Hugh Watt

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5^th Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand
Hon. Hugh Watt
In office 8 December 1972 – 1 September 1974
Prime Minister	Norman Kirk
Preceded by	Robert Muldoon
Succeeded by	Bob Tizard
Constituency	Onehunga
Acting Prime Minister of New Zealand
In office 1 September 1974 – 6 September 1974
Preceded by	(Norman Kirk †)
Succeeded by	Bill Rowling

Born	1912 Australia
Died	1980 Wellington, New Zealand
Political party	Labour

Hugh Watt (1912 – 1980) was a Labour member of Parliament and Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand from 1972 - 1974. He was briefly the Acting Prime Minister of New Zealand between 1 September 1974 - 6 September 1974 following the death of Norman Kirk.

He represented the electorate of Onehunga from 1953 (after a by-election) to 1975. He retired at the 1975 general election in favour of Frank Rogers.

Watt was appointed New Zealand's High Commissioner to the United Kingdom effective from 22 March 1975 for three years. Controversially, he stayed on as a member of parliament and Cabinet Minister. In June 1975, Watt was asked if he was about to resign as an MP. He stated that: "If I were to resign now as a Member of Parliament [for Onehunga] it would mean that I would lose my Cabinet status and the unique position that I have as High Commissioner with Executive Council rank that gives me access to British Government Ministers."^[1]

When Robert Muldoon's government was elected on the 29 November 1975, the incoming Prime Minister promptly fired him.

He was Australian-born, like Sir Joseph Ward and several other Labour Party founders such as Harry Holland, Michael Joseph Savage, Bob Semple and Paddy Webb.