Leader of the New Zealand Labour Party
Leader of the Labour Party | |
---|---|
Precursor | David Cunliffe |
Inaugural holder | Alfred Hindmarsh |
Formation | 7 July 1916 |
Deputy | Annette King |
Website | Labour Party profile |
The Leader of the Labour Party is the highest ranked politician within the Labour Party in New Zealand. Since 18 November 2014, the office has been held by Andrew Little, who is a List MP.[1]
Annette King is the Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, elected on the same day. She previously served as the Deputy Leader between 2008 and 2011 under Phil Goff, making her the only person to hold the office twice.
History
The post of Leader of the Labour Party was officially created upon the party's inception in 1916, though the title "Leader" was often substituted and/or complimented with the title "Chairman". In 1935, Michael Joseph Savage became the first ever Labour Prime Minister, following a landslide victory. In 1963, Arnold Nordmeyer became the first Leader of the Labour Party to have been born in New Zealand. Prior to this, three Leaders had been born in Australia and one each in England and Scotland. The most electorally successful Labour Leader to date is Helen Clark, who won three elections in 1999, 2002 and 2005. Clark is also the Labour Party's longest serving leader serving 14 years, 346 days between 1993 and 2008.[2] Peter Fraser is the longest serving Labour Prime Minister, serving 9 years, 261 days between 1940 and 1949.
Selection
Unlike other political party leaders, the Labour Party's Leader does not have the power to dismiss or appoint their Deputy. Both the Leader and Deputy Leader are elected. The Labour Party elects its Leader in a vote split among the party's caucus, party members and party affiliates (unions) in a 40/40/20 split respectively.[3] Prior to 2013, the Leader was elected solely by the parliamentary caucus. This practice remains for the Deputy Leadership.
Unique to Labour, the party's caucus possesses the right to elect MPs to Cabinet, rather than the Leader choosing them. The practice began following the 1940 leadership election.[4] Michael Joseph Savage was the only leader to solely appoint his own cabinet following the election victories in 1935 and 1938.
Role
When the Labour Party forms the Parliamentary Opposition, as it currently does, the Leader of the Labour Party usually acts as the Leader of the Opposition, and chairs a Shadow Cabinet. Concordantly, when the Party is in Government, the Leader would become the Prime Minister of New Zealand.
Leaders of the Labour Party
The following is a complete list of Labour Party leaders (including Acting Leaders):
Key:
Labour
Reform
United
National
PM: Prime Minister
LO: Leader of the Opposition
†: Died in office
No. | Leader (Birth–Death) |
Portrait | Electorate | Term Began | Term Ended | Time in Office | Position | Prime Minister | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Alfred Hindmarsh (1860–1918) |
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Wellington South | 7 July 1916 | 13 November 1918† | 2 years, 4 months, 7 days | — | Massey | ||
2 | Harry Holland (1868–1933) |
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Grey (1918-19) Buller (1919-33) |
27 August 1919 | 8 October 1933† | 14 years, 1 month, 12 days | — | |||
Bell | ||||||||||
LO 1926–1928 | Coates | |||||||||
Junior coalition partner 1928–1931 |
Ward | |||||||||
LO 1931–1933 | Forbes | |||||||||
3 | Michael Joseph Savage (1872–1940) |
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Auckland West | 12 October 1933 | 27 March 1940† | 6 years, 5 months, 20 days | LO 1933–1935 | |||
PM 1935–1940 | Savage | |||||||||
4 | Peter Fraser (1884–1950) |
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Wellington Central (1918-46) Brooklyn (1946-50) |
1 April 1940 | 12 December 1950† | 10 years, 8 months, 12 days | PM 1940–1949 | Fraser | ||
LO 1949–1950 | Holland | |||||||||
5 | Walter Nash (1882–1968) |
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Hutt | 17 January 1951 | 31 March 1963 | 12 years, 2 months, 15 days | LO 1951–1957 | |||
Holyoake | ||||||||||
PM 1957–1960 | Nash | |||||||||
LO 1960–1963 | Holyoake | |||||||||
6 | Arnold Nordmeyer (1901–1989) |
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Island Bay | 1 April 1963 | 16 December 1965 | 2 years, 8 months, 16 days | LO 1963–1965 | |||
7 | Norman Kirk (1923–1974) |
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Lyttelton (1957-69) Sydenham (1969-74) |
16 December 1965 | 31 August 1974† | 8 years, 8 months, 16 days | LO 1965–1972 | |||
Marshall | ||||||||||
PM 1972–1974 | Kirk | |||||||||
- | Hugh Watt× (1912–1980) |
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Onehunga | 31 August 1974 | 6 September 1974 | 7 days | PM× 1974 | Watt | ||
8 | Bill Rowling (1927–1995) |
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Tasman | 6 September 1974 | 3 February 1983 | 8 years, 4 months, 29 days | PM 1974–1975 | Rowling | ||
LO 1975–1983 | Muldoon | |||||||||
9 | David Lange (1942–2005) |
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Mangere | 3 February 1983 | 8 August 1989 | 6 years, 6 months, 5 days | LO 1983–1984 | |||
PM 1984–1989 | Lange | |||||||||
10 | Geoffrey Palmer (1942–) |
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Christchurch Central | 8 August 1989 | 4 September 1990 | 1 year, 28 days | PM 1989–1990 | Palmer | ||
11 | Mike Moore (1949–) |
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Christchurch North | 4 September 1990 | 1 December 1993 | 3 years, 2 months, 28 days | PM 1990 | Moore | ||
LO 1990–1993 | Bolger | |||||||||
12 | Helen Clark (1950–) |
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Mount Albert | 1 December 1993 | 19 November 2008 | 14 years, 11 months, 19 days | LO 1993–1999 | |||
Shipley | ||||||||||
PM 1999–2008 | Clark | |||||||||
13 | Phil Goff (1953–) |
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Mount Roskill | 19 November 2008 | 13 December 2011 | 3 years, 25 days | LO 2008–2011 | Key | ||
14 | David Shearer (1957–) |
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Mount Albert | 13 December 2011 | 15 September 2013 | 1 year, 9 months, 3 days | LO 2011–2013 | |||
15 | David Cunliffe (1963–) |
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New Lynn | 15 September 2013 | 30 September 2014 | 1 year, 16 days | LO 2013–2014 | |||
- | David Parker× (1960–) |
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List MP | 30 September 2014 | 18 November 2014 | 1 month, 20 days | LO× 2014 | |||
16 | Andrew Little (1965–) |
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List MP | 18 November 2014 | incumbent | 2 years, 19 days | LO 2014–present |
Note: ×Deputy Leaders who assumed the role of party leader temporarily because of the death or resignation of the incumbent, serving until the election of a new leader.
Deputy Leaders of the Labour Party
The following is a complete list of Labour Party leaders
No. | Leader (Birth–Death) |
Portrait | Electorate | Term of Office | Leader | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | James McCombs (1873–1933) |
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Lyttelton | 27 August 1919 | February 1923 | Holland | ||
2 | Michael Joseph Savage (1872–1940) |
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Auckland West | February 1923 | 12 October 1933 | |||
3 | Peter Fraser (1884–1950) |
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Wellington Central | 12 October 1933 | 1 April 1940 | Savage | ||
4 | Walter Nash (1882–1968) |
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Hutt | 1 April 1940 | 17 January 1951 | Fraser | ||
5 | Clarence Skinner (1900–1962) |
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Buller | 17 January 1951 | 26 April 1962† | Nash | ||
6 | Fred Hackett (1901–1963) |
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Grey Lynn | 26 April 1962 | 19 March 1963† | |||
7 | Hugh Watt (1912–1980) |
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Onehunga | 1 April 1963 | 6 September 1974 | Nordmeyer | ||
Kirk | ||||||||
8 | Bob Tizard (1924–2016) |
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Otahuhu | 10 September 1974 | 1 November 1979 | Rowling | ||
9 | David Lange (1942–2005) |
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Mangere | 1 November 1979 | 3 February 1983 | |||
10 | Geoffrey Palmer (1942–) |
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Christchurch Central | 3 February 1983 | 8 August 1989 | Lange | ||
11 | Helen Clark (1950–) |
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Mount Albert | 8 August 1989 | 1 December 1993 | Palmer | ||
Moore | ||||||||
12 | David Caygill (1948–) |
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St Albans | 1 December 1993 | 12 October 1996 | Clark | ||
13 | Michael Cullen (1945–) |
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Dunedin South | 12 October 1996 | 19 November 2008 | |||
14 | Annette King (1947–) |
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Rongotai | 19 November 2008 | 13 December 2011 | Goff | ||
15 | Grant Robertson (1971–) |
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Wellington Central | 13 December 2011 | 15 September 2013 | Shearer | ||
16 | David Parker (1960–) |
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List MP | 15 September 2013 | 18 November 2014 | Cunliffe | ||
(14) | Annette King (1947–) |
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Rongotai | 18 November 2014 | incumbent | Little |
References
- ↑ Watkins, Tracy; Fox, Michael; Vance, Andrea (18 November 2014). "Little wins Labour leadership". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
- ↑ Audrey Young (12 February 2008). "Clark beats record of longest-serving Labour leader – probably". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 12 February 2008.
- ↑ "Date confirmed for new Labour leader". The New Zealand Herald. APN News & Media. 23 August 2013. Retrieved 25 August 2013.
- ↑ Beaglehole, Tim. "Fraser, Peter". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 11 December 2011.