Leon Götz

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title: "Leon Götz" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["new-zealand-national-party-mps", "royal-air-force-personnel-of-world-war-i", "20th-century-owners-of-plantations", "1892-births", "1970-deaths", "high-commissioners-of-new-zealand-to-canada", "people-educated-at-king's-college,-auckland", "high-commissioners-of-new-zealand-to-barbados", "people-educated-at-whanganui-collegiate-school", "university-of-otago-alumni", "members-of-the-new-zealand-house-of-representatives", "new-zealand-mps-for-auckland-electorates", "unsuccessful-candidates-in-the-1963-new-zealand-general-election", "unsuccessful-candidates-in-the-1946-new-zealand-general-election", "new-zealand-politicians-with-disabilities", "new-zealand-knights-commander-of-the-royal-victorian-order"] description: "New Zealand politician" topic_path: "history" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leon_Götz" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary New Zealand politician ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox officeholder"]

Field	Value
honorific_prefix	The Honourable
name	Sir Leon Götz
honorific_suffix
image	Leon Götz.jpg
caption	Götz in 1957
order	9th High Commissioner of New Zealand to Canada
primeminister	Keith Holyoake
term_start	31 March 1965
term_end	30 August 1968
predecessor	John S. Reid
successor	Dean Eyre
order2	17th Minister of Internal Affairs
primeminister2	Keith Holyoake
term_start2	12 December 1960
term_end2	20 December 1963
predecessor2	Bill Anderton
successor2	David Seath
order3	6th Minister of Island Territories
primeminister3	Keith Holyoake
term_start3	12 December 1960
term_end3	20 December 1963
predecessor3	John Mathison
successor3	Ralph Hanan
constituency_MP4	Manukau
parliament4	New Zealand
term_start4	13 November 1954
term_end4	30 November 1963
predecessor4	New constituency
successor4	Colin Moyle
constituency_MP5	Otahuhu
parliament5	New Zealand
term_start5	30 November 1949
term_end5	13 November 1954
predecessor5	Charles Robert Petrie
successor5	James Deas
birth_date
birth_place	Auckland, New Zealand
death_date
death_place	Rotorua, New Zealand
party	National
relatives	Enid McElwee (niece)
alma_mater	Otago University
mawards
::

| honorific_prefix = The Honourable | name = Sir Leon Götz | honorific_suffix = | image = Leon Götz.jpg | alt = | caption = Götz in 1957 | order = 9th High Commissioner of New Zealand to Canada | primeminister = Keith Holyoake | term_start = 31 March 1965 | term_end = 30 August 1968 | predecessor = John S. Reid | successor = Dean Eyre | order2 = 17th Minister of Internal Affairs | primeminister2 = Keith Holyoake | term_start2 = 12 December 1960 | term_end2 = 20 December 1963 | predecessor2 = Bill Anderton | successor2 = David Seath | order3 = 6th Minister of Island Territories | primeminister3 = Keith Holyoake | term_start3 = 12 December 1960 | term_end3 = 20 December 1963 | predecessor3 = John Mathison | successor3 = Ralph Hanan | constituency_MP4 = Manukau | parliament4 = New Zealand | term_start4 = 13 November 1954 | term_end4 = 30 November 1963 | predecessor4 = New constituency | successor4 = Colin Moyle | constituency_MP5 = Otahuhu | parliament5 = New Zealand | term_start5 = 30 November 1949 | term_end5 = 13 November 1954 | predecessor5 = Charles Robert Petrie | successor5 = James Deas | birth_name = | birth_date = | birth_place = Auckland, New Zealand | death_date = | death_place = Rotorua, New Zealand | party = National | spouse = | children = | relatives = Enid McElwee (niece) | education = | alma_mater = Otago University | occupation = | profession = | signature = | signature_alt = | allegiance = | branch = | serviceyears = | rank = | unit = | commands = | battles = | mawards =
| military_blank1 = | military_data1 = | module = Sir Frank Leon Aroha Götz (12 September 1892 – 14 September 1970) was a New Zealand politician of the National Party. Noted as a colourful character, he was commonly referred to by parliamentary colleagues as "the pirate" as he wore a black patch over a missing eye.

Biography

Early life and career

Götz was born in Auckland. He received his education in France (at the insistence of his Alsatian father) and at King's College, Wanganui Collegiate School, and Otago University. He was a rubber planter in Malaya from 1913. He served in World War I in the Malayan States Rifles and in the RAF, and lost his right arm and eye in an explosives accident. He returned to Malaya, but came to New Zealand again in 1925 when the rubber market collapsed.

Until 1935, he was general manager of New Zealand reparation estates in Western Samoa. He was then a broadcaster for 2ZB, a radio station in Wellington. This was followed by working for an Auckland-based insurance company, of which he eventually became manager. He had also worked in journalism and advertising as well, due to being a fluent linguist, a teacher of multiple languages.

Political career

|start = |end = 1951 |term = 29th |electorate = |party = New Zealand National Party |start = |end = 1954 |term = 30th |electorate = Otahuhu |party = New Zealand National Party |start = |end = 1957 |term = 31st |electorate = |party = New Zealand National Party |start = |end = 1960 |term = 32nd |electorate = Manukau |party = New Zealand National Party |start = |end = 1963 |term = 33rd |electorate = Manukau |party = New Zealand National Party

In 1946, Götz unsuccessfully contested , being beaten by Labour's Bill Anderton. He then sought the National Party nomination for the Mount Albert by-election in 1947, but lost to Jack Garland.

Götz then represented the Otahuhu electorate from 1949 to 1954. In 1953, he was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal. He was then the MP for Manukau from 1954 to 1963. In 1963 he was defeated when standing for Manurewa. He was appointed Minister of Internal Affairs, Ministers for Civil Defence and Minister of Island Territories on 12 December 1960, and held these posts until his defeat three years later. He had been a backbencher for 11 years and was 68 years old, but Prime Minister Keith Holyoake thought him capable to be a minister despite Deputy Prime Minister Jack Marshall not thinking him qualified.

He had ministerial responsibility for acclimatisation (as the New Zealand Wildlife Service was a division of the Department of Internal Affairs) and was caught returning from a duck shooting trip by a local ranger carrying more than the legal limit allowed, causing significant embarrassment for the government.

As Internal Affairs was responsible for the 1963 Royal Tour, Götz was knighted at the end of the tour in 1963 by being appointed a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order for personal services to the sovereign, which caused some jealousy amongst his colleagues. In March 1964, Götz was granted the right to retain the title of The Honourable in recognition of his term as a member of the Executive Council of New Zealand.

Later life and death

From 1965 to 1968 he was the High Commissioner to Canada. While there he occupied much of his time hunting bears near the Arctic Circle. When his term expired he retired to Rotorua. Götz died on 14 September 1970 in Rotorua. He was survived by his wife.

Notes

References

• Obituaries in Evening Post, 14 September 1970 & New Zealand Herald, 15 September 1970

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References

1. (15 September 1970). "Death of Sir Leon Gotz". [[The Press]].
2. (23 August 1947). "National Nominees For Mt Albert". [[The Northern Advocate]].
3. (2 September 1947). "National Candidate for Mt Albert Seat". [[The Northern Advocate]].
4. (1994). "Honoured by the Queen – New Zealand". New Zealand Who's Who Aotearoa.
5. ''New Zealand Parliamentary Debates'', Vols. 327-337 (1961-1963).
6. {{London Gazette. (27 March 1964)

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