| The Right Honourable Hugh Watt JP |
|
|---|---|
| 5th Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand | |
| 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 |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1912 Australia |
| Died | 1980 Wellington, New Zealand |
| Political party | Labour |
Hugh Watt (1912–80) 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.
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He was Australian-born, like Labour Party founders such as Harry Holland, Michael Joseph Savage, Bob Semple and Paddy Webb and later MPs such as Mabel Howard and Clarence Skinner.
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 29 November 1975, the incoming Prime Minister promptly fired him.
He died in 1980 in Wellington.