Michael Hardie Boys

After his schooling at Hataitai School and Wellington College, Hardie Boys gained a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws from Victoria University College. Hardie Boys married Mary Zohrab in 1957. They have two sons, two daughters and eight grandchildren.

A lawyer by profession, Hardie Boys became a Judge of the High Court of New Zealand in 1980. In 1989 he was elevated to the Court of Appeal, and was appointed as a Privy Counsellor.[1] In 1994 he was elected as an Honorary Bencher at Gray's Inn, and in 1995 became an Honorary Fellow of Wolfson College, Cambridge. He is also a Visiting Fellow at Wolfson. In the 1996 New Year Honours, Hardie Boys was appointed as a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George.[2]

On 21 March 1996, Hardie Boys was appointed by Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand on the advice of Prime Minister Jim Bolger, as the Governor-General of New Zealand. As the 1996 New Zealand general election would be the first MMP election, the appointment of a lawyer was desirable.

In the 1996 Queen's Birthday Honours, Hardie Boys was the first person appointed as a Knight Grand Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit.[3] He was also appointed a Knight of the Order of St John of Jerusalem in April 1996.[4]

Upon the completion of his term on 21 March 2001, Sir Michael and Lady Hardie Boys were both appointed as additional Companions of the Queen's Service Order.[5]

Controversies

Hardie Boys (left) with United States President Bill Clinton, 1999.

In 1996, Hardie Boys caused controversy by stating his opposition to Minister of Youth Affairs Deborah Morris's suggestion that young people have access to contraceptives.[6] Later, in 2001, he created further controversy by making an implied attack on the Clark Labour Government's scrapping of the air defence wing of the Royal New Zealand Air Force.[6]

Since his retirement as Governor-General of New Zealand, Hardie Boys has served as a Judge of the Kiribati Court of Appeal. He now lives in retirement at Waikanae.

In 2004, Hardie Boys stated his opposition to New Zealand becoming a republic, stating in an interview: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."[7]

• The Boy from Evans Bay: The memoirs of Sir Michael Hardie Boys (2016)

• Official Biography