From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Manuera Benjamin Riwai Couch or, as he was generally known, Ben Couch (born 27 June 1925), was a New Zealand politician and rugby player. He was a member of the All Blacks and the New Zealand Māori rugby union team in the 1940s. In 1975 he was elected to parliament as the National Party MP for Wairarapa, thus becoming only the second Māori to win a general (ie non Māori) seat. He served as Minister of Māori Affairs and Minister of Police in the third National government, but lost his seat in 1984. In the 1990s he was involved in various Māori organisations, and died in 1996.
