Margaret Clark

Dame Margaret Florence Clark, DNZM CMG JP, was a New Zealand political scientist who became the first woman in the country appointed a professor of political science and spent decades shaping how New Zealanders study and debate their politics. Born in Wellington on 28 January 1941, she died on 11 September 2026 at a retirement village in Kilbirnie, Wellington, aged 85. Victoria University of Wellington confirmed her death the same day, with Acting Vice-Chancellor Robyn Longhurst calling her one of a kind and a notable Wellingtonian whose impact on political science and on Te Herenga Waka spanned decades.

Clark was educated at Wellington East Girls' College, Wellington Teachers' Training College, and Victoria University College, completing a BA in politics in 1960. A Rotary Foundation Fellowship took her to the University of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur (1962-1963), where she earned an MA in 1964. She later completed a PhD at Columbia University (1969-1972) on political change in East Malaysia. She lectured at the University of Melbourne and the University of Malaya, then taught at the City University of New York from 1972 to 1975 before returning home as a senior lecturer in politics at Victoria University of Wellington. Promoted to professor in 1978, she was New Zealand's first woman political science professor and later served as dean of commerce and administration (1980-1982). From 1980 to 1985 she was a human rights commissioner. Victoria conferred emeritus status in 2010.

Beyond the classroom she helped found the triennial post-election conference at Parliament, which became a fixture of New Zealand's election calendar for party leaders, academics, and journalists. She edited a series of Dunmore Press volumes on New Zealand leaders including Holyoake, Fraser, Lange, Muldoon, and Bolger, and contributed to Beyond Expectations, a collection of New Zealand women's life writing. Honours followed her educational service: Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George in the 1993 New Year Honours, Distinguished Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2007, and redesignation as Dame Companion in 2009 when titular honours returned. In 2012 Victoria established the Margaret Clark Prize for honours politics students.

Clark married historian William R. Roff (divorced 1977) and later, on 21 April 1980, Bernie Galvin, secretary to the treasury from 1980 to 1986, becoming stepmother to his four children including actor Michael Galvin. Galvin died in 2010. Her brother is David Clark. Former prime minister Helen Clark paid tribute on social media, remembering a long-serving Victoria professor and a well-known contributor to informed debate about New Zealand's political scene for decades. Colleagues at The Post remembered a wise and beloved teacher who inspired political thinking across the country. A memorial service was announced for 24 September 2026 at Old St Paul's in Wellington.