Warren Freer: Difference between revisions
Tassedethe (talk | contribs) m v2.05 - Repaired 1 link to disambiguation page - (You can help) - Jack Elder |
Davidcannon (talk | contribs) →Member of Parliament: Deleted POV word "unexpectedly". The defeat was predicted in the opinion polls, and was therefore not unexpected. Either way, it is POV. |
||
| Line 75: | Line 75: | ||
He stood as a candidate for the deputy leadership of the New Zealand Labour Party in [[1974 New Zealand Labour Party leadership election|1974]] after Kirk's death only to prevent [[Arthur Faulkner]] winning on the first ballot, hoping that either [[Bob Tizard]] or [[Colin Moyle]] would win the subsequent ballot(s). He lost on the third ballot. Initially he had no intention of standing, and preferred Tizard (who won).{{sfn|Freer|2004|p=198}} In 1975 the government passed the Commerce Act that consolidated the laws on commercial competition, price controls, monopolies and takeovers.{{sfn|Franks|McAloon|2016|p=185}} |
He stood as a candidate for the deputy leadership of the New Zealand Labour Party in [[1974 New Zealand Labour Party leadership election|1974]] after Kirk's death only to prevent [[Arthur Faulkner]] winning on the first ballot, hoping that either [[Bob Tizard]] or [[Colin Moyle]] would win the subsequent ballot(s). He lost on the third ballot. Initially he had no intention of standing, and preferred Tizard (who won).{{sfn|Freer|2004|p=198}} In 1975 the government passed the Commerce Act that consolidated the laws on commercial competition, price controls, monopolies and takeovers.{{sfn|Franks|McAloon|2016|p=185}} |
||
After Labour were |
After Labour were defeated in [[1975 New Zealand general election|1975]] Freer retained the Trade and Industry portfolio in opposition.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Surprises Among Party Spokesmen |date=30 January 1976 |work=[[The New Zealand Herald]] |page=10 }}</ref> From 1977 to 1978 he was additionally Shadow Minister of Foreign Affairs and Overseas Trade.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19770226.2.4 |title=Labour reshuffles its Parliamentary spokesmen |date=26 February 1977 |work=[[The Press]] |page=1 }}</ref> Following Labour's defeat in 1978 Freer instead became Shadow Minister of Regional Development and Tourism until December 1979 when, impending retirement, he opted not to stand for re-election to the Shadow Cabinet.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Rowling shuffles his pack |date=9 December 1978 |work=[[Auckland Star]] |page=3 }}</ref> Freer was replaced in the safe Mount Albert seat by [[Helen Clark]] who beat six other contenders including electorate chairman Keith Elliot, former MP [[Malcolm Douglas (politician)|Malcolm Douglas]] and future MP [[Jack Elder (politician)|Jack Elder]] for the nomination.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Party Hopefuls Queue for a Safe Seat |date=14 April 1980 |work=[[The New Zealand Herald]] |page=2 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Labour Choice For Seat |date=15 April 1980 |work=[[The New Zealand Herald]] |page=1 }}</ref> Freer's preferred successor was Elliot.{{sfn|Freer|2004|p=237}} |
||
==Later years== |
==Later years== |
||
Revision as of 06:53, 10 October 2022
Warren Freer | |
|---|---|
 Freer in 1947 | |
| 2nd Minister of Trade and Industry | |
| In office 8 December 1972 – 12 December 1975 | |
| Prime Minister | Norman Kirk Bill Rowling |
| Preceded by | Brian Talboys |
| Succeeded by | Lance Adams-Schneider |
| 1st Minister of Energy Resources | |
| In office 8 December 1972 – 12 December 1975 | |
| Prime Minister | Norman Kirk Bill Rowling |
| Succeeded by | Eric Holland |
| Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Mount Albert | |
| In office 24 September 1947 – 28 November 1981 | |
| Preceded by | Arthur Shapton Richards |
| Succeeded by | Helen Clark |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Warren Wilfred Freer 27 December 1920 Sandringham, Auckland, New Zealand |
| Died | 29 March 2013 (aged 92) Noosa, Queensland, Australia |
| Political party | Labour Party |
| Children | 2 |
Warren Wilfred Freer QSO (27 December 1920 – 29 March 2013) was a New Zealand politician and member of the Labour Party. He represented the Mount Albert electorate from 1947 to 1981.
Early life
Freer was born in 1920. His parents, Charles and May Freer had lived in Waihi during the Waihi miners' strike in 1913 and had to leave the town. They married in 1914 in Remuera.[1]
He attended Royal Oak Primary School in Auckland. During the early days of the Great Depression he was embarrassed to be the only one of his class not bare-footed, so used to take off his shoes and socks on the way to school and replace them before getting home. Michael Joseph Savage frequently went to the Freer home for Sunday roasts. On his 13th birthday, Freer received a present from Savage, a copy of Edward Bellamy's novel Looking Backward, which he "devoured and cherished".[2]
As a school boy at Auckland Grammar School, Freer suffered a spinal injury, and he subsequently did not join the war.[1] He initially worked as a shop assistant at Milne and Choice, a large Queen Street department store, but moved to journalism.[3]
Member of Parliament
| Years | Term | Electorate | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1947–1949 | 28th | Mount Albert | Labour | ||
| 1949–1951 | 29th | Mount Albert | Labour | ||
| 1951–1954 | 30th | Mount Albert | Labour | ||
| 1954–1957 | 31st | Mount Albert | Labour | ||
| 1957–1960 | 32nd | Mount Albert | Labour | ||
| 1960–1963 | 33rd | Mount Albert | Labour | ||
| 1963–1966 | 34th | Mount Albert | Labour | ||
| 1966–1969 | 35th | Mount Albert | Labour | ||
| 1969–1972 | 36th | Mount Albert | Labour | ||
| 1972–1975 | 37th | Mount Albert | Labour | ||
| 1975–1978 | 38th | Mount Albert | Labour | ||
| 1978–1981 | 39th | Mount Albert | Labour | ||
Freer stood unsuccessfully in the 1946 election for the "hopeless" (for Labour) Eden electorate. He was then asked to stand for the Mount Albert electorate in a 1947 by-election, which he won. Freer was only 26[1] when he entered Parliament following the death of Arthur Richards, and was relatively unknown to Labour executive members, but local supporter Dick Barter convinced Peter Fraser that his work in Eden was adequate apprenticeship.[4][5] Freer represented the Mount Albert electorate for 34 years.[6] He chose not to seek re-election at the 1981 election, and was succeeded by Helen Clark.[7]
In 1955 he was the first Western politician to visit China, against the wishes of Labour leader Walter Nash, but with the encouragement of Prime Minister Sidney Holland.[1][8] After Labour won the 1957 election Freer stood for a cabinet seat in the Second Labour Government led by Nash. In the third ballot for the final seat he was tied with Auckland Central MP Bill Anderton. Freer cast his own vote in the next ballot for the 66 year old Anderton, thinking that at 36 he had plenty of time to make it in to cabinet. Retrospectively, Freer regretted the decision as Labour spent the following four terms in opposition.[9] During the Nash government he was chairman of the public accounts select committee which considered to matters relating to the finances of the government.[10]
In March 1959 Freer was quoted in the tabloid newspaper New Zealand Truth as having stated "See Phil, and Phil will fix it" to Henry Judd, an émigré importer, insinuating Freer was informing Judd that the Minister of Industries and Commerce Phil Holloway (who was in charge of import controls) could grant him an ease-of-passage remedy for controlled imports. The incident became a libel case (Truth (NZ) Ltd v Holloway) in which Holloway was awarded NZ£11,000 in damages and a further NZ£800 in costs.[11]
Freer, alongside Bill Fox and Mick Moohan, was one of the few senior Labour MPs who helped propel Norman Kirk to Labour's leadership by ensuring he had the numbers to successfully challenge Nordmeyer in 1965. From then on he became a close confidant of Kirk. As a reward he was promoted to the frontbench as Shadow Minister of Industries and Commerce and Shadow Minister of Customs.[12]
He was a cabinet minister in the Third Labour Government of 1972–1975, holding the portfolios of Trade and Industry and Minister of Energy Resources.[13] He was ranked third in cabinet and served as acting Prime Minister three times, and was "appalled" by the amount of paper Kirk was given to read, with "international secrets" that he could read in that week's Time. On the first occasion, Kirk congratulated him that there were no industrial disputes and that he had not gone to war against anyone.[14] As Minister of Energy Resources he held negotiations with the private sector over the development of the Maui gas field (a natural gas condensate and oil field) which was the largest single infrastructure undertaking in New Zealand's history.[15] In 1974 he instituted a Maximum Retail Price (MRP) scheme as part of the governments attempts to control price increases. The MRP scheme, which prescribed maximum prices for retail goods, was not successful as it was highly bureaucratic and easily evaded by retailers. Despite its lack of success Freer proposed reviving the scheme in 1975 despite the public view that it was ineffective.[16]
He stood as a candidate for the deputy leadership of the New Zealand Labour Party in 1974 after Kirk's death only to prevent Arthur Faulkner winning on the first ballot, hoping that either Bob Tizard or Colin Moyle would win the subsequent ballot(s). He lost on the third ballot. Initially he had no intention of standing, and preferred Tizard (who won).[17] In 1975 the government passed the Commerce Act that consolidated the laws on commercial competition, price controls, monopolies and takeovers.[15]
After Labour were defeated in 1975 Freer retained the Trade and Industry portfolio in opposition.[18] From 1977 to 1978 he was additionally Shadow Minister of Foreign Affairs and Overseas Trade.[19] Following Labour's defeat in 1978 Freer instead became Shadow Minister of Regional Development and Tourism until December 1979 when, impending retirement, he opted not to stand for re-election to the Shadow Cabinet.[20] Freer was replaced in the safe Mount Albert seat by Helen Clark who beat six other contenders including electorate chairman Keith Elliot, former MP Malcolm Douglas and future MP Jack Elder for the nomination.[21][22] Freer's preferred successor was Elliot.[23]
Later years
In the 1987 Queen's Birthday Honours, Freer was appointed a Companion of the Queen's Service Order for public services.[24] In 1996, he moved to Noosa on the Sunshine Coast in Australia.[25]
Warren Freer Park, in the Auckland suburb of Sandringham, is named for him.[26]
Family
Freer's first wife died in 2003; they had been married for 62 years. His second marriage was to Joyce. Freer died on 29 March 2013 after a long illness.[27] He is survived by his two sons from his first marriage, and by his second wife.[1]
Notes
- ^ a b c d e "Labour MP's China trip a milestone". The Press. 6 April 2013. p. C14.
- ^ Freer 2004, p. 14.
- ^ Freer 2004, p. 14,15.
- ^ Wilson 1985, p. 230.
- ^ Freer 2004, p. 26.
- ^ Wilson 1985, p. 198.
- ^ Wilson 1985, p. 189.
- ^ Freer 2004, p. 71.
- ^ Freer 2004, p. 98.
- ^ "Public Accounts Committee - Mr Freer Appointed Chairman". The Press. Vol. XCVIII, no. 28948. 16 July 1959. p. 14.
- ^ Kitchin, Peter (12 June 2003). "Truth left begging in Holloway case". The Dominion Post. Wellington. p. 6.
- ^ Grant 2014, p. 79-80, 152.
- ^ Wilson 1985, p. 92.
- ^ Freer 2004, p. 190.
- ^ a b Franks & McAloon 2016, p. 185.
- ^ Stroombergen, Adolf (11 March 2010). "'Prices and inflation - Controlling inflation'". Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 28 July 2022.
- ^ Freer 2004, p. 198.
- ^ "Surprises Among Party Spokesmen". The New Zealand Herald. 30 January 1976. p. 10.
- ^ "Labour reshuffles its Parliamentary spokesmen". The Press. 26 February 1977. p. 1.
- ^ "Rowling shuffles his pack". Auckland Star. 9 December 1978. p. 3.
- ^ "Party Hopefuls Queue for a Safe Seat". The New Zealand Herald. 14 April 1980. p. 2.
- ^ "Labour Choice For Seat". The New Zealand Herald. 15 April 1980. p. 1.
- ^ Freer 2004, p. 237.
- ^ "No. 50950". The London Gazette (4th supplement). 13 June 1987. p. 33.
- ^ Freer 2004, p. 254f.
- ^ "Balmoral & Sandringham Heritage Walks" (PDF). Auckland Council. 15 May 2011. p. 37.
- ^ "Long-serving politician Warren Freer dies". Television New Zealand. 29 March 2013. Retrieved 29 March 2013.
References
- Franks, Peter; McAloon, Jim (2016). Labour : The New Zealand Labour Party 1916–2016. Wellington: Victoria University Press. ISBN 978-1-77656-074-5.
- Freer, Warren (2004). A Lifetime in Politics: the memoirs of Warren Freer. Wellington: Victoria University Press. ISBN 0-86473-478-6.
- Grant, David (2014). The Mighty Totara: The life and times of Norman Kirk. Auckland: Random House. ISBN 9781775535799.
- Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
- 1920 births
- 2013 deaths
- New Zealand Labour Party MPs
- Members of the Cabinet of New Zealand
- New Zealand MPs for Auckland electorates
- Companions of the Queen's Service Order
- Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives
- Unsuccessful candidates in the 1946 New Zealand general election
- People educated at Auckland Grammar School