Source: Radio New Zealand
Sir Tim Shadbolt died on Thursday at the age of 78. Otago Daily Times / Stephen Jaquiery
A former mayor and lifelong friend of Sir Tim Shadbolt says the country has lost a superb New Zealander and “a giant of protest”.
The former mayor of Waitematā and Invercargill died Thursday morning.
Tributes flowed for Sir Tim after his long-time partner Asha Dutt confirmed the 78-year-old’s passing later that afternoon in a statement, on behalf of the family.
Sir Bob Harvey served as mayor of Waitākere City between 1992 and 2010, before the territory merged with the Auckland Council.
A lifelong friend of Sir Tim’s, the former mayor and advertising executive said New Zealand had lost “someone very special”.
“New Zealand has lost a giant of protest, political nous, humour, intelligence, smartness, and just a superb New Zealander,” he said.
“We’ve lost an icon of this country.”
Following a period of staunch activism in his younger years, Sir Tim would enter politics, serving as the mayor of Waitematā City from 1983 to 1989.
Tim Shadbolt with a group of protesters outside the Auckland Town Hall in 1973. Te Ara / Public Domain
A true blue “westie”, Sir Tim shaped the reputation of Auckland’s western suburbs, Sir Bob said.
But it was his friend’s ability to zero in on the mood of the nation, including issues that troubled New Zealanders, which generated deep admiration.
“He understood instinctively the issues that moved us, that supported us, and often sometimes divided us. This was a very smart political man,” Sir Bob said.
Sir Tim first came to national prominence in the 1960s as a student activist on issues like the Vietnam War and apartheid.
He was seen as a key figure in the anti-Vietnam War movement during the late 60s and early 70s, a period where he was arrested 33 times, including once for using the word “bullshit”.
“We realised that there was a fog of war, and that was something that we should never be into, and I supported him totally,” Sir Bob said.
“I remember being put in paddy wagons with him when [US President] Lyndon Johnson was here. We were helping people bloodied by brutality and the rioting that went on around that.
“Him and I were brothers in protest and we celebrated the fact that we could do that.”
Sir Bob Harvey. New Zealand Herald, NZH-1100342.
Sir Tim’s eight terms as Invercargill mayor between 1993 and 1995, and again between 1998 and 2022, helped make him one of the country’s longest-serving mayors.
But during a turbulent final spell in office for Sir Tim, marred by questions over council performance and clashes with his elected members, Sir Bob appealed to his friend to call it a day.
“I came down, as a politician and a lifelong friend, to ask him not to stand again. He refused to believe things were not right,” he said.
“He didn’t take that well and I think that’s a real sadness for all his triumphs. He didn’t know when to leave the stage.”
Nobby Clark would ultimately claim the Invercargill mayoralty race in 2022.
However Sir Tim’s refusal to step away was also born of a deep affection for “life and politics”.
“Everything’s political and he spotted that, he understood that,” Sir Bob said.
“He was, without fear or favour, totally committed to this country. He was the voice of reason and the voice of sanity at a time when New Zealand was on some bumpy waters.
“It’s a life really, really well lived.”
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
