THE PRESS FRIDAY, OCTOBER 24, 1980. Sir Keith Holyoake retires

Press, 24 October 1980, Page 12

THE PRESS FRIDAY, OCTOBER 24, 1980. Sir Keith Holyoake retires

When the appointment of Sir Keith Holyoake as Governor-General was announced in March, 1977, “The Press said that to fill the position of ViceRegal representative with a prominent political figure was an “unwise and perhaps damaging precedent.” Others were much stronger in their criticism. Almost all insisted that the appointment raised a matter of principle: few expressed doubts about Sir Keith Holyoake’s ability to fill the position with dignity.

Three years have passed quickly. Yesterday Sir Keith Holyoake and Dame Norma Holyoake were accorded a State farewell at the end of his term of office. There has been no constitutional crisis to test the fears of those who criticised the appointment: there has been no sign of Vice-Regal interference in politics, whatever private feelings Sir Keith Holyoake may have had about events. Indeed, he has been a low-key Governor-General, in evidence at local functions, seldom speaking out in a manner that drew attention to his office.

For all that, the principle that leading politicians who have recently been committed to one party should not fill the country’s highest office above politics, remains a valid principle. Sir Keith’s successor. Sir David Beattie, is a former lawyer and judge and, like Sir Keith’s predecessor. Sir Denis Blundell, also a lawyer, and a diplomat, is a man without obvious political associations; yet he is a person who can be assumed to be well acquainted with the constitutional responsibilities of the office.

Sir Keith hands over his office to Sir David Beattie with its reputation for impartiality intact. The respect of the community for the office of Governor-General has not been eroded, but many must still hope that Sir Keith’s tenure has been an aberration, not a precedent, and that leading political figures will not fill it again, unless they have been out of active party politics for a sufficient period to dispose of the suspicion of partisanship. Having set aside the constitutional question raised by Sir Keith’s tenure, the community can wish him well in this retirement from a life of public service over nearly, 50 years. The farmer from Motueka, who had not the extra dash of military success enjoyed by almost all his predecessors as Governor-General, has a record of service to his country which few New Zealanders have equalled. On farmers’ organisations, as a New Zealand representative at innumerable international gatherings, as a member of Parliament for almost 40 years and as Prime Minister for 12 years, Sir Keith has helped to shape New Zealand’s development since he first entered Parliament in 1932. Few people today can remember a time when he has not been prominent in the nation’s affairs. The office he was given was well earned, even if the making of the appointment was criticised. Throughout most of his life Sir Keith has sought to serve New Zealand and its people and has been given the opportunities to do so by electors and political colleagues. Only the most churlish would deny him thanks for completing his work in the highest office.