55 Facts About Bill Rowling

Bill Rowling held office as the leader of the Labour Party.

Not long after entering parliament Bill Rowling began to rise through Labour's internal hierarchy, and he was Party President from 1970 to 1973.

Bill Rowling was serving as Minister of Finance when he was appointed prime minister following the death of the highly popular Norman Kirk.

Bill Rowling continued to lead the Labour Party but lost two more general elections.

Bill Rowling served as Ambassador to the United States from 1985 to 1988.

Bill Rowling was born in a country suburb of Mariri neighbouring the town of Motueka, near Nelson.

Bill Rowling was a member of a long-established farming family.

Bill Rowling's father was friends with many prominent Labour Party politicians including Michael Joseph Savage, Peter Fraser, Paddy Webb and Bob Semple.

Bill Rowling was educated at the local primary school and later Nelson College.

Bill Rowling left aged 17 and attempted to enlist in the New Zealand Army to serve in J Force during the occupation of Japan.

Bill Rowling attended the University of Canterbury, gaining a master's degree in economics.

Bill Rowling attended the Christchurch College of Education, qualifying as a teacher.

Bill Rowling became involved in local political organising and formed a new branch of the Labour Party in the area.

Bill Rowling returned to New Zealand and taught at Hukerenui.

Bill Rowling resumed his role as a political organiser and was elected chairman of the Hobson Labour Representation Committee.

In 1958, Bill Rowling left teaching and joined the New Zealand Army for four years eventually gaining the rank of captain.

Bill Rowling spent a short time serving abroad in Malaysia and Singapore, a deployment connected with the Malayan Emergency.

Fendalton was regarded as a safe National seat, and Bill Rowling was defeated by the National Party's Harry Lake.

Two years later Bill Rowling successfully contested the by-election for Buller, which had been caused by the death of prominent Labour MP Jerry Skinner.

Not long after entering parliament Bill Rowling began to rise through Labour's internal hierarchy.

At the 1966,1967 and 1968 party conferences Bill Rowling stood for the vice-presidency of the Labour Party, but was narrowly defeated by Henry May on each occasion, however he managed to defeat May in 1969.

Bill Rowling was the first person to be elected to their first term as president unopposed in Labour history.

Bill Rowling refused on the grounds that such a self interested move would not be befitting of a party president.

Bill Rowling was New Zealand's first finance minister who was a qualified economist.

Bill Rowling's instinct was to reduce government expenditure to which Kirk would accuse him of being a tightwad.

Bill Rowling was one of several ministers speculated as potentially succeeding Kirk, though Watt was initially seen as the frontrunner.

Bill Rowling was officially confirmed as party leader and 30th Prime Minister on 6 September 1974.

Bill Rowling had the option of replacing Kirk in the safe Labour seat of Sydenham but chose to remain in his home electorate of Tasman.

Bill Rowling considered the idea of holding a snap election under the guise of seeking a personal mandate for himself as prime minister.

Bill Rowling was dissuaded from doing so to avoid looking opportunistic and due to Labour having trouble fundraising.

Agriculture minister Colin Moyle attempted, but failed, to convince Bill Rowling to hold a snap election in October 1974 which he was convinced Labour would have won with the loss of only one or two seats.

The recession was the worst in 40 years and Bill Rowling focused on ensuring mass unemployment did not ensue.

Bill Rowling himself felt that he never had the opportunity to show his leadership capabilities while prime minister.

Henderson stated that had Bill Rowling been re-elected he had every intention of initiating the economic reform that was delayed by Muldoon and eventually became Rogernomics, albeit in a more planned manner and slower pace.

Bill Rowling then had to deal with two scandals involving two of his MPs, his approach to which, were regarded as heavy-handed and unnecessary in many circles.

Bill Rowling stated that he got more sympathy from members of the National Party than from his own party.

Bill Rowling met with him and persuaded his close friend Moyle not to seek the nomination for the 1977 by-election.

Bill Rowling gradually managed to improve public perceptions of him which were ironically assisted by the Moyle and O'Brien 'affairs' where his public reputation for timidity turned around.

Bill Rowling's leadership was credited with the turnaround in public opinion.

Bill Rowling was visibly angered by the challenge, calling his challengers "nakedly ambitious rats" to the press, a comment that he refused to retract.

In February 1982 Bill Rowling gave a speech at a Labour regional conference in Timaru where he suggested Labour should sever formal links with trade unions, citing the party's public perception being too closely associated with unions and that there had been a large demographic shift in members from the working class to middle-class liberals.

Bill Rowling was supported by his Shadow Minister for Labour, Fred Gerbic, and several leading union figures such as national secretary of the New Zealand Electrical and Related Trades Union Tony Neary and secretary of the Wellington Clothing Workers Union Frank Thorn who stated their belief that their affiliation fees were too high and offered little benefit in return.

Bill Rowling did not respond though Anderton staunchly defended Bill Rowling from Douglas' comments.

In February 1983 Bill Rowling was succeeded as leader by the charismatic David Lange, who went on to defeat Muldoon in the 1984 election.

Bill Rowling held that position when the issue of nuclear weapons and ANZUS flared up between the United States and New Zealand, and he travelled extensively across the country explaining the policy.

Bill Rowling later became president of the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs.

Bill Rowling was disappointed that the Labour government had disintegrated and led to Lange's resignation as prime minister.

Bill Rowling felt the caucus made a significant error in re-electing Douglas to cabinet which caused Lange to quit.

Bill Rowling stated he felt Clark's style of leadership would be better suited to working with other parties such as the Alliance.

Bill Rowling later became highly involved in a number of community organisations, charities and trusts.

Bill Rowling was chairman of the 1992 commemorations of Abel Tasman's mapping of New Zealand.

Bill Rowling 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 despite drastic public spending cutbacks.

Bill Rowling resigned from the board on 9 October 1995 citing ill-health.

Later in that same month, Bill Rowling died of cancer in Nelson on 31 October 1995.

Bill Rowling was conferred an honorary law doctorate by the University of Canterbury in 1987, and he was honoured by the Netherlands as a Commander in the Orde van Oranje-Nassau.