Holyoake had an 'instinct for consensus and stability' according to the Herald. (NZ Herald Archive)
Holyoake had an 'instinct for consensus and stability' according to the Herald. (NZ Herald Archive)
Keith Holyoake won his fourth election in a row on his way to becoming the country's third-longest-serving prime minister (after Richard Seddon and William Massey).
He was applauded by the Herald at the time, and later, for his ability to build consensus and maintain stability.
"His stewardship covered a periodwhen New Zealand began to develop an independent realisation of nationhood. Constitutionally, colonial status had long been shed. Under Sir Keith, however, the country began to assume a degree of economic and diplomatic self-reliance not essayed earlier," the paper said, in reviewing his place in history.
"To the seemingly simple but deceptively difficult task of presiding over an era of growth, material prosperity and rising social expectations, Sir Keith brought an instinct for consensus and stability.
"With skilful pragmatism, his administration acquired a reputation for mediating the unyielding pressures of the day."
His personality reflected the national ideal of modesty and egalitarianism. Even when he held the top job in the land he answered the phone himself and dispensed with the prime ministerial chauffeur.
"Only a few years ago, he once travelled overseas as Prime Minister without so much as a private secretary. He carried his own bags," wrote Peter Scherer, the Herald's chief parliamentary correspondent (and later editor), after Holyoake's election victory in 1969.
For political acumen as well as commendable modesty, Keith Holyoake is our New Zealander of the Year.
