Jack Ridley (engineer)


John Wallace Ridley was a New Zealand Member of Parliament for in the North Island, a Rhodes Scholar and a civil engineer. He was notable for his contributions to hydro engineering.

Early years

Ridley was born in Invercargill, New Zealand in 1919. He attended Timaru Boys' High School and then studied engineering at Canterbury University College in Christchurch. After the Second World War he spent two years, 1946–1947, as a Rhodes Scholar at University College, University of Oxford, graduating with an MA in engineering science. He married Avis in 1949.
Ridley was a civil engineer of dams for power schemes like Benmore Dam in the South Island and Wairakei in the North Island, working for the Ministry of Works and Development. For his contributions, he was awarded with the Fulton Gold Medal, at the time the highest award of the New Zealand Institution of Engineers.

Political career

Member of Parliament

Ridley was the MP for Taupo for six years from to 1975, and from to 1981.
He was once asked why there were so few engineers in Parliament, to which he replied: "Because engineers are realists and politicians are idealists." In 1975 his wife Avis unsuccessfully sought the Labour Party candidacy for the electorate alongside 26 other aspirants following the retirement of Hugh Watt, but she lost to Frank Rogers.

Independent

In October 1983 Ridley contested the Labour nomination for the new Tongariro electorate but was unsuccessful, losing to Noel Scott. Ridley disputed the selection process afterwards, claiming that the procedure had been manipulated by the party hierarchy who were determined to select Scott and estimating that he won 250 of the 350 floor votes from the members opposed to less than 20 for Scott. The party president, Jim Anderton, refuted Ridley's claims stating that Labour's selection processes were democratically sound and the decision was final. In the Ridley stood for the Tongariro electorate as an Independent but was not successful. A large proportion of the Tongariro electorate had been part of Taupo. The town of Taupo itself however had become part of Waikaremoana.

Death

Ridley died in Auckland on 23 August 2006. He was survived by his wife and four sons.

Honours and awards

In 1990, Ridley was awarded the New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal. In the 1998 Queen's Birthday Honours, he was appointed a Companion of the Queen's Service Order for public services.