Former minister and America's Cup director, Aussie Malcolm dies
Thursday, 12 September 2024
Aussie Malcolm served in the Muldoon Government, and went on to work across industries - starting with the first New Zealand attempt at the America’s Cup.
He died in Whāngarei following a short illness.
He was a leading tourism figure in Northland, with his company Dive! Tutukaka.
Former cabinet minister and America’s Cup campaign director Anthony 'Aussie' Malcolm has died, following a short illness. He was 83 years old.
Malcolm served in the Muldoon Government, working as a Cabinet minister with varied portfolios - including railways, health and immigration.
He had come to Parliament after training as a social worker and then ran an advertising company. Post-Parliament, he turned his passion for yachting into a fourth career, managing New Zealand’s first challenge for the America’s Cup.
His family confirmed his death, following his cremation, on Thursday. A statement from his daughter, Jo Malcolm, said close family and friends had been with him in Whangārei, during his final moments.
Born in Australia, Malcolm moved to New Zealand as a child and attended Wellington College where his classmates nicknamed him 'Aussie“. The name stuck with him his whole life.
In 1975, Malcolm defeated Labour’s Mike Moore to win the Eden electorate for the National Party, a seat he would hold for three terms.
National Party president Sylvia Wood said Malcolm had shown huge commitment to Aotearoa. As associate transport minister, she he was responsible for creating the electrified rail system which still operates in Wellington.
“It is always challenging for the families of politicians but the legacy Aussie has left on our Party and New Zealand is a testament to the sacrifices they, and Aussie made,” she said.
His political career came to an end in 1984, when Labour reclaimed the seat in a landslide election.
His work as a director of New Zealand’s first America’s Cup campaign saw the team secure the largest sporting sponsorship of the time, brining in millions to fund the team.
Although Sir Michael Fay later took over management of the Kiwi campaign, Malcolm was instrumental in assembling a team of yacht designers that included Bruce Farr, Ron Holland, and Laurie Davidson, to create the world’s first fiberglass 12-metre yacht.
Team New Zealand went on to place second in the 1987 Louis Vuitton challenger series.
Malcolm remained involved in yachting, and was a member of the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron for more than 40 years.
He also went on to pursue a diverse range of business ventures.
He founded the immigration consultancy Malcolm Pacific, and co-founded the country’s biggest diving company, in Northland, Dive! Tutukaka. The dive company became a key asset for Northland’s growing tourism industry.
His business interests extended across manufacturing, medical insurance, aquaculture, and yacht building.
Malcolm is survived by three daughters, a son, and six grandchildren.
His wife, former Auckland City Councillor and interior designer Astrid Malcolm, died in 2000, aged 58.