Obituary: Former Waitotora MP Peter Gresham put family and community first

Peter Gresham in 2002, the year he was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for public services. Photo / NZME

Former Waitotora MP and government minister Peter Gresham has died at the age of 91, leaving a legacy of commitment to public service.

Gresham, an accountant from Waverley, won the Waitotora seat for National in 1990 and following re-election in 1993 became Minister for Social Welfare and Minister for Senior Citizens.

Daughter Jane Gresham said while her father entered politics late – at the age of 56 – he always had a keen interest in it.

“Even in local politics, he was the clerk for the Waverley council and things like that. He wanted to serve the community.

“Dad was vice chairman for the National Party for a period of time and was also involved in the Young Nats [The New Zealand Young Nationals]. I’m fairly certain that’s where he met mum,” she said.

Peter and Margot Gresham were married for 61 years before Margot’s death in 2022.

Son Guy Gresham said his father always questioned career politicians.

“He addressed that in his final speech in Parliament – that you should have a career before you get into politics so you have broader life experience.

“You need to have accountants, single parents, retail owners, people from all walks of life being represented.

“For Dad, he felt like he had something to contribute and he did.”

Whanganui MP Carl Bates said he took Gresham’s career advice on board.

“Peter was the person who got me interested and engaged in politics and was hugely supportive of anything we [Young Nats] wanted to do to learn,” Bates said.

“I was keen to get involved in politics at a young age and Peter said I should go out into the real world and get some experience. I took that to heart.”

Bates campaigned for Gresham in the 1996 election.

Gresham lost the now-Whanganui seat to Labour’s Jill Pettis but remained on his party’s list until he retired from politics in 1999.

In 2002, he was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for public services.

Gresham, a devout Catholic, was also the first New Zealander to be appointed a Knight of Malta – a worldwide charitable order.

Jane Gresham said family came first for her father.

Peter Gresham and his wife Margot Gresham were married for 61 years.

Peter Gresham was the youngest of 10 children and he and his wife Margot had six children.

“Education was always very important to Dad and I think they sacrificed a lot to send us all to boarding school,” she said.

“All six of us have university degrees and when Guy, the youngest, got his, we all hired the appropriate graduation gowns and had family photos.

“We’ve just been wincing about them [the photos] but Mum and Dad were extremely proud of that.”

Guy Gresham said forestry was another major passion for his father, who was involved in several partnerships in the sector including Forestry360.

“Even as recently as a few weeks ago, he went to an annual general meeting.

“Dad wasn’t the first or the only but he definitely saw the potential of forestry early on – ahead of it becoming a major industry in New Zealand.”

Forestry360 director and shareholder Marcus Musson said his mother-in-law was Gresham’s electorate secretary.

“I’ve known Peter for many years and when he started the forestry company, which back in the day was called Forest Owner Marketing Services, he tapped me on the shoulder to come on board.”

It was one of the first independently owned forest management companies in the country, Musson said.

“He had incredible foresight and his knowledge of all things forestry and politics was pretty amazing.

“He was such a genuine and honest guy and looked out for people. I owe my career to him.

“You would struggle to find anyone with a bad word to say about him.”

Prime Minister Jim Bolger's (front left) Cabinet in 1993, featuring (clockwise from Bolger) Cabinet secretary Marie Shroff, Bill Birch, Jenny Shipley, Phillip Burdon, Lockwood Smith, Wyatt Creech, John Banks, John Luxton, Maurice Williamson, Peter Gresham, Bruce Cliffe, Murray McCully, Warren Cooper, Denis Marshall (obscured), Doug Graham (obscured), John Falloon, Simon Upton, Doug Kidd, Paul East, and Don McKinnon. Photo / NZME

His father took a number of diplomats “under his wing” during his time in politics and the couple maintained those networks after he left Parliament, Guy Gresham said.

“They would host them at home and take them to Whanganui.

“There is a photo of him taking the Mexican and Israeli ambassadors up to Jerusalem [on the Whanganui River].”

Bates said Peter and Margot worked as a team and were “practically inseparable”.

“They had such a focus on the community and Peter worked really hard.

“When he was Minister for Social Welfare and Senior Citizens he would drop me home after a function at 11pm and the next morning he would be in Wellington for Cabinet.

“He was an old-school MP. He always approached things and did things the right way.”

Peter and Margot moved to Whanganui fulltime eight years ago, Jane Gresham said.

“As Dad moved into retirement he developed a love of snooker. Someone would come and pick him up and he would go off and play at a club here in town.

“He always loved being with his grandkids as well and was always proud of what they were doing.”

Peter Gresham died in Whanganui on August 31.

He leaves behind six children, 16 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Mike Tweed is a multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle. Since starting in March 2020, he has dabbled in everything from sport to music. At present his focus is local government, primarily the Whanganui District Council.