Paul East was appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2005. Photo / Tracey Robinson
Rotorua has lost a loyal and dedicated member of its community with the death of former National Party MP Paul East.
When East was first elected to the city council, he set a record as the youngest councillor to serve the city. East then served as a National MP for 21 years from 1978 to 1999, 18 of those years as MP for Rotorua.
He held a number of ministerial portfolios in the Jim Bolger government, including as Attorney-General and Minister of Defence, State Services and Corrections.
In 1996, as State Services Minister, East introduced the Protected Disclosure Bill to give legal protection to whistleblowers. As Attorney-General, he led New Zealand’s 1995 case against France’s nuclear testing in the Pacific at the International Court of Justice in The Hague.
He became a member of the Privy Council in 1998 and resigned from Parliament in 1999 to become New Zealand’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom.
In 2005, East’s service was recognised when he was appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to Parliament and the law.
East’s friend of 65 years Jill Nicholas said he was “the man for the job and he had many jobs”.
“No matter how impressive and high-powered the job he had, he never forgot his first paid employment was mowing council reserves in his student days.”
Nicholas said East was a man with a wonderful sense of fun and good humour, yet always maintained his dignity.
“As a councillor, he never lost sight of the fact his first duty was to those who elected him and made it plain he understood it was the ratepayers who were paying his wages.
“As a defence counsel in the criminal court, he battled for the underdog, often gaining acquittals by the sheer weight of his reasoned arguments.”
Nicholas’ favourite memory of her friend was watching East come into the local newsroom right on deadline.
“We were far too busy to interview him. Instead, he’d pick up a tape recorder and interview himself - complete with punctuation. He was used to having his words on record.”
Lyall Thurston said he felt honoured to have considered East a friend.
“I had the privilege of being Paul’s electorate chairman for a number of elections,” Thurston said.
“You could not help but be impressed by his commitment to doing the best for Rotorua, and he had a great love for all the city’s people.”
Thurston described East as a “friend to all” and a person who crossed the political divide.
“He was a man of incredible talents and he did a commendable amount of work as Attorney-General.”
St Faith’s Church vicar Reverend Tom Poata said he knew East as a man who put the best of his talents to the service of his community.
“He wasn’t the sort of person to crow it from the trees,” Poata said.
“As I knew him, he was a gentle person, and outside of politics he was always, to me, personable and terribly intelligent, perfectly suited to being the standard of lawyer that he was.”
Poata said East was always good to St Faith’s and many members of its community had much to thank him for.
“Just by being who he was, quietly in the background, he would make things happen.”
Rotorua Mayor Tania Tapsell described East as a “dedicated MP”.
“On behalf of the people of Rotorua, my thoughts are with Paul’s loved ones and the community he dedicated his life to serving.
“[Paul] brought a strong local voice to Parliament on behalf of the people of Rotorua. He helped shape us into the wonderful city that we are today.”
Tapsell said East’s commitment to the people of Rotorua was exemplary.
“Thank you Paul for your service to our great city – we are better for it.”
Rotorua MP Todd McClay said he was deeply saddened to hear of East’s death.
“He was a good friend and somebody whose views and opinions I valued greatly.”
McClay said he considered East a role model.
“We would talk in the early days quite often. It was clear to me his affection for our city and district remained long after he finished his direct role in public service.”
McClay said East taught him about the importance of being part of the community you represent as an MP.
“[Paul showed] the importance of helping everybody you can. He taught me it’s the one-on-one interactions that matter.
“People continue to speak extremely highly of him. I’ve seen messages on my Facebook page from people Paul helped decades ago.”
National Party leader Christopher Luxon extended his condolences to East’s family and friends following the news of his passing.
“Paul East was an exceptionally dedicated Member of Parliament for 21 years,” Luxon said.
Luxon praised East as an “advocate on significant international issues” during his seven-year tenure as Attorney-General.
“On behalf of the National Party, our thoughts are with Paul’s family and friends at this very sad time.”
National Party president Sylvia Wood reflected in a statement on the former MP’s lifetime of service to the National Party, Rotorua and New Zealand.
“Without seeking fanfare, Paul led the charge on issues considered important across the political divide.”
Wood said East’s affability and commitment to his country were highly regarded not just by his colleagues across the House, with both Helen Clark and Mike Moore praising him in their valedictory speeches.
“I extend my warmest gratitude to Paul’s family for the contribution they made to our country through their support of his career in public life.”
Former Rotorua and Tarawera MP Max Bradford said East was an outstanding parliamentary representative and Cabinet minister who always had Rotorua’s interests at heart during his many years as Rotorua MP.
“He will be sorely missed by his family and his friends.”
Bradford was East’s successor as Rotorua MP after the Tarawera and Rotorua electorates were amalgamated when MMP was introduced in the late 1990s. He was also a Cabinet colleague of East’s for some years.