Norman Kirk | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 1966 | |
| 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 |
| 16thMinister 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 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 theNew Zealand Parliament forSydenham | |
| In office 29 November 1969 – 31 August 1974 | |
| Preceded by | Mabel Howard |
| Succeeded by | John Kirk |
| Member of theNew Zealand Parliament forLyttelton | |
| In office 30 November 1957 – 29 November 1969 | |
| Preceded by | Harry Lake |
| Succeeded by | Tom McGuigan |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1923-01-06)6 January 1923 Waimate, Canterbury, New Zealand |
| Died | 31 August 1974(1974-08-31) (aged 51) Island Bay, Wellington, New Zealand |
| Resting place | Waimate Lawn Cemetery, Waimate, Canterbury, New Zealand |
| Political party | Labour |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 5, includingJohn Kirk |
| Relatives | Jo Luxton (grand-niece) |
| Profession | Railway engineer |
| Signature |  |
Norman Eric KirkPC (6 January 1923 – 31 August 1974) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 29thprime minister of New Zealand and as well as theminister of Foreign Affairs from 1972 until hissudden death in 1974. He also served as the seventhleader of the Labour Party from 1965 to 1974.
Born into poverty inSouthern Canterbury, Kirk left school at the age of 13 and joined theNew Zealand Labour Party in 1943. He was mayor ofKaiapoi from 1953 until 1957, when he was elected to theNew Zealand Parliament. He became theleader of his party in 1964. Following a Labour victory in the1972 election, Kirk became Prime Minister andMinister of Foreign Affairs, and New Zealand changed into a far more assertive and consequential nation.[1] He stressed the need for regional economic development, and affirmed New Zealand's solidarity withAustralia in adopting an independent and mutually beneficial foreign policy. Having withdrawn New Zealand troops fromVietnam upon taking office, he was highly critical of US foreign policy.[2] In the same year he strongly opposed French nuclear tests in the Pacific, and threatened to break off diplomatic relations if they continued.[3] He promotedracial equality at home and abroad; his government prevented theSouth African rugby team from touring New Zealand during 1973. However, his government has been criticised for the launching of theDawn Raids, the aggressive crackdown on alleged overstayers that near-exclusively targetedPasifika New Zealanders.[4][5] Kirk relented to public pressure and discontinued the raids in April 1974.[6]
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",[7] often misquoted as "somewhere to live, someone to love, somewhere to work and something to hope for".[8] In private, he suffered from effects ofobesity andwork exhaustion; his health rapidly deteriorated in the winter of 1974, and hedied suddenly on 31 August that year. His death shocked the nation and led to an outpouring of grief; he is the most recent New Zealand prime minister todie in office.[9] He was given a combinedstate funeral andtangi in two locations, with a combination of European andMāori rites.
Owing to his energy, charisma and powerful oratory, as well as his untimely death, Kirk remains one of the most popular New Zealand prime ministers. He was succeeded as head of government byBill Rowling, who lost the subsequent election.
Born inWaimate, a town inSouth Canterbury, New Zealand, Norman Kirk came from a poor background, and his household could not afford things such as daily newspapers or a radio.[9] His father, also named Norman Kirk, was a carpenter, while his mother Vera Janet (née Jury) had migrated from theWairarapa.[10][11] Throughout his life, it was often speculated that Norman Kirk hadMāoriwhakapapa, and was of mixedKāi Tahu ancestry. This led to allegations that Kirk waspassing asPākehā. It was also claimed that Kirk had Māori relatives, which is true at least through his great-nieceJo Luxton, the current Member of the House of Representatives forRangitata.[12][13] While Kirk never denied being Māori, a study of his genealogy found no evidence he was Kāi Tahu and he never publicly identified himself as such.. His parents were staunch Salvationists, who worshipped at the Christchurch City Corps. He played baritone in the corps band.[10][14]
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 visitedlibraries. In particular, he enjoyed the study ofhistory andgeography.[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 marriedLucy Ruth Miller, known as Ruth, who was born inTaumarunui. The couple had three sons and two daughters. In 1975 Ruth Kirk was namedDame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE). In 1974, while her husband was Prime Minister, she became patron of theSociety for the Protection of the Unborn Child. She took part in anti-abortion protest marches in Wellington and Hamilton. She died on 20 March 2000, aged 77.[17]
Also in 1943, Kirk joined the Labour Party's branch inKaiapoi, 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 justNZ£40 (compared to today's land valuation ofNZ$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'sHurunui 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 theLyttelton electorate.[9]
| 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 | ||
In1954, Kirk stood as the Labour candidate for theHurunui seat. While he increased Labour's share of the vote considerably, he did not win.[9] Following this, Kirk sought the Labour nomination for aby-election in Riccarton, but ultimately withdrew from the selection contest. He then turned his attention to winning nomination in the seat of Lyttelton, which Labour surprisingly lost to theNational Party in a previous election. Kirk beat five better known and connected candidates includingMayor of Lyttelton Frederick Briggs and Lyttelton Borough Councillor Gladys Boyd for the nomination.[21] At the1957 general election Kirk won the Lyttelton seat and became aMember of Parliament. In1969 he transferred to theSydenham seat which he held until his death.[15]
Throughout his political career, Kirk promoted thewelfare state, supporting government spending for housing, health, employment, and education. As such, Kirk often appeared as a champion for ordinary New Zealanders. Hisworking-class background also gave him some advantage, as ordinary voters saw many other politicians as out-of-touch and aloof.[15] Gradually, Kirk began to rise through Labour's internal hierarchy, becoming vice-president of the party in 1963 andpresident of the party in 1964. He came to the attention of media and colleagues as a potential future leader.[22] He stood for the position ofDeputy Leader in 1963 following the death ofFred Hackett but was defeated byHugh Watt. Despite lacking Watt's length of service or ministerial experience Kirk only lost by one vote, a surprising show of support.[23]
With the memory of the "Black Budget" still plaguing Labour leaderArnold 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 hesuccessfully challengedArnold Nordmeyer for the parliamentary leadership, becomingLeader of the Opposition. As leader Kirk assembled a more formalshadow 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 the1969 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]
 | |
| 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 1972Keith Holyoake resigned as Prime Minister and was replaced byJack 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 conservativeDominion 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 aWaitangi 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 fromVietnam,[27] ending that nation's eight-year involvement in theVietnam War and causing high levels of public support for Labour. The Kirk government also abolishedCompulsory Military Training (conscription) in New Zealand;[29] since then theNew Zealand Defence Force has remained an all-volunteer professional force. Kirk also strengthened relations with theAustralian Labor Party and its leaderGough Whitlam. Like Kirk, Whitlam had come to power in 1972 as the first Labor Prime Minister in a considerable time; Kirk had been preceded by12 years of National Party government, while Whitlam had succeeded aCoalition governmentthat had lasted 23 years. Kirk desired for the two nascent leaders to work together, to foster a boldly independent foreign policy separate from the United Kingdom or the United States. Despite their relative success together in their mutually short periods in office, it is known that Kirk and Whitlam, in private, did not get along and even disliked one another.[30][31] Kirk was a closer friend to Singaporean Prime MinisterLee Kuan Yew, whom he regarded as his mentor, and to British Prime MinisterHarold Wilson (despite wanting to escape the influence of Britain), than to Whitlam.[1] Kirk also admired Tanzanian presidentJulius Nyerere, thinking him a serious, intelligent and charming figure.[32]
Two subjects in particular caused comment; one: Kirk's strong protest againstFrenchnuclear-weapons testing in thePacific Ocean which led to his government, along with Australia, taking France to theInternational Court of Justice in 1972 and him sending two New Zealand navyfrigates,HMNZS Canterbury andOtago, into the test zone area atMururoa Atoll in a symbolic act of protest in 1973.[33][34] The other: his refusal to allow a visit by aSouth Africanrugby team, a decision he made because theapartheid régime in South Africa would not acceptracial integration for that sport.[35] He was also highly critical of US foreign policy, speaking before the United Nations of the US involvement in thecoup d'état in Chile in 1973.[2]
The Kirk government was also notable for a number of national identity building policies. The government began the tradition ofNew Zealand Day in 1973,[28] and the government introduced legislation in 1974 to declare QueenElizabeth II as "Queen of New Zealand".[36] Christchurch hosted the1974 Commonwealth Games which had a colourful opening ceremony, seen by many commentators as a festival celebrating New Zealand's new sense of self-confidence and optimism. Kirk and his wife hosted the royal family and accompanied them on their tour of New Zealand and theCook Islands.[37]
The government began theOhu scheme of communal work groupings in rural areas, allowing committed people (particularly Māori) to return to the land for their livelihood. The scheme assisted people in becoming self-sufficient from the land, enhance spiritual and social wellbeing, allow the development of alternative social models and promote organic farming. Kirk got he idea while visitingIsrael in 1971 and witnessingKibbutz communities leading the media to nickname it "Kirk's kibbutzim" when it was announced.[38] People in the Ohu groups did not own the land they were cultivating and leased it from theDepartment of Lands and Survey, nor were they expected to produce surplus agricultural products (beyond the needs of the immediate community) for export. An advisory group was established and the first Ohu, named the Sunburst community, was eventually opened nearWhitianga in 1975.[39]
Kirk's government was more environmentally conscious than preceding ones. It was elected on a platform that included a strong endorsement of the ideals ofSave Manapouri campaign. In February 1973, Kirk honoured his election pledge and instructed the electricity department not to raise the level ofLake 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.[40]
Kirk appointedBill Rowling asMinister of Finance. The Labour government enjoyed a recordbudget surplus in its first year and revalued the currency. However, the slowing global economy, an unprecedented rise in oil prices and a rapid rise in government expenditure led to soaring inflation by 1974.[29]
The Kirk government attracted controversy in March 1974 for starting theDawn Raids, a series of police raids that primarily targetedPasifika peoples for overstaying. The government stopped the raids and issued an amnesty in April 1974, but they were later restarted by theMuldoon Government.[41]
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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 (theChatham Islands was his favourite retreat). Kirk ignored advice from several doctors and fromBob Tizard andWarren 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".[42][43] On a trip to India he contracteddysentery and exhibited symptoms of undiagnoseddiabetes.[9][42]
By 1974 he had difficulty breathing, eating and sleeping. In April Kirk had an operation to removevaricose 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. Despite considerable discomfort, he went to Palmerston North on 18 August to openSt Peter's College. This was his last public appearance.[44]
On 26 August 1974, Social Credit leaderBruce Beetham advised Kirk to take a couple of months off to recover,[45] and the Prime Minister decided to have six weeks of complete rest. He had been checked over by many doctors, and an examination by ProfessorTom 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,Island Bay, Wellington on 28 August.[46] He rang and reminisced with close colleagues, and his bed was covered with official papers. On Saturday 31 August he told his wife Ruth, who had been told of his serious situation and came to Wellington, "I am dying .. please don't tell anyone". Soon after 9 pm, while watching a police drama on television (Softly, Softly: Taskforce withStratford Johns onNZBC TV), he slowly slid from a sitting position. He died of apulmonary embolism when a blood clot released from a vein into his heart cut off the blood flow and stopped the heart. O'Donnell signed Kirk's death certificate.[47]
Kirk's death shocked the nation. BiographerMichael 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 byBill Rowling.[48] His son,John Kirk, won the resultingSydenham by-election in November 1974.[49]
While colleagues had been urging him to take some time off, none were aware of the seriousness of his last illness.[50]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 theCIA. This story returned during the 1999 visit of American PresidentBill Clinton to New Zealand.[51]
After alying-in-state inParliament House from 2 to 4 September, there was a large official funeral inWellington Cathedral of St Paul, on Wednesday 4 September attended byPrince Charles, Cook Islands PremierAlbert Henry, and Australian Prime MinisterGough Whitlam; then on 5 September another service, also inter-denominational, in theChristchurch Town Hall followed by a simple burial service in his hometown Waimate. He was buried near his mother's grave; the burial service was delayed as the RNZAF Hercules could not land at Waimate and the procession hurried by road to meet the daylight requirement for burials. Memorial services were held around New Zealand, and on 26 September inWestminster Abbey, London.[52]
The New Zealand pop bandEbony 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 musicRATA award for group of the year. The last telegram Kirk sent before his death was to Ebony congratulating them on their win.[53]
| Government offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Prime Minister of New Zealand 1972–1974 | Succeeded by |
| New Zealand Parliament | ||
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament for Lyttelton 1957–1969 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament for Sydenham 1969–1974 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Owen Hills | Mayor ofKaiapoi 1953–1958 | Succeeded by Charles Thomas Williams |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | President of the Labour Party 1964–1966 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Leader of the Labour Party 1965–1974 | Succeeded by |
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| Premiership | | |
| General elections | ||
| Constituencies | ||
| Family |
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| Related articles | ||
