The Listener ranking of the 23 NZ PMs

The Listener had three historians rank the 23 PMs we have had since Seddon. They didn’t include the pre-Seddon premiers (which is a pity).

I averaged out the ratings to get a sort of combined rating and it is interesting to see how badly CR Prime Ministers do. This is the same as in Australia and US where the left leaders always get ranked higher.

Few would dispute Fraser in 1st place or Seddon 2nd. But Helen Clark in 3rd place is controversial.

Keith Holyoake in 6th place neglects he was the most successfully elected PM under the two party system.

David Lange in 10th place is over-rated., Great orator but terrible at the actual business of running a Government.

And a sort of sick joke to have one term PMs such as Walter Nash 11th and Norman Kirk 12th above John Key in 15th place – just ahead of Bill Rowling.

Robert Muldoon in 21st place is unfair. Muldoon was a terrible terrible Minister of Finance, but he wasn’t too bad as a Prime Minister.