Sir Keith Holyoake, long-serving P.M.

Press, 9 December 1983, Page 19

Sir Keith Holyoake, long-serving P.M.

PA Wellington Sir Keith Jacka Holyoake, K.G., G.C.M.G., C.H., Q. 5.0., who died yesterday, was New Zealand’s longest serving Prime Minister this century and a shrewd politician with a common touch.

To the public he was “Kiwi Keith,” the country boy who left school at 12 and rose to head the government for nearly 12 years before being appointed Gov-ernor-General. An affable but aloof figure, he dominated New Zealand politics throughout the turbulent 19605, and in spite of being the target of bitter protest at the country’s participation in the Vietnam war, emerged from the decade with his reputation intact.

He was born near Pahiatua on February 11, 1904, the third of seven children. His parents ran a general store but moved soon afterwards to Hastings where the young Holyoake began his formal education.

The family then moved to a Tauranga dairy farm before settling on a farm near Motueka, bordering on a property owned by the grandparents of another future prime minister, Sir Wallace Rowling. Having reached Standard 6 at the age of 12, two years before the then average, Sir Keith left school to work on his parents’ farm. During the late 1920 s and early 1930 s as he earned a living from dairying and growing hops, fruit and

tobacco, he began to make his mark on the local community as a sportsman and politician. He played at hooker for the Golden Bay representative rugby team for seven years, achieved some success as a competitive cyclist and was a competent tennis player. He later turned his attentions to administration, heading the Golden Bay Rugby Union and serving as the vicepresident of the national body.

Sir Keith entered politics through what was then the recognised training ground, the Farmers Union, becoming president of the Nelson chapter in 1930. In 1931 he began his career in national politics when he stood in the General Elections as the. Lib-eral-Reform coalition government’s Motueka candidate. He lost by 517 votes but was successful the next year in a by-election caused by the death of the sitting member. Sir Keith held his seat when the Labour Party swept to power in 1935, but went down to a future Deputy Prime Minister, Mr C. F. (“Gerry”) Skinner when the country again rallied behind Mickey Savage in 1938. He remained active at a national level on agricultural bodies, serving on the executive of the Farmers Union, later to become Federated Farmers, the Tobacco Growers’ Federa-

tion and the Hop Marketing Board, of which he was the first president. He was also on the executive of the Motueka Fruitgrowers’ Association. In 1943 he returned to Pahiatua to contest a byelection caused by the death of Sir Alfred Ransome. Sir Keith won and kept the seat until his retirement from politics in 1977. Within four years he was deputy leader of the National Party, led by Mr Sid Holland. When National took power in the 1949 election Sir Keith was a natural choice for Minister of Agriculture. The portfolio was long regarded as a “suicide” post — his 11 predecessors, unable to perform to the standards of fickle farmers, lasted an average 27 months. Sir Keith held on until 1957, when just two weeks away from an election Mr Holland resigned because of ill health. Sir Keith, a lowkey figure, took over as Prime Minister but lacked time to build his image to counter the veteran, Mr Walter Nash, who led Labour to a two-seat victory.

Fortunes changed in 1960 when Labour, which had never been forgiven for Arnold Nordmeyer’s “Black Budget” of 1958, was swept from office.by the National Party. Sir Keith was again Prime Minister, a position he held until 1972.

Sir Kejth kept a firm hold

on power throughout the 19605, comfortably winning against Labour under Mr Arnold Nordmeyer in 1963 and Mr Norman Kirk in 1966 and 1969.

Although widely regarded as the “Golden Decade,” the 1960 s were far from trouble free for Sir Keith. On the home front he had to face growing and often vigorous opposition to New Zealand’s active role in the Vietnam war, while abroad there was the uncertainty of future agricultural exports posed by Britain’s planned entry to the European Economic Community.

A series of trips abroad by Sir Keith, and later by his deputy, Mr Jack (now Sir John) Marshall, ensured continued secured access to the British market for agricultural exports. Although the Vietnam question caused lingering bitterness in some quarters, Sir Keith’s reputation among the public as a solid and careful leader remained firm.

Sir Keith was widely regarded as an astute politician with an exceptional ability to control situations from “behind the scenes.” He was also said to be able to grasp situations quickly and by always being ahead of public opinion — and his rivals — knew how best to turn them to his advantage. He stepped down from the leadership of the National Party in February, 1972, giving Sir John Marshall 10 months to consolidate his position before the

next election. National lost the election in a landslide. Sir Keith spent a further three j—rs in opposition before returning to the government benches in 1975 to serve as Minister of State in the administration of new party leader, Mr Robert Muldoon. On March 7, 1977, the Queen, then visiting New Zealand, announced Sir Keith would replace Sir Denis Blundell as GovernorGeneral.

The appointment raised a storm about “political appointments,” but after 40 years as a member of Parliament, Sir Keith took up his new role on October 26 that year, relinquishing it in October, 1980. In 1980 he was accorded the rare honour for a New Zealander of being made Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter (K.G.), an honour never held by more than 25 people at any one time. He had previously been made a Companion of Honour in 1963 and in 1970 was knighted in the Order of St Michael and St George.

In 1935 he married Norma Ingram and had two sons and three daughters.

Sir John Marshall said that Sir Keith was a warmhearted humanitarian whose life and career was an outstanding example to the young.

“He was a master politician in the best democratic tradition of for the people, by the people,” he said.