John Tyson Bezett attended King’s High School from 1958 to 1959.

John recently became a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to sport and recreation.

John was a keen Rugby player while playing in the junior grades at school. He continued this passion with the Green Island Rugby Club on leaving school. 

Transport to school for John along with a number of King’s boys was on the Mosgiel to Dunedin train. He would board the train at Green Island Station and disembark at the Caversham Station. He had a cheerful, outgoing disposition and got on pretty well with train boys. 

Although John left school at an early age, he has continued to learn new skills and has become a successful businessman and has served the community well as a competent City Councillor. He has shown great vision in the development of the Masters Games and a wide range of city projects.

John trained as a Jeweller and Watchmaker with a local firm. He started his own shop after a while and eventually in 1979 set up and incorporated the company J T Bezett Jewellers and Watchmakers Limited.

John was elected to the Dunedin City Council in 1986 and remained on the Council until 2016. He was Chair of the Dunedin City Council Economic Development Committee, involved in the upgrade of Toitu Otago Settlers Museum, Dunedin Town Hall and Dunedin Centre. 

He worked to modernise Otago City’s water and wastewater systems and in the build of Forsyth Barr Stadium. He has been an advocate of the St Clair Sea Wall Construction and the return of the St Clair Hot Water Salt Pools. 

John was instrumental in getting Basketball and almost all the other sports using the Dunedin Stadium to relocate to the Edgar Centre and for Ice Sports to take over the Dunedin Stadium. 

John said his election success over the years was a result of portraying himself as ''someone with basic common sense, no-nonsense; I mean there's no bullshit with me.''

John became the Chairman of the New Zealand Masters Games in 1993, a year after it was launched, and stepped down from this role in 2021. The Games are New Zealand’s largest sporting event, involving approximately 5,000 competitors and contributing $3-5 million to the economy each year. He received a Life Award in 2014 from the New Zealand Masters Games for his contributions.

John remains active on a daily basis. He bikes to work, swims regularly and likes to run. At the games, he competed in the Triathlon, Swimming and swam in a team in the Half Ironman.