Caryl Rae Weston

Rae Weston was a New Zealand academic and the first woman appointed to a professorship at Massey University. She took up the Chair of Banking and Management in December 1984, becoming a key figure in the university’s development of business and finance education.

Born in Oamaru, Weston was educated at Queen Margaret College in Wellington. She earned a Bachelor of Commerce (Hons.) from the University of Melbourne in 1966, followed by a Bachelor of Jurisprudence, Bachelor of Laws, and a PhD in Economics from Monash University. Her doctoral thesis, completed in 1972, examined the predictability of the Australian stock market.

Weston began her academic career at La Trobe University in Melbourne, where she was a senior lecturer in economics. Her appointment at Massey University in 1984 preceded those of Professors Glynnis Cropp (Modern Languages) and Nancy Kinross (Nursing Studies), who were promoted the following year.

Weston published widely on topics including monetary policy, foreign exchange risk, commercial crime, and strategic materials. 

In 1988, she was appointed to the Board of the Earthquake and War Damage Commission (now the Earthquake Commission – EQC), contributing her financial expertise to national risk management.

Weston was an accomplished badminton player and administrator. She received a university blue in badminton from Monash in 1966 and served as a Councillor on the Victorian Badminton Association.

She died in Sydney in 2014.

"Professor of Banking appointed". MU. 19. 24 June 1984. Page 1. Retrieved 24 July 2025.

"Women Profs appointed". Massey Focus. No. 3. December 1984. Page 1. Retrieved 9 July 2025.

"Introducing". MU. 2. 18 February 1985. Page 1. Retrieved 24 July 2025.

"Massey now has three professors". Press. 18 January 1985.  Page 12. Retrieved 24 July 2025.

"Trailblazing women at Massey". Exhibitions. Tāmiro. Retrieved 9 July 2025.