Mayor Tim knighted
Mayor Tim can now be called Sir Tim.
Invercargill’s longtime mayor, Tim Shadbolt, has been made a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his services to local government and the community.
The 71-year-old with the trademark grin said he was exhilarated and filled with joy by the 2019 New Year honour.
The knighthood was not just for him, it’s also for the people of Invercargill, a city where he first became mayor in 1993.
‘‘When you look at what gritty, honest, hard-working people we are, I think we deserve a bit of recognition.’’
As a young man, Shadbolt was anti-establishment and a charismatic student radical whose civil disobedience resulted in many brushes with the law.
Now the longest-serving mayor in New Zealand, he has become more conservative over the years.
‘‘I must admit I have had a rather colourful past but that gives me a bit of joy in this situation as well, because it means ultimately we are all equal.’’
A reflective Shadbolt, whose long-time partner is Asha Dutt, pays tribute to his parents – both of whom have passed away.
His father was killed when his plane crashed into a mountain during a training exercise in 1952, while preparing to serve in the Korean War.
His mother, ‘‘a wonderful woman’’, died in Invercargill in 2009, aged 93.
‘‘I had a point to prove, I suppose, that I could bring honour to their names,’’ he said.
‘‘And I have a feeling it will add to the occasion for the wider Shadbolt family.’’