Norman Kirk
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| Rt. Hon. Norman Kirk | |
| 29th Prime Minister of New Zealand
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| In office 8 December 1972 – 31 August 1974 | |
| Preceded by | Jack Marshall |
|---|---|
| Succeeded by | Bill Rowling |
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| Born | 6 January 1923 Waimate, New Zealand |
| Died | 31 August 1974 Wellington, New Zealand |
| Constituency | Lyttelton, Sydenham |
| Political party | Labour |
| Spouse | Dame (Lucy) Ruth Miller (DBE), married 1943, five children |
| Religion | None (originally Salvation Army |
Norman Eric Kirk (6 January 1923 - 31 August 1974), was Prime Minister of New Zealand from 1972 until his sudden death in 1974. He led the Parliamentary wing of the New Zealand Labour Party from 1965 to 1974. Kirk had a reputation as the most formidable debater of his time. A commanding presence, he impressed both for his strength of personality and for his devotion to his work.
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[edit] Early life
Born in Waimate, a town in South Canterbury, New Zealand, Norman Kirk came from a strong working-class background, and his household could not afford things such as daily newspapers or a radio.
Kirk did not perform well at school, and left shortly before he turned thirteen. Despite this, however, he enjoyed reading, and often visited libraries. In particular, he enjoyed the study of history and geography - perhaps the source of his future interest in foreign affairs.
After leaving school, Kirk worked in a number of jobs, initially as an assistant roof-painter and later as a railway engineer. 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.
In 1943, aged twenty, Kirk married Lucy Ruth Miller. They would eventually have three sons and two daughters.
[edit] Political career
Also in 1943, Kirk joined the Labour Party's branch in Kaiapoi, where he and his wife had chosen to build a house. (Kirk built the house entirely himself, right down to the casting of the bricks. It still stands in Kaiapoi.)
[edit] Mayor of Kaiapoi
By 1951, Kirk had become Chairman of the party's Hurunui electorate committee. In 1953, Kirk led Labour to a surprising victory in elections for Kaiapoi's local council, himself becoming the youngest mayor in the country.
As mayor, Kirk showed great activity 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.
[edit] Member of Parliament
In 1954, Kirk stood as the Labour Party candidate for the Hurunui parliamentary seat. While he increased Labour's share of the vote considerably, he did not win. In 1957, however, Kirk won the electorate of Lyttelton, reclaiming it for Labour after its surprise loss to the National Party in a previous election.
Throughout his political career, Kirk promoted the welfare state, supporting government spending for housing, health, employment, and education. As such, Kirk often appeared as a champion for ordinary New Zealanders. His working-class background also gave him some advantage, as ordinary voters saw many other politicians as out-of-touch and aloof.
Gradually, Kirk began to rise through Labour's internal hierarchy, becoming vice-president of the Party in 1963 and president in 1964. At the end of 1965 he successfully challenged Arnold Nordmeyer for the parliamentary leadership.
Kirk remained Leader of the Opposition until 1972, when Labour replaced the National government of Jack Marshall.
[edit] Prime Minister
As Prime Minister, Kirk set a frenetic pace, implementing a great number of new policies. In particular, the Kirk government intervened far more than its predecessor in foreign relations, with Kirk taking great trouble to expand New Zealand's links with Asia and Africa.
Two subjects in particular caused comment. One: Kirk's strong protest against French nuclear-weapons testing in the Pacific Ocean. The other: his refusal to allow a visit by a South African rugby team, a decision he made because the apartheid régime in South Africa would not accept racial integration for that sport.
The Kirk government was also notable for a number of national identity building policies. The Kirk government began the tradition of New Zealand Day in 1973, and introduced legislation in 1974 to declare the Queen as Queen of New Zealand.
Kirk kept up an intense schedule, and rarely took vacation time. Perhaps as a result, his health began to decline once more. At the end of 1973, he developed heart problems, but recovered. Despite his illness, Kirk refused to reduce his workload by any significant degree. By August 1974, Kirk's situation had worsened, and he was finally persuaded to enter hospital. Three days later he died of heart problems, aged 51. A state funeral, attended by thousands, took place on 6 September 1974, followed by interment in his hometown, Waimate.
| Prime Minister of New Zealand | Image:Coat of arms of New Zealand.png | |||
| Preceded by: Jack Marshall | (1972-1974) | Succeeded by: Bill Rowling | ||
| Sewell | Fox | Stafford | Domett | Whitaker | Weld | Waterhouse | Vogel | Pollen | Atkinson | Grey | Hall | Stout | Ballance | Seddon | Hall-Jones | Ward | Mackenzie | Massey | Bell | Coates | Forbes | Savage | Fraser | Holland | Nash | Holyoake | Marshall | Kirk | Rowling | Muldoon | Lange | Palmer | Moore | Bolger | Shipley | Clark | ||||
[edit] External links
- http://www.primeminister.govt.nz/oldpms/1972kirk.html Prime Ministers of New Zealand: Norman Kirk
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Kirk, Norman Eric |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Prime Minister of New Zealand, politician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | January 6, 1923 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Waimate, New Zealand |
| DATE OF DEATH | August 31, 1974 |
| PLACE OF DEATH | Wellington, New Zealand |
