| John Kneebone | |
| Birth Name: | John Thomas Kneebone |
| Birth Date: | 4 September 1935 |
| Birth Place: | Matamata, New Zealand |
| Death Place: | Cambridge, New Zealand |
| Order: | President of Federated Farmers |
| Term Start: | 1974 |
| Term End: | 1977 |
| Education: | Matamata College |
| Occupation: | Dairy farmer |
| Children: | 3 |
John Thomas Kneebone (4 September 1935 – 28 June 2020) was a New Zealand local politician and farming leader. He was a member of the Matamata County Council from 1959 to 1967, and was president of Federated Farmers between 1974 and 1977.
Born in Matamata on 4 September 1935, Kneebone was educated at Hinuera School and Matamata College.[1] On 11 December 1965, he married Kay Alexander, and the couple went on to have three children.[1]
Kneebone was a farmer and company director, and was active in local politics and as a farming leader. He was an elected member of the Matamata County Council between 1959 and 1967.[1] He was elected as president of Federated Farmers in 1974,[2] and served in that position until 1977.[1] He was appointed to the Waitangi Tribunal in 1989.[3]
Kneebone was the inspiration behind the National Agricultural Fieldays, established in 1969, after visiting the United Kingdom on a Nuffield Scholarship in 1966.[1] [4] He also served as a member of the Land Settlement Board and the Soil Conservation and Rivers Control Council.[1]
In the 1988 New Year Honours, Kneebone was appointed a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George, for public services and services to agriculture.
Kneebone died in Cambridge on 28 June 2020.[5]