Mick Connelly

Michael Aynsley Connelly (21 February 1916 – 27 August 2003) was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party, and a Cabinet Minister from 1972 to 1975 in the Third Labour Government.

Biography Early life Connelly was born in Wellington on 21 February 1916. His primary schooling was in Greymouth and later he attended Christian Brothers' High School in Dunedin. He was steeped in unionism and politics from a young age. His father Michael Connelly was a prominent trade unionist, foundation Labour Party member, city councillor and member of the Legislative Council. His mother was the president of the Dunedin women's branch of the Labour Party and wrote articles for several socialist publications. He was politically active himself from a very early age. As a 12-year-old schoolboy, he walked Dunedin streets delivering pamphlets for the Labour Party.

When aged only 16 he won a scholarship to the University of Otago where he studied commerce. During the Great Depression his scholarship expired. He had to halt his studies and had to take a job as a telegraph boy in order to support himself. He married Margaret Kennedy in 1941, with whom he had six children. During World War II he joined the Royal New Zealand Air Force in 1942. He served in a military administration capacity in New Zealand and the Pacific until 1946. After the war ended he resumed his study and graduated Bachelor of Commerce and became a chartered accountant. He then worked for several government departments. He moved to Christchurch taking up a position as an investigating officer with Inland Revenue.

He was the Member of Parliament for from the to , then from to , then from to , when he retired. Connelly was described as New Zealand's last old-fashioned "tubthumping" political campaigner. He conducted much of his electioneering by street-corner orations from the bed of a truck in which he travelled his electorate. When David Lange replaced Bill Rowling Connelly retained the Defence portfolio but was relegated to the backbenches and retired, reluctantly, at the . At the 1982 Labour conference Connelly was loudly booed while on the speaking platform when he defended police using batons for defence while speaking against a remit to disband use of riot squads and cease baton use. It was seen as an indignant end to his long political career.

Later life Connelly later became chairman of the National Water and Soil Conservation Authority. He advocated for retaining high quality land for farming, surrounding Christchurch with a Green Belt and the creation of a satellite town at Rolleston. Connelly was involved in the establishment of the Canterbury Savings Bank and was its inaugural president. He also served on a host of community bodies, including the councils of both the University of Canterbury and the then Lincoln College. He was appointed a Companion of the Queen's Service Order for public services in the 1984 Queen's Birthday Honours. In the 1988 Queen's Birthday Honours, he was made a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George, for public service. In 1990, he received the New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal. He was survived by his wife, four sons, two daughters and multiple grandchildren and great-grandchildren.