Norman Kirk
Norman Kirk | |
---|---|
29th Prime Minister of New Zealand | |
In office 8 December 1972 – 31 August 1974 | |
Monarch | Elizabeth II |
Deputy | Hugh Watt |
Governor-General | Denis Blundell |
Preceded by | Jack Marshall |
Succeeded by | Bill Rowling |
16th Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
In office 8 December 1972 – 31 August 1974 | |
Prime Minister | Himself |
Preceded by | Keith Holyoake |
Succeeded by | Bill Rowling |
7th Leader of the New Zealand Labour Party | |
In office 16 December 1965 – 31 August 1974 | |
Deputy | Hugh Watt |
Preceded by | Arnold Nordmeyer |
Succeeded by | Bill Rowling |
19th Leader of the Opposition | |
In office 16 December 1965 – 8 December 1972 | |
Deputy | Hugh Watt |
Preceded by | Arnold Nordmeyer |
Succeeded by | Jack Marshall |
20th President of the Labour Party | |
In office 12 May 1964 – 11 May 1966 | |
Vice President | Jim Bateman |
Preceded by | Martyn Finlay |
Succeeded by | Norman Douglas |
Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Sydenham | |
In office 29 November 1969 – 31 August 1974 | |
Preceded by | Mabel Howard |
Succeeded by | John Kirk |
Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Lyttelton | |
In office 30 November 1957 – 29 November 1969 | |
Preceded by | Harry Lake |
Succeeded by | Tom McGuigan |
Personal details | |
Born | Island Bay, Wellington, New Zealand | 6 January 1923
Resting place | Waimate Lawn Cemetery, Waimate, Canterbury, New Zealand |
Political party | Labour |
Spouse | |
Children | 5, including John Kirk |
Relatives | Jo Luxton (grand-niece) |
Profession | Railway engineer |
Signature | |
Norman Eric Kirk
Born into poverty in
Kirk had a reputation as the most formidable debater of his time and once famously said that "there are four things that matter to people: they have to have somewhere to live, they have to have food to eat, they have to have clothing to wear, and they have to have something to hope for",
Early life and family
Born in
While very intelligent, Kirk did not perform well academically. He left school shortly before he turned thirteen after his father lost his job.[15][16] Despite this, however, he enjoyed reading, and often visited libraries. In particular, he enjoyed the study of history and geography.[9]
After leaving school, Kirk worked in a number of jobs, initially as an assistant roof-painter and later as a stationary engine driver, operating boilers in various factories. His health, however, deteriorated, and when the New Zealand Army called him up for military service in 1941 it found him medically unfit. After recovering somewhat, he returned to work, holding a number of different jobs.[9]
In 1943, Norman Kirk married
Early political career
Also in 1943, Kirk joined the Labour Party's branch in Kaiapoi, where he and his wife had decided to build a house. Kirk bought a 1,261 m2 (13,570 sq ft) section at 12 Carew Street for just NZ£40 (compared to today's land valuation of NZ$126,000).[18] Owing to a shortage of funds and building materials following World War II, Kirk built the house himself entirely, right down to the casting of the bricks. The house still stands today, albeit with an extension at the back and a hipped corrugated iron roof to replace the original leak-susceptible flat malthoid roof.[19]
In 1951, Kirk became Chairman of the party's Hurunui electorate committee. In 1953, Kirk led Labour to a surprising victory in elections for Kaiapoi's local council, and he became the youngest mayor in the country at age 30.[20]
As mayor, Kirk showed great creativity and implemented many changes. He surprised officials by studying issues intensely, often emerging with better knowledge of his options than the people functioning as his advisors. He resigned as mayor on 15 January 1958 and moved his family to Christchurch after being elected MP for the Lyttelton electorate.[9]
Member of Parliament
Years | Term | Electorate | Party | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1957–1960 | 32nd | Lyttelton | Labour | ||
1960–1963 | 33rd | Lyttelton | Labour | ||
1963–1966 | 34th | Lyttelton | Labour | ||
1966–1969 | 35th | Lyttelton | Labour | ||
1969–1972 | 36th | Sydenham | Labour | ||
1972–1974 | 37th | Sydenham | Labour |
In
Throughout his political career, Kirk promoted the
With the memory of the "Black Budget" still plaguing Labour leader Arnold Nordmeyer's profile and many within the party believed that it was time for a fresh start. In 1965 a group of mainly younger Labour MPs formed a group who became dedicated to replace Nordmeyer with Kirk, becoming known as the "Mafia". At the end of 1965 he successfully challenged Arnold Nordmeyer for the parliamentary leadership, becoming Leader of the Opposition. As leader Kirk assembled a more formal shadow cabinet system amongst the Labour caucus than had been seen in the past wishing to boost the profile of his senior MPs. However, he found it challenging to avoid it being composed mainly of Auckland and Christchurch based MPs.[24]
Using the slogan "Make things happen",[25] Kirk led Labour into the 1969 general election — the party did not win a majority, but it did increase both its share of the vote and number of seats to 44.2% and 39.[26]
Prime Minister (1972–1974)
Premiership of Norman Kirk 8 December 1972 – 31 August 1974 | |
Monarch | Elizabeth II |
---|---|
Cabinet | Third Labour Government of New Zealand |
Party | New Zealand Labour Party |
Election | 1972 |
Appointed by | Denis Blundell |
|
In February 1972 Keith Holyoake resigned as Prime Minister and was replaced by Jack Marshall. Not even this could blunt Labour's campaign slogan, "It's Time – Time for a change, time for Labour",[27] and on 25 November 1972 Kirk led Labour to victory with a majority of 23 seats.[26]
Soon after entering office, Kirk acquired a reputation as a reforming figure. The conservative Dominion newspaper bestowed its 'Man of the Year' prize on him for "outstanding personal potential for leadership".[9] A few weeks later, on 6 February 1973, Kirk was photographed at a Waitangi Day event holding the hand of a small Māori boy;[28] as Kirk was recognised as Pākehā, the iconic picture seemed to symbolise a new era of partnership between New Zealand's people.[9]
Kirk set a frenetic pace implementing a great number of new policies. In particular, the Kirk government had a far more active foreign policy than its predecessor, taking great trouble to expand New Zealand's links with Asia and Africa. Immediately after his election as Prime Minister, Kirk withdrew all New Zealand troops from
Two subjects in particular caused comment; one: Kirk's strong protest against
The Kirk government was also notable for a number of national identity building policies. The government began the tradition of
Kirk's government was more environmentally conscious than preceding ones. It was elected on a platform that included a strong endorsement of the ideals of Save Manapouri campaign. In February 1973, Kirk honoured his election pledge and instructed the electricity department not to raise the level of Lake Manapouri. He created an independent body, the Guardians of Lake Manapouri, Monowai, and Te Anau (composed of leading members of the protest) to oversee management of the lake levels.[36]
Kirk appointed
The Kirk government attracted controversy in March 1974 for starting the Dawn Raids, a series of police raids that primarily targeted Pasifika peoples for overstaying. The government stopped the raids and issued an amnesty in April 1974, but they were later restarted by the Muldoon Government.[37]
Illness and death
During his time as Prime Minister, Kirk kept up an intense schedule, refusing to reduce his workload by any significant degree and rarely taking time off (the Chatham Islands was his favourite retreat). Kirk ignored advice from several doctors and from Bob Tizard and Warren Freer to "take care of himself" and to reduce his heavy consumption of Coca-Cola and alcohol (beer, plus later whisky or gin), saying he would have a "short but happy life".[38][39] On a trip to India he contracted dysentery and exhibited symptoms of undiagnosed diabetes.[9][38]
By 1974 he had difficulty in breathing, eating and sleeping. In April Kirk had an operation to remove varicose veins from both legs at once despite advice to have two operations. Doctors and colleagues were urging him to take time off; on 15 August he decided to stay off work for two days, and continued to have problems on his return.
On 26 August 1974, Social Credit leader Bruce Beetham advised Kirk to take a couple of months off to recover ,[40] and the Prime Minister decided to have six weeks of complete rest. He had been checked over by many doctors, and an examination by Professor Tom O'Donnell on 27 August confirmed that Kirk had an enlarged heart, gravely weakened by embolisms, which was not pumping regularly enough to get sufficient oxygen into his bloodstream. One lung was two-thirds incapacitated by a blood clot; his stomach was very sore as his liver was swollen with retained fluid.
Kirk checked into the Home of Compassion Hospital,
Kirk's death shocked the nation. Biographer Michael Bassett states, "There followed an outpouring of grief paralleled only by that which had followed [Prime Minister] M. J. Savage's death in 1940".[9] Kirk was succeeded as prime minister by Bill Rowling.[43] His son, John Kirk, won the resulting Sydenham by-election in November 1974.[44]
While colleagues had been urging him to take some time off, none were aware of the seriousness of his last illness.[45] Bob Harvey, the Labour Party president, said that Kirk was "a robust man" with the "constitution of a horse". He proposed a Royal Commission to investigate rumours that he had been killed, perhaps with contact poison, by the CIA. This story returned during the 1999 visit of American President Bill Clinton to New Zealand.[46]
Funeral
After a
Popular culture
The New Zealand pop band Ebony wrote the song "Big Norm", featuring tongue-in-cheek lyrics praising Kirk. In 1974, it reached No 4 in the charts and Ebony won a New Zealand music RATA award for group of the year. The last telegram Kirk sent before his death was to Ebony congratulating them on their win.[48]
See also
- Electoral history of Norman Kirk
- List of heads of state and government who died in office
- List of members of the New Zealand Parliament who died in office
References
- ^ JSTOR 48551803.
- ^ Stuff.co.nz. 10 March 2014. Retrieved 29 December 2017.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
- ^ "At the break of dawn". Auckland Museum. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
- ^ "The dawn raids: causes, impacts and legacy". nzhistory.govt.nz. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
- ^ Mitchell, James (July 2003). Immigration and National Identity in 1970s New Zealand (PDF) (PhD). University of Otago. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
- ^ Andrews, George (1 August 2020). "The famous words that Norman Kirk did not say". The Spinoff. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
- ^ "Election essay: The town that's used to being disappointed". BBC News. 23 March 2015. Retrieved 23 March 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Bassett, Michael. "Kirk, Norman Eric". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 8 November 2012.
- ^ a b Taonga, New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage Te Manatu. "Kirk, Norman Eric". teara.govt.nz. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
- ^ "Norman Kirk First Maori Prime Minister Riddle – MSC NewsWire". www.mscnewswire.co.nz. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
- ^ Malone, Audrey (19 May 2018). "Labour's Jo Luxton 'between two worlds'". Stuff. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
- ^ says, gCaisle. "1974: Kirk Out". Anarchist History of New Zealand. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
- ^ Buckingham, Louise (1 January 1840). "Papers relating to Norman Kirk's ancestry". Papers relating to Norman Kirk's ance... | Items | National Library of New Zealand | National Library of New Zealand. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
- ^ a b c Bassett, Michael. "Norman Kirk Official Biography – Archives New Zealand. Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga". archives.govt.nz. Retrieved 29 December 2017.
- ^ Hall, Sarah (18 December 2022). "50 years on: Norman Kirk's Big Legacy". North & South Magazine. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
- ^ "Kiwis who left their mark on the nation". The New Zealand Herald. 30 December 2000. Retrieved 1 November 2011.
- ^ "Rating enquiry – 12 Carew Street, Kaiapoi – Waimakariri District Council". Retrieved 20 September 2010.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Norman Kirk's House (Former)". New Zealand Heritage List/Rārangi Kōrero. Heritage New Zealand. Retrieved 20 September 2010.
- ^ Broun, Britton (11 October 2010). "Porirua's new mayor New Zealand's youngest". Dominion Post. Retrieved 29 October 2010.
- ^ "Labour's Selection for Lyttelton Seat". The Evening Post. 18 July 1957. p. 18.
- ^ "Growing Stature of Young MP". The Evening Post. 4 May 1963.
- ^ "Labour Party Makes Its Choice – Mr Watt New Deputy Leader". The Evening Post. 30 April 1963.
- ^ Grant 2014, p. 152.
- ^ Bassett, Michael (2000). "Kirk, Norman Eric". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Retrieved 24 February 2018.
- ^ a b "General elections 1890–1993". Electoral Commission. Archived from the original on 30 December 2015. Retrieved 24 February 2018.
- ^ a b "1972 – key events". Ministry for Culture and Heritage. 23 January 2015. Retrieved 24 February 2018.
- ^ a b McLean, Gavin (8 November 2017). "Norman Kirk". Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 24 February 2018.
- ^ a b Aimer, Peter (1 June 2015). "Labour Party – Second and third Labour governments". Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 24 February 2018.
- JSTOR 48551803. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
- ^ "Obituaries — Hon (Edward) Gough Whitlam AC, QC – New Zealand Parliament". www.parliament.nz. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
- ^ Mururoa Nuclear Tests, RNZN protest Veterans Archived 23 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Disarmament and Security Centre – Publications – Papers Archived 13 February 2009 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Stopping the 1973 tour". Ministry for Culture and Heritage. 13 August 2014. Retrieved 24 February 2018.
- ISBN 9789024729050.
- ^ Grant 2014, p. 237.
- ^ Mitchell, James (July 2003). Immigration and National Identity in 1970s New Zealand (PDF) (PhD). University of Otago. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
- ^ a b Grant 2014, p. 24.
- ^ Freer 2004, pp. 113, 195.
- ^ Grant 2014, p. 40.
- ^ Grant 2014, pp. 40–41.
- ^ Grant 2014, pp. 380–381, 389–400.
- ^ Henderson, John. "Rowling, Wallace Edward". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
- ^ "Parliamentary Debates". Hansard. New Zealand Parliament, House of Representatives. 23 April 1975.
- ^ Grant 2014, p. 403.
- ^ Phillips 2014, pp. 114–117, 153–156.
- ^ Grant 2014, pp. 405–417.
- The Dominion Post. Retrieved 24 February 2018.
Bibliography
- ISBN 0-86473-478-6.
- Grant, David (2014). The Mighty Totara: The life and times of Norman Kirk. Auckland: ISBN 9781775535799.
- Phillips, Hazel (2014). Wild Westie: the incredible life of Bob Harvey. Auckland: Penguin. ISBN 9781743486764.
Further reading
- Clark, Margaret, ed. (2001). Three Labour Leaders: Nordmeyer, Kirk, Rowling. Palmerston North: Dunmore Press. ISBN 0-86469-394-X.
- Garnier, Tony; Kohn, Bruce; OCLC 5288883.
- Hayward, Margaret (1981). Diary of the Kirk Years. Auckland: ISBN 0589013505.