Norman King (New Zealand politician)

Norman James King, QSO (28 December 1914 – 28 May 2002), was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party, and a cabinet minister.

Biography

New Zealand Parliament
Years Term Electorate Party
1954–1957 31st Waitemata Labour
1957–1960 32nd Waitemata Labour
1960–1963 33rd Waitemata Labour
1963–1966 34th Waitemata Labour
1966–1969 35th Waitemata Labour
1969–1972 36th Birkenhead Labour
1972–1975 37th Birkenhead Labour

King first stood for Labour in Hobson in 1951, coming second. He then represented the Waitemata electorate from 1954 to 1969, and the Birkenhead electorate from 1969 to 1975, when he was defeated by Jim McLay.[1]

In 1957 he defeated Robert Muldoon in his second attempt to enter parliament. Zavos says that King:[2]

was a poor speaker, a tiny birdlike man, a storeman and packer before taking up politics ... (but) a shrewd operator, however, whose greatest strength was that he was aware of his limitations. He realised he could not match the expert debating techniques Muldoon had developed.

So King restricted himself to two campaign meetings, and the slight swing to Labour carried King back.[2]

King was Minister of Social Welfare (1972–1975), first under Norman Kirk,[3] then under Bill Rowling.[4]

In the 1977 New Year Honours, King was made a Companion of the Queen's Service Order for public services.[5]

Notes

  1. ↑ Wilson 1985, p. 210.
  2. 1 2 Zavos 1978, p. ?.
  3. ↑ Wilson 1985, p. 92.
  4. ↑ Wilson 1985, p. 93.
  5. ↑ London Gazette (supplement), No. 47104, 31 December 1976. Retrieved 15 March 2013.

References

New Zealand Parliament
Vacant
Constituency abolished in 1946
Title last held by
Henry Thorne Morton		 Member of Parliament for Waitemata
1954–1969 		Succeeded by
Frank Gill
New constituency Member of Parliament for Birkenhead
1969–1975 		Succeeded by
Jim McLay


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