Back نورمان كيرك Arabic Norman Kirk German Norman Kirk Spanish Norman Kirk Basque Norman Kirk French נורמן קירק HE Norman Kirk ID Norman Kirk Italian ノーマン・カーク Japanese 노먼 커크 Korean
Norman Kirk | |
|---|---|
 Kirk in 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 |
| 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 | 6 January 1923 Waimate, Canterbury, New Zealand |
| Died | 31 August 1974 (aged 51) Island Bay, Wellington, New Zealand |
| 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 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.
- ^ Ross, Ken (2015). "Norman Kirk's 'OE'". New Zealand International Review. 40 (5): 18–21. ISSN 0110-0262. JSTOR 48551803.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
:0was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Australia and New Zealand Set Moves Against French A-Tests". The New York Times. 24 January 1973. 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.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
DNZB Kirkwas invoked but never defined (see the help page).