Norman Kingsbury

Norman William Kingsbury (7 December 1932 – 12 December 2019) was a New Zealand educational administrator. He served as the inaugural registrar of the University of Waikato (1964–1988), and chief executive officer of the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (1990–2000).

Early life, family, and education Born in Waimate on 7 December 1932, Kingsbury was the son of Frances Emily Hall Kingsbury (née White) and George Ernest Raymond Kingsbury. He was educated at Waimate High School from 1946 to 1951, and then went on to study at Canterbury University College from 1952 to 1956, graduating Bachelor of Arts in 1955 and Master of Arts in 1957. From 1959 to 1960, he was associate secretary of the International Student Conference based in Leiden in the Netherlands, and then from 1960 to 1961 he was the body's secretary-general.

In 1959, Kingsbury married Barbara Anne Stephens, and the couple went on to have five children. He died in Hamilton on 12 December 2019.

Honours and awards Kingsbury was made a life member of the University of Canterbury Students' Association in 1956, and he was accorded a similar honour by the Waikato Students' Union in 1988. In the 2001 Queen's Birthday Honours, he was appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to education.