Leader of the New Zealand Labour Party

Leader of the Labour Party
Incumbent Andrew Little since 18 November 2014
Precursor	David Cunliffe
Inaugural holder	Alfred Hindmarsh
Formation	7 July 1916
Deputy	Annette King
Website	Labour Party profile

The Leader of the Labour Party is the highest ranked politician within the Labour Party in New Zealand. Since 18 November 2014, the office has been held by Andrew Little, who is a List MP.^[1]

Annette King is the Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, elected on the same day. She previously served as the Deputy Leader between 2008 and 2011 under Phil Goff, making her the only person to hold the office twice.

History

The post of Leader of the Labour Party was officially created upon the party's inception in 1916, though the title "Leader" was often substituted and/or complimented with the title "Chairman". In 1935, Michael Joseph Savage became the first ever Labour Prime Minister, following a landslide victory. In 1963, Arnold Nordmeyer became the first Leader of the Labour Party to have been born in New Zealand. Prior to this, three Leaders had been born in Australia and one each in England and Scotland. The most electorally successful Labour Leader to date is Helen Clark, who won three elections in 1999, 2002 and 2005. Clark is also the Labour Party's longest serving leader serving 14 years, 346 days between 1993 and 2008.^[2] Peter Fraser is the longest serving Labour Prime Minister, serving 9 years, 261 days between 1940 and 1949.

Selection

Unlike other political party leaders, the Labour Party's Leader does not have the power to dismiss or appoint their Deputy. Both the Leader and Deputy Leader are elected. The Labour Party elects its Leader in a vote split among the party's caucus, party members and party affiliates (unions) in a 40/40/20 split respectively.^[3] Prior to 2013, the Leader was elected solely by the parliamentary caucus. This practice remains for the Deputy Leadership.

Unique to Labour, the party's caucus possesses the right to elect MPs to Cabinet, rather than the Leader choosing them. The practice began following the 1940 leadership election.^[4] Michael Joseph Savage was the only leader to solely appoint his own cabinet following the election victories in 1935 and 1938.

Role

When the Labour Party forms the Parliamentary Opposition, as it currently does, the Leader of the Labour Party usually acts as the Leader of the Opposition, and chairs a Shadow Cabinet. Concordantly, when the Party is in Government, the Leader would become the Prime Minister of New Zealand.

Leaders of the Labour Party

The following is a complete list of Labour Party leaders (including Acting Leaders):

Key:
  Labour   Reform   United   National
PM: Prime Minister
LO: Leader of the Opposition
†: Died in office

No.		Leader (Birth–Death)	Portrait	Electorate	Term Began	Term Ended	Time in Office	Position	Prime Minister
	1	Alfred Hindmarsh (1860–1918)		Wellington South	7 July 1916	13 November 1918†	2 years, 4 months, 7 days	—		Massey
	2	Harry Holland (1868–1933)		Grey (1918-19) Buller (1919-33)	27 August 1919	8 October 1933†	14 years, 1 month, 12 days	—
										Bell
								LO 1926–1928		Coates
								Junior coalition partner 1928–1931		Ward
								LO 1931–1933		Forbes
	3	Michael Joseph Savage (1872–1940)		Auckland West	12 October 1933	27 March 1940†	6 years, 5 months, 20 days	LO 1933–1935
								PM 1935–1940		Savage
	4	Peter Fraser (1884–1950)		Wellington Central (1918-46) Brooklyn (1946-50)	1 April 1940	12 December 1950†	10 years, 8 months, 12 days	PM 1940–1949		Fraser
								LO 1949–1950		Holland
	5	Walter Nash (1882–1968)		Hutt	17 January 1951	31 March 1963	12 years, 2 months, 15 days	LO 1951–1957
										Holyoake
								PM 1957–1960		Nash
								LO 1960–1963		Holyoake
	6	Arnold Nordmeyer (1901–1989)		Island Bay	1 April 1963	16 December 1965	2 years, 8 months, 16 days	LO 1963–1965
	7	Norman Kirk (1923–1974)		Lyttelton (1957-69) Sydenham (1969-74)	16 December 1965	31 August 1974†	8 years, 8 months, 16 days	LO 1965–1972
										Marshall
								PM 1972–1974		Kirk
	-	Hugh Watt× (1912–1980)		Onehunga	31 August 1974	6 September 1974	7 days	PM× 1974		Watt
	8	Bill Rowling (1927–1995)		Tasman	6 September 1974	3 February 1983	8 years, 4 months, 29 days	PM 1974–1975		Rowling
								LO 1975–1983		Muldoon
	9	David Lange (1942–2005)		Mangere	3 February 1983	8 August 1989	6 years, 6 months, 5 days	LO 1983–1984
								PM 1984–1989		Lange
	10	Geoffrey Palmer (1942–)		Christchurch Central	8 August 1989	4 September 1990	1 year, 28 days	PM 1989–1990		Palmer
	11	Mike Moore (1949–)		Christchurch North	4 September 1990	1 December 1993	3 years, 2 months, 28 days	PM 1990		Moore
								LO 1990–1993		Bolger
	12	Helen Clark (1950–)		Mount Albert	1 December 1993	19 November 2008	14 years, 11 months, 19 days	LO 1993–1999
										Shipley
								PM 1999–2008		Clark
	13	Phil Goff (1953–)		Mount Roskill	19 November 2008	13 December 2011	3 years, 25 days	LO 2008–2011		Key
	14	David Shearer (1957–)		Mount Albert	13 December 2011	15 September 2013	1 year, 9 months, 3 days	LO 2011–2013
	15	David Cunliffe (1963–)		New Lynn	15 September 2013	30 September 2014	1 year, 16 days	LO 2013–2014
	-	David Parker× (1960–)		List MP	30 September 2014	18 November 2014	1 month, 20 days	LO× 2014
	16	Andrew Little (1965–)		List MP	18 November 2014	incumbent	7007648759490000000♠2 years,  19 days	LO 2014–present

Note: ×Deputy Leaders who assumed the role of party leader temporarily because of the death or resignation of the incumbent, serving until the election of a new leader.

Deputy Leaders of the Labour Party

The following is a complete list of Labour Party leaders

No.		Leader (Birth–Death)	Portrait	Electorate	Term of Office		Leader
	1	James McCombs (1873–1933)		Lyttelton	27 August 1919	February 1923		Holland
	2	Michael Joseph Savage (1872–1940)		Auckland West	February 1923	12 October 1933
	3	Peter Fraser (1884–1950)		Wellington Central	12 October 1933	1 April 1940		Savage
	4	Walter Nash (1882–1968)		Hutt	1 April 1940	17 January 1951		Fraser
	5	Clarence Skinner (1900–1962)		Buller	17 January 1951	26 April 1962†		Nash
	6	Fred Hackett (1901–1963)		Grey Lynn	26 April 1962	19 March 1963†
	7	Hugh Watt (1912–1980)		Onehunga	1 April 1963	6 September 1974		Nordmeyer
								Kirk
	8	Bob Tizard (1924–2016)		Otahuhu	10 September 1974	1 November 1979		Rowling
	9	David Lange (1942–2005)		Mangere	1 November 1979	3 February 1983
	10	Geoffrey Palmer (1942–)		Christchurch Central	3 February 1983	8 August 1989		Lange
	11	Helen Clark (1950–)		Mount Albert	8 August 1989	1 December 1993		Palmer
								Moore
	12	David Caygill (1948–)		St Albans	1 December 1993	12 October 1996		Clark
	13	Michael Cullen (1945–)		Dunedin South	12 October 1996	19 November 2008
	14	Annette King (1947–)		Rongotai	19 November 2008	13 December 2011		Goff
	15	Grant Robertson (1971–)		Wellington Central	13 December 2011	15 September 2013		Shearer
	16	David Parker (1960–)		List MP	15 September 2013	18 November 2014		Cunliffe
	(14)	Annette King (1947–)		Rongotai	18 November 2014	incumbent		Little

References