Portrait of Tim Shadbolt

Birthday profile

Tim Shadbolt

Tim Shadbolt, New Zealand businessman and politician, 42nd Mayor of Invercargill

Born
February 19, 1947
Age in 2026
79
Zodiac sign
Pisces
Birth year
1947

About Tim Shadbolt

Sir Timothy Richard Shadbolt was a New Zealand politician. Having been an activist in his youth, he went on to serve as mayor of Waitemata City from 1983 to 1989 and then to serve as mayor of Invercargill from 1993 to 1995 and 1998 to 2022; during his term as the latter he became a national icon and a major figure of the city. His term as mayor of both cities extending over 32 years made him one of the longest-serving mayors in New Zealand history. Shadbolt's election represented the deep cynicism that many voters had felt about the Waitemata City Council, which was known for in-fighting. In the mid-1970s, he founded a commune and concrete cooperative at Huia, later moving to Glen Eden with his family. He won the election, receiving 1,200 more votes than Covic. Shadbolt became a founding student of Rutherford College, Auckland, and attended the University of Auckland from 1966 to 1970, taking a year off in 1967 to work on the Manapouri Power Project in Southland.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

Tim Shadbolt timeline

  1. Shadbolt became a founding student of Rutherford College, Auckland, and attended the University of Auckland from 1966 to 1970, taking a year off in 1967 to work on the Manapouri Power Project in Southland.
  2. Having been an activist in his youth, he went on to serve as mayor of Waitemata City from 1983 to 1989 and then to serve as mayor of Invercargill from 1993 to 1995 and 1998 to 2022; during his term as the latter he became a national icon and a major figure of the city.

The world when Tim Shadbolt was born

Tim Shadbolt was born in 1947. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1947

  • #1 song"Near You" – Francis Craig
  • Top movieMiracle on 34th Street
  • Top TV showHowdy Doody
  • Best-selling bookThe Diary of a Young Girl – Anne Frank

Headlines and milestones

  • Major sports momentJackie Robinson breaks baseball's color barrier
  • Top headlineJackie Robinson breaks Major League Baseball's color barrier
  • Technology milestoneTransistor invented at Bell Labs
  • Defining fadFlying saucer mania
  • Notable inventionPolaroid instant camera
  • World population2.47 billion

United States snapshot

  • U.S. leaderHarry S. Truman
  • Sports championNew York Yankees (World Series)
  • Also wonPhiladelphia Warriors (BAA)
  • U.S. population144.1M

1947 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in Tim Shadbolt's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure19472026
Gas$0.23$3.45/gal
Average home$7,800$435,000
Average income$4,700$67,500
Minimum wage$0.40$7.25/hr (federal)
Movie ticket$0.40$11.95
Postage stamp$0.03$0.73
Population144.1M341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, Library of Congress. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.