their lives due to their Irish Catholic background. He was educated at St Patrick's College. He failed his School Certificate exam three times and the college rector wrote a reference for Jeffries recommending to prospective employers not to hire him for a job requiring study. Then he became first a law clerk before qualifying as a lawyer himself. He was admitted to the bar in 1961 and became a partner in the firm of Scott, Hardie Boys, Morrison and Jeffries (alongside Sir Michael Hardie Boys). He later became vice-president of the New Zealand Law Society.

Political career In 1962 Jeffries was elected to the Wellington City Council on a Labour Party ticket, remaining on the council for 12 years. In doing so, he became the youngest candidate ever elected as a councillor (at that time) aged 33. After the election he became leader of the Labour caucus on the council and in 1971 he was elected deputy-mayor to Sir Frank Kitts. Jeffries himself had mayoral aspirations, but they were unable to be realised due to the reluctance of Kitts to retire.

He had several failed bids to enter national politics. Jeffries was approached to stand for Labour in the 1967 Petone by-election however he was not selected as a candidate. The Labour Party later offered him the candidacy for the seat of which Labour had lost in an upset at the 1966 general election. However, he declined, instead hoping to win nomination for a safer Labour seat in the Hutt Valley. To his frustration the Labour Party executive ruled it out. In 1975 he was appointed as the chairman of Air New Zealand. That same year he was a signatory of the Citizens for Rowling campaign which urged voters to support Labour in the 1975 election. He resigned later in the year, following the election, after receiving criticisms from incoming Prime Minister Robert Muldoon over the appointees of the outgoing Labour government. In the 1993 New Year Honours, Jeffries was appointed a Knight Bachelor, for his service to New Zealand's legal system.

Later activities From 1992 to 1997 he was the head of the Police Complaints Authority. In July 1997 he was appointed chairman of the New Zealand Press Council, a position he held until July 2005. He was also Commissioner of Security Warrants.

He died in Wellington aged 89 years on 25 January 2019.