On Saturday, Dame Cindy and Dr Davies attended the State Memorial and Concert for former Governor-General, Dame Cath Tizard. Dame Cath was New Zealand’s first female Governor-General, serving from December 1990 - March 1996. Dame Cindy gave a eulogy at the memorial speaking of Dame Cath’s time as Governor-General. Her term included visits from Queen Elizabeth II and Nelson Mandela, and a skydive for charity. Dame Cindy remarked how Dame Cath “sought to act as a positive, unifying force for good. She saw the Governor-General role as a symbol of nationhood, as a link between individual citizens, and as their representative on significant public occasions, here and overseas”.
Before Dame Cath’s term as Governor-General, she served as a councillor for the Auckland City Council and became the first woman elected as mayor of Auckland City, she taught at Auckland University, and was a panellist on TVNZ chat show, Beauty and the Beast. Dame Cath died on 31 October 2021 at age 90.
