Leadership Lengths
May 30th, 2009 at 11:14 am by David FarrarJeanette Fitzsimons steps down today after 14 years as Greens co-leader. That got me thinking about who had been the longest leaders of the various parties.
National – Sid Holland 17 years, Keith Holyoake 15 years, Jim Bolger 11 years, Rob Muldoon 10 years.
Labour – Helen Clark 15 years, Harry Holland 14 years, Walter Nash 12 years, Peter Fraser 10 years.
Greens – Jeanette Fitzsimons 14 years, Rod Donald 10 years
ACT – Richard Prebble 8 years, Rodney Hide 5 years
Maori – Tariana Turia 5 years, Pita Sharples 5 years
NewLabour/Alliance/Progressive – Jim Anderton – 19 years over 20 years (handed over to Lee for a year)
United/United Future – Peter Dunne – 13 years
NZ First – Winston Peters – 16 years
Related posts:
- Bill Ralston’s Report Card
- Is Jeanette the first to go voluntarily?
- McCarten picks English as Politician of the Year
- Final Results of the 2008 Election Media Study
May 30th, 2009 at 11:30 am
Just like Gordon Brown, Helen Clark went to extraordinary lengths to retain control.
Vote:May 30th, 2009 at 12:01 pm
shouldn’t the term of joint leaders be discounted by 50%?
Vote:May 30th, 2009 at 12:02 pm
I gained some small respect for Anderton when he stood down. That evaporated when he returned. He could have done a lot of good elsewhere, but he couldn’t walk away from his fan club.
Vote:May 30th, 2009 at 12:10 pm
What is the point of Anderton and the progressives (thats an oxymoron if there ever was one). The only reason he has not gone back to labour is he gets more money for being a party leader. Is he really the best that Wigram can produce?
Vote:May 30th, 2009 at 12:15 pm
Jim returned because Lee couldn’t cope and made a very public appeal for him to return – he really had no choice.
Bit unfair to include Winston – after all, the party was based around him.
I do remember a time when it seemed that every small party was still being run by the initial leaders, it’s surely a good sign of maturity of a party when leadership can continue strongly under a new hand.
Vote:May 30th, 2009 at 1:04 pm
Loved the bimbo reporter on last night’s TV3News sing-songing about Jeanette: “she’s been the ‘epi-toam’ of the Green ethos”…where do they find these airheads?
Vote:May 30th, 2009 at 1:07 pm
@sweetd
Vote:Firstly I am not seeing the oxymoron as his social views are fairly progressive. Also I believe his point is to serve as a check and balance.
May 30th, 2009 at 1:13 pm
“Jim returned because Lee couldn’t cope and made a very public appeal for him to return – he really had no choice.”
That’s not how various Alliance insiders tell the story. Anderton was utterly determined to return to the leadership back in the mid-1990s and pressured Sandra Lee to publicly ask him to return. There were a number of Alliance activists and leaders that were rather disappointed by his return and the way that he manipulated things.
Bryce
Vote:http://www.liberation.org.nz
May 30th, 2009 at 1:15 pm
Good, that means based on history Key and Hyde should be around for about another 10 years minimum.
Vote:And didn’t you forget the temporary leader of the National Party. i.e. Bill English and of course his nemesis Dr Don.
Of course English has no longevity other than he doesn’t know what else to do and if he hadn’t have leaked certain documents then Dr Don would have a longer track record.
ah but never mind his first budget is hopeless and about of the same value as his mates efforts at reforming the RMA.
That’s the bratt pack for you.
Interesting that Ryall has lifted his game but the other two haven’t.
May 30th, 2009 at 1:31 pm
The list was of the longest serving leaders, not the most recent. That is why Bill English and Don Brash were not on it (likewise Norm Kirk, Arnold Nordmeyer, Geoffrey Palmer etc, etc).
The fact some leaders have had 10 years plus says little about Key’s and Hide’s prospects. When you add in the short-termers the average is actually much lower than ten years. I hope John Key continues to be highly successful and joins the decade plus brigade, but there is a lot of water to pass under the bridge first.
Srcubone is right about the ability of a party to continue strongly under a new leader to be a sign of maturity. But in fact only four parties meet this test: National, Labour, the Greens and Act. NZ First, United Future, the Progressives and the Maori Party have not really faced this test yet, and I am sure the first three of them will fail it.
Vote:May 30th, 2009 at 2:32 pm
What was Luddite Jeanette contribution to NZ politics? A very round zero.
Vote:She’s been irrelevant and will not be missed. As in Clark’s case, good riddance.
May 30th, 2009 at 2:47 pm
Manolo – Fitzsimons is a sweetie and the changes she has brought about are too sublime for you to see. Your comments run counter to everyone else’s and you sound like a bitter twat.
Vote:May 30th, 2009 at 2:56 pm
So you get sucked in by little old ladies. Well some of them are the top of the cons.
Vote:May 30th, 2009 at 3:45 pm
Jeanette Fitzsimons
Vote:thank you Jeanette for all your good work
1
May 30th, 2009 at 4:06 pm
I know it may not appear relevant but Bob Harvey has been Mayor of Waitakere City for seventeen years so you can see why he might feel a bit miffed about being written out of his job by two such newcomers as John Key and Rodney Hide.
Is he the longest serving Mayor of a city?
Vote:May 30th, 2009 at 4:23 pm
try to pull yourself together owen
Vote:May 30th, 2009 at 4:27 pm
Bob who?
Vote:May 30th, 2009 at 4:30 pm
expat is not really up on current politics you see.
Vote:May 30th, 2009 at 4:36 pm
Phil who?
Vote:May 30th, 2009 at 4:38 pm
See what I mean. he can’t even name the leader of the opposition
Vote:May 30th, 2009 at 5:38 pm
Not may can – or care.
Vote:May 30th, 2009 at 10:10 pm
Owen, I think Barry Curtis was Mayor of Manukau City for around 20 odd years?
Vote:May 30th, 2009 at 10:37 pm
And he stepped down of his own free will.
Vote:May 30th, 2009 at 10:52 pm
And Lloyd Ellsmore before Barry was around for decades too I think.
Vote:May 31st, 2009 at 10:08 am
I may not have agreed with their politics but when Mayors stay in office that long they must be doing something right and one wonders where does the mandate come to fire them?
The so called conflicts were not between councils but between the ARC and councils because the ARC used the LGA etc and judge made law to become the master planner telling councils how to run their own shop.
THe intention of the RMA as written was to have the regional councils focus on soil water and air and leave the land issues to the councils. There was no hierarchy – just different tasks.
Now the ARC is assumed to be the Grand Master Planner for everyone in Auckland. Just have a look at Plan Change 6. Naturally the councils fought back and the Royal Commissions recommendations were intended to entrench ARC power by disposing of the opposition.
[DPF: Actually Mayors tend to stay in office mainly because name recognition is the biggest factor in most local body elections, unless the Council has done something very controversial]
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