Harry Lake

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Harry Robson Lake (1911–1967), a New Zealand politician, served as Minister of Finance for six years in the second National government, in the 1960s. He died of a heart attack when only fifty-five years old.

Lake was born in Christchurch. He was educated at the University of Canterbury, gaining a degree in commerce. He established an accountancy practice in 1943. After holding a number of roles within the National Party's administration, he stood as the party's candidate for the Riccarton seat in the 1949 elections. Riccarton was regarded as a "safe" Labour Party seat, and Lake was unsuccessful. In the 1951 elections, however, Lake won the seat of Lyttelton, which had been held Labour for nearly forty years. While Lake held his seat in the 1954 elections, he lost it in the 1957 elections to Norman Kirk (who later became Prime Minister).

In the 1960 elections, which National won, Lake returned to Parliament as the MP for Fendalton (a safe National seat). He was immediately elevated to Cabinet by Prime Minister Keith Holyoake, becoming Minister of Finance. As Lake possessed no ministerial experience before this point, his immediate appointment to one of the most powerful ministerial posts was remarkable. In recognition of his lack of experience, however, Lake was officially ranked sixth in Cabinet, a lower position than a Minister of Finance would normally expect.

Despite holding one of the most powerful political positions in the country, Lake never had a high public profile. In keeping with Holyoake's desire to maintain the status quo, Lake's tenure as Minister of Finance was relatively uneventful, with the primary focus being on stability. In 1964, Lake suffered his first heart attack, which reduced his energy somewhat but did not impair his ability to perform his role.

At the end of 1966, New Zealand encountered economic difficulties as the result of a collapse in export prices. Lake did not have a chance to respond to this problem, however — in February 1967, he suffered a second heart attack, and died. He was succeeded as Minister of Finance by Robert Muldoon, and as MP for Fendalton by Eric Holland.