In 1972 Norman Kirk broke National’s 12-year-long grip on the Treasury benches and became Labour’s first New Zealand-born PM.
Norman Kirk
Personal details
Full Name:
Norman Eric Kirk
Lifetime:
6 Jan 1923 – 31 Aug 1974
Prime Minister:
8 Dec 1972–31 Aug 1974
Age on becoming Prime Minister:
49
Electorate:
Sydenham
Political Party:
Labour
Biography
Events In History
31 August 1974
Leader of the Labour Party since 1965 and prime minister since late 1972, 'Big Norm' died suddenly at the age of 51. He was the fifth New Zealand PM to die in office.
10 April 1973
Following police warnings of civil strife, Prime Minister Norman Kirk informed the New Zealand Rugby Football Union that the government saw ‘no alternative’ to a 'postponement' of the planned tour by the South African Springboks.
Articles
Waitangi Day
Every year on 6 February, New Zealand marks the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840. For most people, Waitangi Day is a holiday; for many, and especially for Māori, it is a time for reflecting on the Treaty and its place in modern New Zealand. Read the full article
Page 5 - Waitangi Day 1970s
Waitangi Day, a public holiday from 1974, briefly became New Zealand Day in the 1970s. Increasingly, it became a focus for Māori protest
1981 Springbok tour
For 56 days in July, August and September 1981, New Zealanders were divided against each other in the largest civil disturbance seen since the 1951 waterfront dispute. The cause of this was the visit of the South African rugby team – the Springboks. Read the full article
Page 4 - Stopping the 1973 tour
Keeping sport and politics separate was becoming increasingly difficult. In July 1969 HART (Halt All Racist Tours) was founded by University of Auckland students with the specific
Housing the Prime Minister
Almost 150 years after the government purchased the first official premier's residence on Tinakori Road, Wellington, the address of Premier House remains the same. But in the intervening years the building has been extended, renamed, abandoned and refurbished. Read the full article
Page 3 - Unofficial prime ministerial houses
From 1935 to 1975 our prime ministers lived in a series of 'unofficial'
Main image: Labour Party TV commercial, 1969
This 1969 cinema/television advertisement for the Labour Party emphasised the leadership qualities of Norman Kirk.
