RIP Jim Bolger

Jim Bolger has died, aged 90. Hs was National’s third longest serving leader, and a massive political figure whose tenure was hugely impactful on New Zealand.

I knew him reasonably well. He was party leader for almost all my ten years in the Young Nationals. I debated at party conferences in front of him. I often worked at Premier House when functions were held there. I started in the Beehive when he was Prime Minister, working in Ministerial Services. I also started my polling career organising volunteers to poll marginal seats for him. I even had a crush on one of his daughters when I was young!

More important than his politics, is he was a very decent man, and a very devoted family man. His relationship with Joan (the nicest woman you could ever meet) was amazing, and they were married for 62 years. His nine children and countless grandchildren and great-grandchildren formed an amazing family.

Jim lost in 1987, but won three elections in a row in 1990, 1993 and 1996. We saw a period of great economic growth, lots of reforms, and also the start of writing some wrongs through the Treaty settlement process. Doug Graham did the negotiations but Bolger lent him weight as PM to making them happen, despite resistance from many.

He took a big interest in the party. I recall debating the nuclear ships ban on the floor of one conference (I argued against repealing it against my friend Shane who argued for repealing it) and you could see Jim was following the debate and nodding to points made.

Young Nationals had a slightly strained relationship with Jim at times. Shane Frith accidentally announcing the election date didn’t help. I also recall one conference when our semi-libertarian pamphlet called “six steps to freedom” (legalise euthanasia, cannabis, voluntary student membership etc) was banned from the conference bag, so we snuck in early and stuck one on every chair, and the remainder on Jim’s seat the top table. A later chair (Simon Bridges) so annoyed Jim, he turned up to the Young Nats AGM for the first time in a decade to lobby against Simon. To be fair Simon had just published a very amusing yet defamatory newsletter about the Coalition Government in 1997.

He had a great PM’s Office, and I worked with them in my role with Ministerial Services for around 18 months. After he lost the leadership to Jenny Shipley he gave an amazing speech to the party’s national council about what he thought the future direction of NZ should be, and I recall thinking it was a pity so many politicians give their best speeches as they leave office.

After Parliament there was no quiet retirement. He was an excellent Ambassador to the US and stayed active well into his late 80s. He lived in Waikanae for the last few years, and was active in community affairs there, often trouble shooting for the local council.

As I said he was a very decent man, and much loved by his family. My thoughts are with them.