Sir Wallace Edward Rowling, KCMG (15 November 1927 – 31 October 1995), often known as Bill Rowling, was the 30th Prime Minister of New Zealand. He was in office for just over a year, having been appointed Prime Minister following the death of the highly popular Norman Kirk. Rowling was unable to retain the premiership, but remained leader of the Labour Party for some time after his defeat.
Early life
Rowling was born in a country suburb of Mariri neighbouring the town of
Motueka, near
Nelson. He was a member of a long-established farming family. He was educated at
Nelson College and the
University of Canterbury, gaining a degree in economics. He also attended the Christchurch College of Education (currently,
University of Canterbury), qualifying as a teacher. After completing his education, Rowling taught at several schools around the country, including at
Motueka,
Christchurch,
Waverley and in
Northland. In 1958, Rowling left teaching and joined the
New Zealand Army, becoming Assistant Director of Army Education. He spent a short amount of time serving abroad in
Malaysia and
Singapore, a deployment connected with the "
Malayan Emergency".
Member of Parliament
In the
1960 election, Rowling was selected as the Labour Party's candidate for the
Fendalton electorate in Christchurch. Fendalton was regarded as a safe National seat, and Rowling was defeated by the
National Party's
Harry Lake (who was appointed
Minister of Finance in the new National government). Two years later, however, Rowling successfully contested the
by-election for
Buller, which had been caused by the death of prominent Labour MP
Jerry Skinner. Rowling was to hold this seat until the
election of 1972, when the seat was dissolved — Rowling then contested successfully the new seat of
Tasman, which intriguingly he did travelling up and down the electorate by Commer campervan, which he lived in for the time.
When the Labour Party won power under Norman Kirk in the 1972 election, Rowling was appointed Minister of Finance. This could be seen as a considerable promotion for someone without prior ministerial experience. Rowling's term as Minister of Finance was somewhat turbulent, with a number of formidable economic challenges arising during his tenure.
Prime Minister
When Norman Kirk died unexpectedly in 1974, Rowling emerged as the front-runner to replace him. Kirk's deputy,
Hugh Watt, served as Acting Prime Minister for several days while the Labour Party made its decision. Rowling was officially confirmed as party leader and Prime Minister on 6 September 1974. Unlike the
pro-life Kirk and Muldoon, Rowling was
pro-choice.
As leader, Rowling was attacked by the opposition led by Robert Muldoon, and was generally characterised as being weak. His supporters denied this, saying he chose not to participate in the confrontational and aggressive politics that Muldoon favoured.
Leader of the Opposition
The
1975 election was a major defeat for the Labour Party. Labour also campaigned with the famous
Citizens for Rowling - prominent New Zealanders who backed Rowling. The campaign was labelled as being elitist, and was generally regarded to have backfired on Rowling
During the late 1970s, Rowling alienated Maori by removing Mat Rata, the party's effective and well-regarded Maori Affairs spokesman, from the Opposition front bench. Earlier, Rowling had replaced Rata with himself as convenor of Labour's Maori Affairs Committee. Mat Rata rightly complained about the insensitivity of Labour's Maori policy
His approach to the Moyle and O'Brien 'affairs' was regarded as heavy-handed and unnecessary in many circles. In regards to the 'Moyle affair', "it was Rowling that insisted that his close friend, Colin Moyle, must resign".
Rowling, however, managed to retain the party leadership, and gradually managed to improve public perceptions of him. In the 1978 election and the 1981 election, Labour actually secured more votes than the National Party, but failed to gain a majority of seats.
While Rowling had largely managed to undo his negative image, many people in the Labour Party nevertheless believed that it was time for a change. In 1983 Rowling was replaced as leader by the charismatic David Lange, who went on to defeat Muldoon in the 1984 election. Rowling retired from parliament at the same election.
Later life
After leaving politics, Rowling was appointed Ambassador to the
United States, serving from 1985 to 1988. He held that position when the issue of nuclear weapons and
ANZUS flared up between the United States New Zealand. Later, after returning to New Zealand, Rowling became highly involved in a number of community organizations and trusts. He also played a prominent role at the
Museum of New Zealand, and is considered to have been the "driving force" behind the eventual establishment of
Te Papa. Honours that Rowling received include being made a Knight Commander of the
Order of St Michael and St George, an honorary law doctorate, and being made a Commander in the
Orde van Oranje – Nassau (
Netherlands).
Rowling died of cancer in Nelson on 31 October 1995.
References
External links
Prime Ministers’ Office biography
Category:1927 births
Category:1995 deaths
Category:New Zealand diplomats
Category:New Zealand finance ministers
Category:New Zealand foreign ministers
Category:New Zealand Labour Party MPs
Category:New Zealand knights
Category:New Zealand political party leaders
Category:People from the Nelson Region
Category:Prime Ministers of New Zealand
Category:Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George
Category:Commander of the Order of Orange-Nassau
Category:University of Canterbury alumni
Category:Former students of Nelson College
Category:Leaders of the Opposition (New Zealand)
