Robert Muldoon

The Right Honourable Sir Robert David ("Rob") Muldoon KCMG CH (25 September 1921–5 August 1992) served as Prime Minister of New Zealand from 1975 to 1984.

Early Career

Serving as an intelligence officer in the navy in the Second World War, he completed his training as an accountant; when he returned to New Zealand after the war, he was the country's first fully qualified cost accountant. In March 1947 he joined a newly-founded branch of the Junior Nationals, the youth wing of the conservative New Zealand National Party. He quickly became active in the party, making two sacrificial-lamb bids for Parliament against entrenched incumbents in 1954 and 1957 before being elected MP for the suburban Auckland electorate of Tamaki in 1960 in the wave that brought Keith Holyoake to power.

Related Topics:
Second World War - 1947 - New Zealand National Party - 1954 - 1957 - Tamaki - 1960 - Keith Holyoake

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He displayed a flair for debate and a diligence in his backbench work, and in 1963 he was made Under-Secretary to the Minister of Finance, Harry Lake. While holding this office, he was responsible for the successful introduction of decimal currency into New Zealand. When Lake died in 1967, Muldoon was the natural (and only) choice to replace him; at 45, he was the youngest Minister of Finance since the 1890s. However, because Holyoake believed Muldoon was too arrogant and ambitious for his own good, he was only ranked eighth in Cabinet. Ministers of Finance are usually ranked second or third in seniority.

Related Topics:
1963 - Minister of Finance - Harry Lake - Decimal currency - 1967 - 1890s

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Muldoon believed in sanctity of human life, which he believed meant that both abortion and capital punishment were wrong. He crossed the floor to vote with the Opposition for abolishing the death penalty. Later, he always voted pro-life when the issue came up as a conscience vote.

Related Topics:
Abortion - Capital punishment - Pro-life

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From his early years as a Member of Parliament, Muldoon became known as Piggy; the that was to remain with him throughout his life even amongst those who were his supporters. (Why the term piggy was applied to him has never been identified reliably.)

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Muldoon established a considerable national profile rapidly; many historians credit his image, rather than that of the Prime Minister, Holyoake, or his deputy, Jack Marshall, for the National Party's surprise victory in the 1969 election. He also displayed a flair for the new medium of television lacking in his older superiors. (He is still considered one of New Zealand's most artful practitioners of media manipulation.) When Holyoake stood down in 1971, Muldoon challenged Marshall for the top job; he was defeated, barely, but unanimously elected deputy leader and hence Deputy Prime Minister.

Related Topics:
Jack Marshall - 1969 election - Television - Deputy Prime Minister

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