Wyatt Creech

Infobox_Officeholder
name=Rt Hon. Wyatt Creech
order=14th Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand


term_start=August 1998
term_end=5 December 1999
primeminister=Jenny Shipley
predecessor=Winston Peters
successor=Jim Anderton
birth_date=October 1946
birth_place=Oceanside, California, USA
death_date=
death_place=
spouse=
party=National
constituency=Wairarapa
religion=

Wyatt Beetham Creech, CNZM (born October, 1946) is a former New Zealand politician. He served as Deputy Prime Minister in Jenny Shipley's National Party government from August 1998 to December 1999.

Early life

Creech was born in Oceanside, California, United States. His mother, a New Zealander, had met his father when he was part of a US Marine deployment passing through New Zealand in World War II. When Creech was a few months old, the family returned to New Zealand, settling in Wairarapa. Creech was educated in Masterton, Wanganui, and at Massey University, where he obtained an agricultural qualification. He then travelled extensively overseas, visiting India, Nepal, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Turkey, the Soviet Union, and Eastern Europe. He then returned to New Zealand and obtained a degree in political science from Victoria University of Wellington. He subsequently returned to Wairarapa and established a vineyard.

Entry into politics

In the 1987 elections, Creech contested the Wairarapa seat for the National Party. On election night, Creech was defeated by the incumbent Labour Party MP, Reg Boorman by one vote, but Creech later challenged that result on the basis that Boorman had violated new laws about election spending, and challenged more than 200 votes on various grounds. The Electoral Court approved Creech's petition, and he took his seat in 1988 with a majority of 34 votes (9994 to 9960).

Cabinet minister

When the National Party won the 1990 elections, Creech was appointed to the Cabinet of the fourth National government, with his two main roles being Minister of Revenue and Minister of Customs. Later in his career, he held a number of other roles, including Minister of Education, Minister of Health, Minister for State Owned Enterprises, Minister of Employment, and Associate Minister of Finance. Creech supported Jenny Shipley's December 1997 party-room coup against Prime Minister Jim Bolger, and Creech became deputy leader of the National Party on 8 December. See [http://www.executive.govt.nz/96-99/minister/creech/]

Deputy Prime Minister

In August 1998, the coalition between the National Party and New Zealand First broke down, and New Zealand First's Winston Peters was sacked as Deputy Prime Minister. Shipley appointed Creech to fill the vacancy. However, barely a year later, the Shipley government was heavily defeated by Labour. At this election, Creech stood down from Wairarapa and became a list MP. His deputy leader status allowed him to be second on National's list, assuring his reelection even as National was forced into opposition.

Post politics career

Creech remained as the party's deputy leader until February 2001, when he chose to stand down. He was replaced by Bill English, following a leadership battle with Gerry Brownlee. Creech did not stand for re-election in the 2002 elections.

More recently he was one of the founders of the [http://www.open-country.co.nz Open Country Cheese Company] , located near Matamata, in Waikato.