Rt Hon Sir Brian Edward Talboys CH, KCB, AC, PC: 7 June 1921-3 June 2012.

• Author: McGibbon, Ian
• Position: Obituary - Obituary

The passing in Invercargill of Sir Brian Talboys last month deprived the NZIIA of yet another of its former presidents. The first former foreign minister to serve in the role--the only others have been Sir Wallace Rowling and Russell Marshall--he presided over the institute's fiftieth anniversary commemoration in June 1984 shortly after taking office. He had been an honorary vice president since 1982, and resumed that role after relinquishing the presidency in 1987 and served until his death, having been re-elected at the National Council held last May.

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Born in Wanganui and educated at Wanganui Collegiate School, Talboys studied at the University of Manitoba, Canada, and Victoria University of Wellington, graduating with a BA from the latter. After briefly working for a farming journal, he entered the wartime RNZAF and was sent to Canada for training in the Empire Air Training Scheme in September 1941. But he never went on to operational service, apparently because of illness. Following his return to New Zealand, he acquired a farm in Southland and became a farmer.

Talboys entered national politics in 1957 as the National Party's candidate for the parliamentary seat of Wallace, which had been vacated by Tom Macdonald. His victory began a 24-year career as an ME His talents rapidly brought him to the fore. In 1960 he became parliamentary under-secretary to the minister of trade and industry. Two years later he attained ministerial rank when Keith Holyoake appointed him minister of agriculture. During the next ten years Talboys held several other portfolios, including education from 1969.

When the National Party lost the 1972 general election, Talboys returned to the Opposition benches. Two years later he was chosen as deputy leader. Following National's victory in the 1975 general election, he became deputy prime minister, in which capacity he served until his retirement in 1981. Attempts by some of his colleagues to have him replace Robert Muldoon as prime minister in 1980 came to nothing in the face of Muldoon's aggressive response to the threat to his leadership and Talboys's hesitance to challenge the leader.

Apart from his role as deputy, Talboys also served as minister of foreign affairs and minister of overseas trade for six years. His vision was a key component in New Zealand's efforts to achieve a closer economic...