Norman Kirk

For the American army surgeon, see Norman T. Kirk.

The Right Honourable
Norman Kirk
Kirk in 1966
29th Prime Minister of New Zealand
In office
8 December 1972 – 31 August 1974
MonarchElizabeth II
DeputyHugh Watt
Governor-GeneralDenis Blundell
Preceded byJack Marshall
Succeeded byBill Rowling
16th Minister of Foreign Affairs
In office
8 December 1972 – 31 August 1974
Prime MinisterHimself
Preceded byKeith Holyoake
Succeeded byBill Rowling
7th Leader of the New Zealand Labour Party
In office
16 December 1965 – 31 August 1974
DeputyHugh Watt
Preceded byArnold Nordmeyer
Succeeded byBill Rowling
19th Leader of the Opposition
In office
16 December 1965 – 8 December 1972
DeputyHugh Watt
Preceded byArnold Nordmeyer
Succeeded byJack Marshall
20th President of the Labour Party
In office
12 May 1964 – 11 May 1966
Vice PresidentJim Bateman
Preceded byMartyn Finlay
Succeeded byNorman Douglas
Member of the New Zealand Parliament
for Sydenham
In office
29 November 1969 – 31 August 1974
Preceded byMabel Howard
Succeeded byJohn Kirk
Member of the New Zealand Parliament
for Lyttelton
In office
30 November 1957 – 29 November 1969
Preceded byHarry Lake
Succeeded byTom McGuigan
Personal details
Born(1923-01-06)6 January 1923
Waimate, Canterbury, New Zealand
Died31 August 1974(1974-08-31) (aged 51)
Island Bay, Wellington, New Zealand
Resting placeWaimate Lawn Cemetery, Waimate, Canterbury, New Zealand
Political partyLabour
Spouse
​
(m. 1943)​
Children5, including John Kirk
RelativesJo Luxton (grand-niece)
ProfessionRailway engineer
Signature

Norman Eric Kirk PC (6 January 1923 – 31 August 1974) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 29th prime minister of New Zealand from 1972 until his sudden death in 1974.

Born into poverty in Southern Canterbury, Kirk left school at the age of 13 and joined the New Zealand Labour Party in 1943. He was mayor of Kaiapoi from 1953 until 1957, when he was elected to the New Zealand Parliament. He became the leader of his party in 1964. Following a Labour victory in the 1972 election, Kirk became Prime Minister and Minister 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 with Australia in adopting an independent and mutually beneficial foreign policy. Having withdrawn New Zealand troops from Vietnam upon taking office, he was highly critical of US foreign policy.[2] In the same year he strongly opposed French nuclear tests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 promoted racial equality at home and abroad; his government prevented the South African rugby team from touring New Zealand during 1973. However, his government has been criticised for the launching of the Dawn Raids, the aggressive crackdown on alleged overstayers that near-exclusively targeted Pasifika 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 of obesity and work exhaustion; his health rapidly deteriorated in the winter of 1974, and he died 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 to die in office.[9] He was given a combined state funeral and tangi in two locations, with a combination of European and Māori 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 by Bill Rowling, who lost the subsequent election and remained party leader until 1981.

  1. ^ Ross, Ken (2015). "Norman Kirk's 'OE'". New Zealand International Review. 40 (5): 18–21. ISSN 0110-0262. JSTOR 48551803.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Australia and New Zealand Set Moves Against French A-Tests". The New York Times. 24 January 1973. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  4. ^ "At the break of dawn". Auckland Museum. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  5. ^ "The dawn raids: causes, impacts and legacy". nzhistory.govt.nz. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  6. ^ Mitchell, James (July 2003). Immigration and National Identity in 1970s New Zealand (PDF) (PhD). University of Otago. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
  7. ^ Andrews, George (1 August 2020). "The famous words that Norman Kirk did not say". The Spinoff. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
  8. ^ "Election essay: The town that's used to being disappointed". BBC News. 23 March 2015. Retrieved 23 March 2015.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference DNZB Kirk was invoked but never defined (see the help page).