Mackenzie Smith

The Reverend and Right Honourable Mackenzie Smith OM EC
Chairman of Centralia County Council
Incumbent
Assumed office 1 September 2008
Monarch	Geoffrey VII
Preceded by	Rosemary Colless
Deputy Minister for Ecclesiastical Affairs
In office 15 March 2004 – 10 March 2008
Prime Minister	Jim Goodwin
Preceded by	Daniel Oswald
Succeeded by	The Earl Braddock
Personal details
Born	(1959-11-15) 15 November 1959 Kingsbury, CENT
Political party	National Party
Religion	Christian (Ingrean)

The Reverend and Right Honourable Mackenzie Balfour Smith OM EC (born 15 November 1959) is an Ingrean priest and National Party politician. Presently the Chairman of Centralia County Council, he previously served as the Member of the House of Assembly for the Electoral district of Mount Beacon—Moreborough and as vicar of the parish of Mount Beacon in Centralia.

Early life

Birth and schooling

Mackenzie Smith was born in Kingsbury, the capital of New Ingrea, on the evening of the 15 November 1959. His parents, Nicholas and Lilly, were Shepton-based pastoralists who owned several thousand acres of prime wool-growing country on the southern fall of the Central Tablelands. Mackenzie would the be the eldest of three children, with younger brothers James and Stewart born in 1961 and 1967. Unusually for New Ingrea, the Smith family are Scottish by decent, with Mackenzie's great-great-grandfather having emigrated from Aberdeenshire in the 1890s.

Initially schooled at the local primary school, in 1973 was sent to Rosenham Agricultural College to complete his secondary studies. Mackenzie completed his Advanced Certificate in 1977, and matriculated in to University College Kingsbury. Despite his father wish that he study agronomy or rural science, Smith chose instead to read history. At university, Smith first became involved in politics, and joined the National Party within six months of coming to the college. In 1982, Smith graduated with honours, receiving a mark of 2:1 in his honours thesis on the effects of Church of Ingrea canon law on the law making process in New Ingrea.

In 1983, Smith decided on a career in the church, and applied to study at the Thomas Cranmer Theological College in Williamstown. Unlike the rest of his family who were Presbyterian, Mackenzie opted to be received in to the Ingrean Church. Over the next three years, Smith undertook a doctorate of theology through University College Kingsbury, and then completed a Diploma of Ingrean Orders through the theological college. After completing the required time in the diaconate, Smith was ordained a priest in May 1992.

Ecclesiastical career

In 1992, Smith was appointed by the council of the parish of Mount Beacon to be its vicar.

In public interviews he has given on the matter, Smith has stated that he found the priesthood an enlivening experience, but over time he came to believe that he could not truly help the needs of the local community while ever he remained a mere parish priest. As a result, Smith sought leave from the parish in March 1995 in order to seek a career in politics. Having failed the first time, he returned to parish duties for the next four and a half years.

Political career

Entry into Parliament

In 1995, Smith made his first attempt at career in politics, where he sought pre-selection with the National Party for the electoral district of Shepton West, which up until that time had been a safe seat for the Democratic Party. However by the 1990s, the Democrat's hold on the seat was weakening, and the Nationals felt they could capture the seat if they selected "a safe pair of hands". The still relatively young Smith was passed-over therefore in favour of party elder George Carter. The choice proved to be an flawed one as the seat was unexpectedly held by the Democratic Party in a landslide.

In 1999, Smith again sought pre-selection with the party, this time for the electoral district of Mount Beacon—Moreborough. The death of his father saw Smith inherit the family farm, which he had moved to in order to supervise it's administration, with day-to-day affairs handled by his younger brother James.

Titles and Honours

Titles and styles

• Mackenzie Smith Esq. (1959–1986)
• Dr Mackenzie Smith (1986–1992)
• The Reverend Dr Mackenzie Smith (1992-2000)
• The Reverend Dr Mackenzie Smith, MHA (2000-2008)
• The Reverend and Right Honourable Dr Mackenzie Smith, EC (2008-2011)
• The Reverend and Right Honourable Dr Mackenzie Smith, OM EC (2011-present)

Honours

• EC: Member of the Executive Council, 1 September 2008
• OM: Officer of the New Ingrean Order of Merit, 18 February 2011

Arms

Further information: Armorial of New Ingrea

When he was elected Chairman of the Centralia County Council in 2008, Smith received his own grant of arms.

Marriage and issue

Name	Birth	Spouse	Children

Other links

Parliament of New Ingrea
Preceded by Peter O'Hara	MHA for Mount Beacon—Moreborough 2000 – 2008	Succeeded by Jenny Edwards
Political offices
Preceded by Rosemary Colless	Chairman of the Centralia County Council 2008 - Present	Incumbent
Preceded by Daniel Oswald	Deputy Minister for Ecclesiastical Affairs 2004 – 2008	Succeeded by The Earl Braddock