Ian Shearer
Ian John Shearer (10 December 1941 – 1 June 2021) was a New Zealand politician of the National Party, environmentalist and research scientist.[1][2][3] Shearer spent nine years as an animal scientist at the Ruakura Research Centre before becoming a member of parliament in 1975.[7] He later joined the New Zealand First Party which was largely made up of National Party dissidents and stood as the New Zealand First candidate in the Onehunga electorate at the 1993 general election, losing to Labour's Richard Northey.[8] After leaving politics Shearer was the dean of science and engineering at the Auckland University of Technology for nine years and served on the Waitangi Tribunal.[1] Shearer died from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis at his home in Whakatāne on 1 June 2021.