Arthur Faulkner

Arthur James Faulkner (20 November 1921 – 15 May 1985) was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party.

For other people named Arthur Faulkner, see Arthur Faulkner (disambiguation).

The Honourable Arthur Faulkner
25th Minister of Defence
In office 8 December 1972 – 10 September 1974
Prime Minister	Norman Kirk
Preceded by	Allan McCready
Succeeded by	Bill Fraser
25th Minister of Labour
In office 10 September 1974 – 12 December 1975
Prime Minister	Bill Rowling
Preceded by	Hugh Watt
Succeeded by	Peter Gordon
24th President of the Labour Party
In office 11 May 1976 – 15 May 1979
Leader	Bill Rowling
Preceded by	Charles Bennett
Succeeded by	Jim Anderton
Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Roskill
In office 30 November 1957 – 28 November 1981
Preceded by	John Rae
Succeeded by	Phil Goff
Personal details
Born	(1921-11-20)20 November 1921[1] Devonport, New Zealand
Died	15 May 1985(1985-05-15) (aged 63) Auckland, New Zealand
Political party	Labour
Spouse(s)	Peg Cox (married 1945)
Children	5

Early life and career

Faulkner was born in the Auckland suburb of Devonport in 1921. He was educated at Otahuhu District High School and after finishing his education he found employment as a sales clerk. At the age of 15 he joined the Labour Party and worked as a party organiser and later a branch secretary.[2]

At the outbreak of World War II Faulkner joined the Royal New Zealand Air Force and became a fighter pilot. He saw action in both Europe and North Africa flying a Supermarine Spitfire.[2]

Political career

Member of Parliament

New Zealand Parliament
Years	Term	Electorate		Party
1957–1960	32nd	Roskill		Labour
1960–1963	33rd	Roskill		Labour
1963–1966	34th	Roskill		Labour
1966–1969	35th	Roskill		Labour
1969–1972	36th	Roskill		Labour
1972–1975	37th	Roskill		Labour
1975–1978	38th	Roskill		Labour
1978–1981	39th	Roskill		Labour

Faulkner stood unsuccessfully for the Franklin electorate in 1951 and the North Shore electorate in 1954.[3]

He then stood for and won the Roskill electorate in 1957, and held the seat to 1981, when he retired. Faulkner was a backbencher during the government of Walter Nash before spending 12 years in opposition. During this period he spoke frequently on defence matters in the house and it was no surprise when Labour leader Norman Kirk designated Faulkner as Labour's defence spokesman in 1965. He was particularly critical of New Zealand's involvement in the Vietnam War.[2] Earlier that year he stood unsuccessfully for the position of Kirk's deputy. He was beaten by the incumbent Hugh Watt by 24 votes to 8 with Norman Douglas receiving 2 votes.[4]

When United States Vice President Spiro Agnew visited Wellington in mid-January 1970, Faulkner along with several other Labour Members of Parliament including Bob Tizard, Jonathan Hunt, and Martyn Finlay boycotted the state dinner to protest American policy in Vietnam. However, other Labour MPs including Opposition Leader Norman Kirk attended the function which dealt with the Nixon Doctrine.[5]

Cabinet minister

He was a Cabinet Minister, and was appointed by Kirk as Minister of Defence from 1972 to 1974 in the Third Labour Government. He was also briefly Minister of Works from August to September 1974. Faulkner strongly opposed New Zealand having sporting contact with South Africa during the Apartheid period and argued that the proposed 1973 Springbok tour should be cancelled. He told cabinet that he would resign rather than instruct troops to combat protesting civilians and that in any case the military was not trained to assist police in preserving civil order. The tour eventually did not go ahead.[6]

He stood a second time for deputy to Bill Rowling in 1974 following the death of Kirk. He was popular in caucus, but both chief whip Ron Barclay and senior minister Warren Freer saw him as indecisive and not leadership material. As Barclay learned that Faulkner could win on the first ballot, he got Freer to stand for deputy to split the vote, and Bob Tizard won on the fourth ballot.[7] In a surprise move, Rowling decided to remove Faulkner as Defence minister and instead appointed him as Minister of Labour instead. One of his strengths was his abilities as a conciliator, a talent which served him well in the Labour portfolio, deemed to be the most demanding job in the Third Labour Government.[2] Rowling also appointed him Minister of State Services.

Party president

Following the defeat of the government, he was elected President of the Labour Party in May 1976. As President he devoted his energies to rebuilding the party organisation. He was President of the party for three years until he stepped down and was succeeded by Jim Anderton, who had been defeated by Faulkner at the 1978 conference 693 votes to 422 for the presidency.[2]

Faulkner came under increasing pressure to retire, primarily due to his age. He reluctantly decided not to stand again ahead of the 1981 election. There was much speculation that Anderton would attempt to take his place in Roskill, but after a hostile reaction to the notion in caucus Anderton decided not to seek the Roskill nomination. He was eventually replaced by Phil Goff. Faulkner's final act in Parliament was to move the Gleneagles Agreement Bill which appropriately reflected his career long opposition to Apartheid.[2]

Later life and death

In October 1984 he was appointed as a member of the board of Air New Zealand by the Fourth Labour Government.[2]

Faulkner died on 15 May 1985 at his home in Auckland, aged 63. He was survived by his wife and five children.[2]

Personal life

He married May (Peg) Cox in 1945, and they had 2 sons and 3 daughters.[2] Peg died in 2019.[8]

Notes

1. Europa Publications Limited (1980). Who's Who, International. Europa Publications Limited. ISBN 9780905118482. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
2. "Long Service to Party and Politics". The New Zealand Herald. 16 May 1985. p. 3.
3. Norton, Clifford (1988). New Zealand Parliamentary Election Results 1946–1987: Occasional Publications No 1, Department of Political Science. Wellington: Victoria University of Wellington. ISBN 0-475-11200-8.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
4. Grant 2014, p. 85.
5. Rabel, Roberto (2005). New Zealand and the Vietnam War: Politics and Diplomacy. Auckland: Auckland University Press. pp. 299–300. ISBN 1-86940-340-1.
6. Grant 2014, p. 280.
7. Freer 2004, pp. 197–9.
8. "May (Peggy, Peg) FAULKNER". The New Zealand Herald. 6 April 2019. Retrieved 8 February 2020.

References

• 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.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Petersen, G. C. (ed.) (1961), Who's Who in New Zealand (7th ed.), Wellington, [N.Z.]: A.H. & A.W. ReedCS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
• Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First published in 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)

Party political offices
Preceded by Charles Bennett	President of the Labour Party 1976–1979	Succeeded by Jim Anderton
Political offices
Preceded by Allan McCready	Minister of Defence 1972–1974	Succeeded by Bill Fraser
Preceded by Hugh Watt	Minister of Labour 1974–1975	Succeeded by Peter Gordon
Preceded by Bob Tizard	Minister of State Services 1974–1975
New Zealand Parliament
Preceded by John Rae	Member of Parliament for Roskill 1957–1981	Succeeded by Phil Goff