Matt Benney

Cecil Henry "Matt" Benney (6 July 1902 – 12 December 1980) was a New Zealand civil servant and politician.

Biography Early life Benney was born at Kaumati in the Hauraki district in 1902. He came from a family closely associated with mining, his father was the manager of the Golden Dawn Mining Company in Waihi, and his grandfather was also in charge of gold mines in Hauraki. He was educated at Komata School and then Thames High School winning a university scholarship. He married Phyllis Marjorie Jenkins in 1928 with whom he had one son, David, who went on to become a groundbreaking mathematician.

Public career He joined the civil service in 1919 gaining employment at the Wellington offices of the Mines Department. In 1926 he finished his professional accountancy examinations at Wellington Technical College. In 1930 he left the Mines Department and joined the Ministry of Justice where he was appointed as an accountant until 1937 when he returned to the Mines Department also as an accountant. In 1940 he was appointed Under-secretary for Mines in succession to Arthur Tyndall, who had been appointed as a judge of the Arbitration Court. He held the position until 1959 when he retired. In 1953, he was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal. In the 1959 Birthday Honours he was made a member of the Imperial Service Order for his services to the civil service.

Benney was also involved in the Public Service Association (PSA). He was chairman of the Wellington section, a member of the executive (1938–39), and vice-president of the PSA (1939–40), and has also served on a large number of special committees in the public service. When Benney made clear his withdrawal, McGrath declined to stand for mayor, offering himself only for the council. As the deadline for nominations neared a deputation of over 50 businessmen and Citizens' candidates asked Benney to again accept both the nomination to which he agreed. Benney was officially nominated as the mayoral candidate, after which McGrath relented the role of deputy mayor to Benney as well.

At the election, Benney increased the Citizens' share of the vote and slightly decreased incumbent mayor Frank Kitts' majority, but was nonetheless defeated soundly. He was still elected to the council (polling higher than any other Citizens' candidate) and remained deputy mayor until his resignation from the council in 1966. The council decided to neither hold a by-election or make an appointment to fill Benney's vacated seat leaving the council with only 14 members for just over a year. He then became president of the Wellington Horticultural Society from 1966 to 1967.

Later life and death Following the commencement of his employment with the Wellington Gas Company he was elected as chairman of the Gas Association of New Zealand from 1969 to 1970. In November 1966 Benney was appointed by the government as arbiter in a strike by tug boat engineers. He was later appointed by the government as chairman of a committee of inquiry into New Zealand's taxi and rental car industry.

Benney died 12 December 1980 in Wellington.