45 Facts About Norman Kirk

Norman Eric Kirk was a New Zealand politician who served as the 29th prime minister of New Zealand from 1972 until his sudden death in 1974.

Norman Kirk was mayor of Kaiapoi from 1953 until 1957, when he was elected to the New Zealand Parliament.

Norman Kirk became the leader of his party in 1964.

Norman Kirk stressed the need for regional economic development and affirmed New Zealand's solidarity with Australia in adopting independent and mutually beneficial foreign policy.

Norman Kirk promoted racial equality at home and abroad; his government prevented the South African rugby team from touring New Zealand during 1973.

Norman Kirk relented to public pressure and discontinued the raids in April 1974.

Norman Kirk had a reputation as the most formidable debater of his time and once famously said that "there are four things that matter to people: they have to have somewhere to live, they have to have food to eat, they have to have clothing to wear, and they have to have something to hope for", often misquoted as "somewhere to live, someone to love, somewhere to work and something to hope for".

Norman Kirk's death shocked the nation and led to an outpouring of grief; he is the most recent New Zealand Prime Minister to die in office.

Norman Kirk was given a combined state funeral and tangi in two locations, with a combination of European and Maori rites.

Norman Kirk was succeeded as head of government by Bill Rowling, who lost the subsequent election and remained party leader until 1981.

Norman Kirk's father, named Norman Kirk, was a carpenter, while his mother Vera Janet had migrated from the Wairarapa.

Norman Kirk left school shortly before he turned thirteen after his father lost his job.

Norman Kirk's health deteriorated, and when the New Zealand Army called him up for military service in 1941 it found him medically unfit.

In 1943, Norman Kirk married Lucy Ruth Miller, known as Ruth, who was born in Taumarunui.

In 1975 Ruth Norman Kirk was named Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire.

Also in 1943, Norman Kirk joined the Labour Party's branch in Kaiapoi, where he and his wife had decided to build a house.

In 1951, Norman Kirk became Chairman of the party's Hurunui electorate committee.

In 1953, Norman Kirk led Labour to a surprising victory in elections for Kaiapoi's local council, and he became the youngest mayor in the country at age 30.

Norman Kirk resigned as mayor on 15 January 1958 and moved his family to Christchurch after being elected MP for the Lyttelton electorate.

In 1954, Norman Kirk stood as the Labour candidate for the Hurunui seat.

Norman Kirk then turned his attention to winning nomination in the seat of Lyttelton, which Labour surprisingly lost to the National Party in a previous election.

At the 1957 general election Norman Kirk won the Lyttelton seat and became a Member of Parliament.

Gradually, Norman Kirk began to rise through Labour's internal hierarchy, becoming vice-president of the party in 1963 and president of the party in 1964.

Norman Kirk came to the attention of media and colleagues as a potential future leader.

Norman Kirk stood for the position of Deputy Leader in 1963 following the death of Fred Hackett but was defeated by Hugh Watt.

In 1965 a group of mainly younger Labour MPs formed a group who became dedicated to replace Nordmeyer with Norman Kirk, becoming known as the "Mafia".

Norman Kirk set a frenetic pace implementing a great number of new policies.

In particular, the Norman Kirk government had a far more active foreign policy than its predecessor, taking great trouble to expand New Zealand's links with Asia and Africa.

Immediately after his election as Prime Minister, Norman Kirk withdrew all New Zealand troops from Vietnam, ending that nation's eight-year involvement in the Vietnam War and causing high levels of public support for Labour.

The Norman Kirk government abolished Compulsory Military Training in New Zealand; since then the New Zealand Defence Force has remained an all-volunteer professional force.

Norman Kirk strengthened relations with the Australian Labor Party and its leader Gough Whitlam.

Norman Kirk desired for the two nascent leaders to work together, to foster a boldly independent foreign policy separate from the United Kingdom or the United States.

Norman Kirk was a closer friend to Lee Kuan Yew, whom he regarded as his mentor, and to Harold Wilson, than to Whitlam.

Norman Kirk was highly critical of US foreign policy, speaking before the United Nations of the US involvement in the coup d'etat in Chile in 1973.

The Norman Kirk government was notable for a number of national identity building policies.

In February 1973, Norman Kirk honoured his election pledge and instructed the electricity department not to raise the level of Lake Manapouri.

Norman Kirk created an independent body, the Guardians of Lake Manapouri, Monowai, and Te Anau to oversee management of the lake levels.

The Norman Kirk government attracted controversy in March 1974 for starting the Dawn Raids, a series of police raids that primarily targeted Pasifika peoples for overstaying.

Norman Kirk ignored advice from several doctors and from Bob Tizard and Warren Freer to "take care of himself" and to reduce his heavy consumption of Coca-Cola and alcohol, saying he would have a "short but happy life".

Norman Kirk rang and reminisced with close colleagues, and his bed was covered with official papers.

Norman Kirk died of a pulmonary embolism when a blood clot released from a vein into his heart cut off the blood flow and stopped the heart.

Bob Harvey, the Labour Party president, said that Norman Kirk was "a robust man" with the "constitution of a horse".

Norman Kirk proposed a Royal Commission to investigate rumours that he had been killed, perhaps with contact poison, by the CIA.

Norman Kirk was buried near his mother's grave; the burial service was delayed as the RNZAF Hercules could not land at Waimate and the procession hurried by road to meet the daylight requirement for burials.

The last telegram Norman Kirk sent before his death was to Ebony congratulating them on their win.