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Bill Jeffries

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The Honourable
Bill Jeffries
40th Minister of Justice
In office
13 August 1989 – 2 November 1990
Prime MinisterGeoffrey Palmer
Mike Moore
Preceded byGeoffrey Palmer
Succeeded byDoug Graham
15th Minister of Transport
In office
24 August 1987 – 2 November 1990
Prime MinisterDavid Lange
Geoffrey Palmer
Mike Moore
Preceded byRichard Prebble
Succeeded byRob Storey
Member of the New Zealand Parliament
for Heretaunga
In office
28 November 1981 – 27 October 1990
Preceded byRon Bailey
Succeeded byPeter McCardle
Personal details
Born
William Patrick Jeffries

(1945-09-19) 19 September 1945 (age 78)
Wellington, New Zealand
Political partyLabour
RelationsJohn Jeffries (brother)
ProfessionLawyer

William Patrick Jeffries (born 19 September 1945)[1] is a former New Zealand politician of the Labour Party. He was elected as the Member of Parliament for Heretaunga and served as Minister of Transport and Minister of Justice.

Biography

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Early life and career

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Jeffries was born in Wellington in 1945 and he was educated at St Patrick's College. He attended Victoria University and graduated with a Bachelor of Laws, after which he became a lawyer at his brother's legal firm. Later he left New Zealand to work in the United Kingdom, before returning to Wellington and establishing his own law firm.[2]

He was an active athlete in his youth, playing both tennis and rugby. Jeffries married and had six children.[2]

Political career

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New Zealand Parliament
Years Term Electorate List Party
1981–1984 40th Heretaunga Labour
1984–1987 41st Heretaunga Labour
1987–1990 42nd Heretaunga Labour

Jeffries was a member of the Wellington City Council from 1974 until 1980. From 1977 to 1980 he was leader of the Labour caucus on the council; he was the youngest ever leader.[3][4] Wellington Mayor Sir Michael Fowler later described Jeffries as an "extremely good" councillor.[5] His brother John was previously also a councillor and Deputy Mayor to Sir Frank Kitts.

In 1978 Jeffries unsuccessfully contested the seat of Miramar for the Labour Party.[6]

He represented the Heretaunga electorate from 1981 to 1990, when he was defeated by National candidate Peter McCardle in a swing against Labour. He was undersecretary to the Minister of Transport in 1986 and also to the Minister of Works, and chairman of a parliamentary committee on road safety in 1987. In April 1988 he was appointed chairman of the National Roads Board. He was Minister of Justice from 1989 to 1990 in the Fourth Labour Government.

Lombard Finance convictions

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On 24 February 2012 Jeffries was convicted, along with fellow former Justice Minister Sir Douglas Graham and two other men, of breaching the Securities Act by making untrue statements to investors in his capacity as a director of Lombard Finance.[7] Justice Robert Dobson wrote, "I am satisfied that the accused genuinely believed in the accuracy and adequacy of the ... documents", but that the offences were ones of strict liability so there was no need for "any form of mental intent to distribute documents that were false or misleading".[8] Jeffries was sentenced to 400 hours' community service. The Court of Appeal dismissed his appeal against conviction and increased his sentence to eight months' home detention and 250 hours' community work,[9] but the Supreme Court restored the original sentence.[10] Retired Court of Appeal judge Sir Edmund Thomas described his convictions as a "grievous miscarriage of justice", saying of the crucial piece of evidence that "you would never ever convict a dog on the basis of the schedule".[11]

Notes

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  1. ^ Lambert, Max (1991) [1908]. Who's Who in New Zealand (12th ed.). Wellington: Reed. ISBN 0790001306.
  2. ^ a b Who's Who in the New Zealand Parliament 1987. Wellington: Parliamentary Service. 1987. p. 59.
  3. ^ "Labour leader to step down". The Evening Post. 22 May 1980.
  4. ^ "Cr Jeffries sets a worthy example". The Evening Post. 24 May 1980.
  5. ^ Romanos, Joseph (28 May 2009). "The Wellingtonian interview: Sir Michael Fowler". The Wellingtonian. Retrieved 25 May 2013.
  6. ^ Norton, Clifford (1988). New Zealand Parliamentary Election Results 1946–1987: Occasional Publications No 1, Department of Political Science. Wellington: Victoria University of Wellington. p. 278. ISBN 0-475-11200-8.
  7. ^ "Former Cabinet ministers guilty of making false statements". Stuff. 24 February 2012. Retrieved 24 February 2012.
  8. ^ Gaynor, Brian (10 March 2012). "Rulings have raised the bar for directors". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 11 March 2012.
  9. ^ "Court increases Lombard sentences". Stuff.co.nz. 2 July 2013. Retrieved 14 November 2013.
  10. ^ Mayer, Kurt (7 May 2014). "Lombard directors' home detention too harsh - Supreme Court". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 11 January 2016.
  11. ^ "Lombard conviction 'miscarriage of justice'". Stuff.co.nz. 7 November 2013. Retrieved 14 November 2013.

References

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  • Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First published in 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103.
Political offices
Preceded by Minister of Justice
1989–1990 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Minister of Transport
1987–1990 		Succeeded by
Minister of Civil Aviation
1987–1990
New Zealand Parliament
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Heretaunga
1981–1990 		Succeeded by
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