Lance Adams-Schneider

The Right Honourable Sir Lance Adams-Schneider KCMG
10th Ambassador to the United States
In office 1982–1985
President	Ronald Reagan
Prime Minister	Robert Muldoon David Lange
Preceded by	Frank Gill
Succeeded by	Sir Wallace Rowling
4th Ambassador to Mexico
In office 1982–1983
President	Miguel de la Madrid
Prime Minister	Robert Muldoon
Preceded by	Frank Gill
Succeeded by	Peter Fairfax
21st Minister of Health
In office 9 February 1972 – 8 December 1972
Prime Minister	Jack Marshall
Preceded by	Donald McKay
Succeeded by	Bob Tizard
Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Waikato
In office 1969 – 1981
Succeeded by	Simon Upton
Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Hamilton
In office 1959 – 1969
Preceded by	Hilda Ross
Personal details
Born	Lancelot Raymond Adams (1919-11-11)11 November 1919 Wellington, New Zealand
Died	3 September 1996(1996-09-03) (aged 76)
Nationality	New Zealander
Political party	National
Spouse(s)	Shirley Lois Brunton
Children	Two sons, one daughter

Sir Lancelot Raymond "Lance" Adams-Schneider KCMG (11 November 1919 – 3 September 1995) was a New Zealand politician of the National Party.

Biography

Sir Lance was born in Wellington, New Zealand to Arthur Archibald Adams and Hilda Mary Adams (nee Biggs). He was educated at Eastern Hutt Primary School, Petone Memorial Technical College, and Mount Albert Grammar School, Auckland. Sir Lance's mother died when he was three and his Aunt Susan (Susan Isabella Schneider nee Adams, one of Arthur's sisters) took on the care of her nephew. Later Susan and her husband, Theodore Schneider, were to adopt Lance and he became Lance Adams-Schneider.

Adams-Schneider entered the drapery trade on leaving school and founded his own business in Auckland. Later he managed a large store in Taumarunui. During the Second World War Sir Lance served in the Medical Corps. Later Lance became a member of the Taumarunui Borough Council, President of the Chamber of Commerce and Executive Member of the NZ Retailers’ Association.

Adams-Schneider stood in the Hutt electorate against Walter Nash in 1957, coming second for National. He then contested and won for National the 1959 Hamilton by-election held after the death of Dame Hilda Ross the MP for Hamilton. He continued to represent the Hamilton electorate until its disestablishment in 1969, after which he represented the Waikato electorate until his retirement in 1981.

Sir Lance was a parliamentary under-secretary from 1964 to 1967, Minister of Broadcasting from 1967 to 1969, Minister of Customs from 1969 to 1972, Minister of Health and Minister of Social Welfare in 1972, and Minister of Trade and Industry from 1975 to 1981.

Following his retirement from national politics, Adams-Schneider was appointed the Ambassador from New Zealand to the United States (1982–85) and to Mexico (1982–83).

In the 1984 Queen's Birthday Honours, Adams-Schneider was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George, (KCGM)for public services.^[1] He was also a member of the Honourable Privy Council.

He was awarded the Queen’s Silver Jubilee Medal in 1977 and the New Zealand 1990 Medal.

Sir Lance Adams-Schneider was active in youth work and was a lay preacher in the Baptist Church.

He died on 3 September 1995.^[2]

References

Further reading

• Industrial Development Seminar [Industrial Development Seminar ( 1966: Hamilton, N.Z.)] (2nd ed.), Hamilton, [N.Z.]: n.p., 1966
• Adams-Schneider's contribution was the closing address [in Hamilton on Saturday 20 November 1965]. At this time, he was a Parliamentary Under-Secretary to the Ministers of Industries and Commerce and Customs.
• The New Zealand Institute of Management Inc. Top Management Seminar, July 22 and 23, 1981: management and the effects of government strategy, Wellington, [N.Z.]: New Zealand Institute of Management, 1981
• Adams-Schneider's contribution was a paper entitled: "Government industrial and trade strategies: the aim"
• A report on the practice of sending criminals to mental hospitals ; to: the Minister of Health, the Hon. L.R. Adams-Schneider and the Minister of Justice, the Hon. Sir Roy Jack – April 1972, Wellington, [N.Z.]: n.p., 1972
• O'Keefe, John A. B. (1978), The Commerce Act 1975: the text of the statute and its amendments with annotations (2nd ed.), Wellington, [N.Z.]: Butterworths
• The first edition had a Foreword by Warren Freer, this second edition has one by Lance Adams-Schneider.
• Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First published in 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103.