Obituary: Stewart Wilfred Nivison RANSOM, Life Fellow of the Human Resources Institute of NZ
[originally published in the Human Resources Institute of New Zealand journal]
– 7 May 1921 to 23 March 2004
by Gordon Rabey, Fellow of the Human Resources Institute of NZ
I first met Stewart in the early 1950s when he was Personnel Manager for Dunlops in Upper Hutt and I was a senior Training Officer with the NZ Forest Service. I was probably more fortunate than Stewart for when I messed up, those trees just kept on growing whereas tyres were a much more costly product!
The need to focus on the growth and welfare of people in the workplace was a fairly new field and the learning curve was steep, but even then Stewart displayed a wisdom and understanding of people’s needs which continued to grow with each wider experience – and in his own quiet way he soon became a mentor not only to supervisors and managers with whom he worked but also to his colleagues, particularly to the younger ones, in the growing field.
The influence of personnel management expanded rapidly in the following years as more attention focused on the peculiarities of human behaviour, some of which led to legal processes to interpret and resolve some of the issues. Stewart surfed these with confidence and skill which in his later years was ably demonstrated in his teaching positions at both Victoria and Massey Universities
And at all times he was supported unswervingly by the love and care of Ava.
Stewart held senior positions in a range of organisations – in the Personnel Management Association (linked with the NZ Institute of Management) which became the Institute of Personnel Management, now the Human Resources Institute of New Zealand. Concurrently he held positions in Workbridge at both local and national levels and with the Crippled Children’s Society in Palmerston North.
In an earlier period he found time with a small group of us to run voluntary Saturday Seminars on aspects of management in many of the smaller towns in the lower North Island which were appreciated by managers in both the private and public sectors.
His physical impairment in no way impeded his activities. His enthusiasm was infectious and all who worked with him were proud to have shared his friendship.
His life was one of service to others over many years and we shall miss him. May he rest in peace.
Workbridge
Stewart Ransom was a major contributor to the disability community. Stewart’s interest in employment and the vocational needs of disabled people saw him serve on the Workbridge Incorporated Board of Management for a number of years, including holding the position of Deputy Chair.
Stewart was made an Honorary Life Member of Workbridge in 1998, in recognition of his years of support and service.
Workbridge is a non-profit professional employment agency contracted by Government to deliver work-focused services for people with disabilities and injuries.
Workbridge is thankful for the contribution that Stewart was able to make to the organisation.
by Richard Handford, Life Fellow of the Human Resources Institute of NZ
I was associated with Stewart from 1958, initially through the Personnel Group, then through its successors the Personnel Management Association, the NZIPM and more recently the HRINZ. With Gordon Rabey I have remained in touch with Stewart over the last few years.
Stewart, with Gary Hanley of Mobil Oil were key movers in establishing in 1956 an organisation, the Personnel Group where those in the fledgling profession of personnel management could exchange experience and ideas and contribute to the development of the function in New Zealand organisations.
Earlier in the fifties Stewart had returned from working in Scotland during which time he had become a certificated member of IPM (UK) by examination. Back in New Zealand he joined the Wellington Hospital Board as the Personnel Officer. He later headed up the personnel function at Dunlop NZ in Upper Hutt, Taubmans NZ and Felt and Textiles (Feltex). Stewart then made a change to academia, in the late sixties, taking up an appointment at VUW as Reader in Personnel Management in the Dept of Business Administration. He later moved to Massey University.
In Stewart I was always aware of a man of great determination not to be beaten by his physical handicap (during his early years Stewart had been a victim of polio). He was virtually a 100 percent attendee at IPM meetings, he readily undertook speaking engagements and ran training programmes in various aspects of personnel/HR. He was perhaps one of the most vocal and respected advocates of quality personnel management in New Zealand enthusiastically offering encouragement and help to many.
Research was a special field of interest for Stewart and in the years he was a practitioner he initiated a number of research projects undertaken by IPM. Back in 1957 he was Convenor of the then Personnel Group study which produced a report on Labour Turnover, at a time when few firms were interested in the reasons for their employees leaving and fewer were interested in analysing this to eliminate avoidable turnover.
by Dr Paul Toulson, Life Fellow of the Human Resources Institute of NZ
Stewart Ransom was a great influence on the shaping of my second career initially in personnel management and now in more latter times in human resource management. It is with great sadness that I note his passing.
My first contact with Stewart was back in 1977 when I was employed by the Air Force and I was attending a senior staff course at Whenuapai. In those days part of the course was a visit to Massey University for a week doing management study with Professor George Hines, Business Department as it was in those days. During that week, Stewart lectured to us on personnel management and also a number of other colleagues, some of whom are still around at Massey University.
I remember Stewart distinctly with great admiration given his disability at that stage, and as a result of my contact with Stewart on this staff course that I decided to enrol in the Diploma in Personnel Management, which was offered extramurally through Massey University. Stewart was the Diploma controller and in those days to do a Diploma you had to be either a graduate or somebody who had a lot of industry experience. I guess I got in because I was a graduate, rather than having any particular mana in the industry, and I remember one of the things we had to do in this Diploma was a personnel management investigation. Stewart would give us material to read up on doing investigation. It was really quite challenging. Also, as part of the Diploma, Stewart encouraged me to do Accounting and Finance for non-accountants which was one of the papers in the Diploma. While it was hard and demanding it certainly helped me to get a handle on the business matrix, which has been invaluable since those days.
In early 1985 I got a letter from Stewart inviting me to apply for a position at Massey University which was as an academic position in personnel management. If it had not been for this initiative from Stewart, I probably would not have thought about it and I would have soldiered on in the Air Force. However, due to his encouragement I actually applied for the position and I got the job.
I joined Massey University as a new senior lecturer in Personnel Management in August 1985 and during that year Stewart was a great mentor to me. Because Stewart was retiring at the end of the year I was recruited to take over the papers he was teaching in personnel management. In those old days the university’s induction programme was non-existent, I hasten to add it is really good now! Stewart spent a considerable amount of his time nurturing and developing me and acquainting me with the university ways of doing things. During that time I developed not only a good working relationship with Stewart but also as a friend and mentor he was really helpful to me. Stewart has turned out many graduates in Business Studies from this university with a major in Personnel Management and many of these ex students are now working in New Zealand either as HR practitioners or in more general management positions. The thing that struck me was while Stewart was demanding of students, I still meet ex students of his who hold him in very high regard. He also was always concerned about his students.
After Stewart’s retirement from the University he continued in Palmerston North doing a lot of voluntary work, particularly for the Disable Persons Assembly, and I kept in contact with both Stewart and Ava because they lived not too far from me. In recent years I have not had as much contact as I had in previous years but I was very privileged to go and see Stewart at his home last year just after a Human Resource Management conference and it was really good to spend some time with him and to reminisce over old times. What struck me about Stewart was (notwithstanding he was chair bound), his mind was still as sharp as always, he was very enquiring, and a person who challenged the status quo. He was really interested in what the Human Resource Management Institute was up to now and also in all other aspects of Human Resource Management.
I am very saddened by his passing but I would like to salute a great fellow. Indeed, I look back on my own career and conclude if had not been for Stewart in his initiative with me when I was in the Air Force I probably would not have joined the University in Personnel Management and therefore would not have gone on and become the National President of the Human Resource Management Institute and more recently become a Life Fellow (as Stewart had become many years previous). So I feel I owe an awful lot to Stewart, he arrived in my life when I was at a cross road, he was extremely helpful to me and I will always remember and admire his abilities both as an academic and also as a practitioner.
May he rest in peace. It is well earned.