Barry Gustafson | |
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| Born | Barry Selwyn Gustafson 1938 (age 86–87) Auckland, New Zealand |
| Alma mater | University of Auckland Massey University University of Glasgow |
| Known for | Political scientist,historian andbiographer |
| Political party | Labour (until 1986) National (after 1986) |
Barry Selwyn GustafsonONZM (born 1938) is a New Zealandpolitical scientist andhistorian, and a leading political biographer. He served for nearly four decades as professor of political studies at theUniversity of Auckland, and as Acting Director of theNew Zealand Asia Institute from 2004 to 2006. He has contested variousgeneral elections, first for theLabour Party and later for theNational Party, coming second each time.
Gustafson was born in Auckland in 1938. He was educated at Auckland,Massey andGlasgow Universities (BA 1960, MA 1962, PhD 1974).[1] His doctoral thesis, supervised byRobert Chapman, was titledContinuing transformation: the structure, composition, and functioning of the New Zealand Labour Party in the Auckland region, 1949-70.[2]
He was a member of the Labour Party from 1954 to 1981, and stood in two general elections as a candidate; in1960 and in1966. In 1960, he contested the "blue-ribbon"Remuera electorate and lost by 6109 votes to National'sRonald Algie. In 1966, he contested theTaupo electorate and narrowly lost by 258 votes by National'sRona Stevenson. He wrote that National was afraid of losing the seat so pouredthousands of dollars into the campaign. A hundred Waikato women canvassed every house in Tokoroa and Putaruru over two days, using thestreet lists and blue dot system.[3]
In 1968 he joined the staff at Auckland University, and during his long tenure at Auckland he has authored several leading books on the topic of New Zealand politics. He wroteSocial Change and Party Reorganisation (1976) andLabour’s Path to Political Independence (1980) while still a Labour Party member, but after completingThe First 50 Years: A History of the New Zealand National Party (1986) changed allegiance to National. In 1986 he also publishedFrom the Cradle to the Grave: A Biography ofMichael Joseph Savage. In 1975 he unsuccessfully sought the Labour Party candidacy for theOnehunga electorate alongside 26 other aspirants following the retirement ofHugh Watt, but lost toFrank Rogers.[4]
In1987 he stood as a National candidate for theBirkenhead electorate to replace the retiringJim McLay, but was defeated by theLabour candidate,Jenny Kirk.
During the 1990s Gustafson was given a number of international academic appointments, including visiting researcher at Stanford University and the European Union in 1990, and research at a number ofAmerican andBritish Universities in 1994. In 1997 Gustafson wasFulbright Visiting Professor atGeorgetown University. From 1998 to 2002 Gustafson was appointed Head of the Political Studies Department, and he was also ProVice-Chancellor (International) of the University from 2001 to 2002. In 2000 he publishedHis Way: A Biography ofRobert Muldoon.
Gustafson's teaching interests are predominantly theEuropean Union,civil society, the development of New Zealand's political culture and parties, political leadership and power, andinterdisciplinary studies. For 25 years he also taughtSoviet andEast European Studies.
In 2004 Gustafson retired as Professor of Political Studies, and was appointed Acting Director of the New Zealand Asia Institute, a position he held until 2006. In this time he helped to establish aNew Zealand Studies Centre atPeking University. In 2007 he publishedKiwi Keith: A Biography ofKeith Holyoake.
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Gustafson has also served as Chairman of the Council of theAuckland College of Education (1992–1997), and Associate Dean of Arts (Research 2000). He chaired the Advisory Committee to the School of European Languages and Literatures from 1999 to 2001, and was a member of the Board and Management Committee of the New Zealand Asia Institute, 2001–2002.
In the2004 Queen's Birthday Honours, Gustafson was appointed anOfficer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to political science and historical research.[8]
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