Obituary: Arthur Frederick Thomas

Arthur Frederick Thomas, OBE. North Shore politician, lawyer. Died aged 81

Fred Thomas was not a politician who left the citizens of Auckland, or others as elevated as the Prime Minister, in doubt as to his opinions.

It did not matter how fashionable the topic - a rapid rail transit proposal maybe, or an idea to house more people in central Auckland. If the Mayor of Takapuna (1965-1986) disagreed with something, he said so. And people disagreed back.

In 1975 he doubted that the rapid rail scheme, then enthusiastically advocated by Auckland Mayor Sir Dove-Myer Robinson, would solve traffic problems. Or other problems suffered in big cities the world over.

"The most pressing urban problems such as pollution, traffic congestion, costs, crime rates and other social ills increase as more and more people are concentrated together in big cities," he said.

Thomas advanced the idea of satellite cities through the Auckland isthmus, so people might live closer to their work.

However such cities take up space. And the issue which propelled the then lawyer and six-year councillor Thomas to stand for the Takapuna mayoralty in 1965 was a proposal from the Auckland Regional Planning Authority and North Shore local bodies. They wanted a regional centre on the North Shore municipal golf course by the Northern Motorway.

To Thomas, who was not a golfer, it was the preservation of the open space that was important. As he liked to observe: "Takapuna is a great place to live - let's keep it that way." In 1971 the golf course was renamed A.F. Thomas Park.

The then Auckland Regional Authority was a favourite target for Thomas: why, for example, were there so many engineers in its refuse department? But he also condemned the cost of "non-productive work performed by central and local government" in general.

It had "escalated out of all proportion - useless investigations and reports, planning pipe dreams, community surveys, social studies - the list is endless".

In 1982 the then Prime Minister, Rob Muldoon, was blaming Thomas, the new chairman of the Municipal Association, for a dip in their relations to the "lowest" in 20 years. The association wanted more money from the Government, which Mr Muldoon viewed as "blackmail".

Thomas responded that while local government spending had been kept to about 2 per cent of gross national product, central Government spending had risen to over 40 per cent.

"I do not think relations are any worse than they have ever been since Mr Muldoon got into office," he said. "It is just that Mr Muldoon has got a lot more sensitive because the problems, nationally, have got a lot worse."

Thomas' later years in politics included three years as chairman of the Auckland Regional Authority from 1983 as a result of the New Deal group winning 20 of 29 seats. Initially a rift loomed between this group and other factions.

Then there was a rift in New Deal leading to endless ructions, votes of no confidence and ministerial involvement.

About that time that Thomas distributed a letter of complaint about the behaviour of Waitemata mayor Tim Shadbolt, telling him: "I think it is about time you learned that the ARA is not a circus and you are not a clown." A wounded Shadbolt responded: "I have a good sense of humour but I am not a clown. I am just as hard and heavy as he is."

Thomas stepped down from the Takapuna mayoralty in 1986 and also lost his ARA seat.

Educated at Takapuna Grammar and the University of Auckland, Thomas had a forthright way with words that attracted attention.

Abiding interests included fairer systems of rates including uniform annual charges for basic council services. And for many years his ambition was "getting community organisations on a good sound basis where they can run their own affairs and do their own thing. There was a lot of satisfaction in that."

That was why in 1975 he gave up his $30,000 a year law practice to concentrate on his mayoral work at $11,000 a year. He said life was quite a struggle for his wife and him after that, with nine children to support (seven daughters and two sons).

In 1968 he won worldwide attention for refusing, as Takapuna mayor, to meet a Queensland Gold Coast publicity circus, complete with scantily clad "courtesy" girls. Calling it "commercialised sex" he said that next people would be asking him to greet topless meter maids.

He said his wife Mary regarded it as cheap publicity: "It's hard enough to bring up a family to respect the virtue of modesty as it is."

Fred Thomas, described this week as "North Shore's true city father" by present North Shore Mayor George Wood, is survived by Mary (nee Macdonald) and their children. A Requiem Mass was celebrated at St Joseph's Church, Takapuna yesterday.