Russell Marshall

Cedric Russell Marshall, CNZM (born at Nelson 1936) was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party, who had been a Methodist minister from 1960 to 1972, and school tecaher 1955-1956 and 1972. He is known as Russell Marshall.

He represented the seat of Wanganui from 1972 to 1990, when he retired. He was a Cabinet Minister from 1984; Minister of Education (1984-87), Minister of Foreign Affairs (1987-90), Minister for the Environment (1984-86), Minister of Conservation (1986-87), Minister of Disarmament and Arms Control(1987-89) and Minister of Pacific Island Affairs (1988-90).

He chaired the New Zealand National Commission for UNESCO from 1990 to 1999, represented New Zealand as representative on the UNESCO Executive Board (1995-1999) and Permanent Delegate to UNESCO (1998-2000). He was a member of the Commonwealth Observer Mission to the Lesotho elections in 1993, and chaired the Commonwealth Observer Mission to the Seychelles elections later the same year. He chaired the Commonwealth Observer Mission to South Africa (COMSA)in 1994. From 1994 to 2002 he was chairman of the international education consultancy PINZ (Polytehnics International New Zealand) and Education New Zealand from 1998 to 2002. He was High Commissioner to the United Kingdom and Nigeria and Ambassador to Ireland (2002-2005). He was a member of the Council of the Victoria University of Wellington, Pro Chancellor (1999) and Chancellor (2000-2002). In 2000-2001 he chaired the Tertiary Education Advisory Commission and was later Chairman of the Tertiary Education Commission (2005-2007). In July 2007 he was elected president of the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs.