Arnold Nordmeyer

Arnold Nordmeyer (1950)

Heinrich Arnold Nordmeyer ONZ , KCMG (born February 7, 1901 in Dunedin , † February 2, 1989 in Wellington ), later known as Arnold Henry Nordmeyer , was a New Zealand pastor of the Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand , politician and chairman of New Zealand Labor Party .

Live and act

Education, work and family

Heinrich Arnold Nordmeyer was born in Dunedin on February 7, 1901, the son of the German seaman Arnold Nordmeyer and his wife Martha Dunn . His mother, a born Walker , was from County Tyrone , Ulster , in what is now Northern Ireland . She was widowed and brought three children into the family from her previous marriage. His father, who immigrated to New Zealand, worked on a dredger in the gold fields of Alexandra .

After attending Primary School in Alexandra , Nordmeyer moved to Waitaki Boys' High School in Oamaru and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Social Sciences from the University of Otago in Dunedin . He then devoted himself to studying theology at Knox College , also in Dunedin . In 1925 he was ordained a priest by the Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand . In the same year he moved to Kurow , west of Oamaru , and served there as parish priest for ten years until 1935. In 1932 he was elected to the board of directors of Waitaki Hospital and was a. a. Waitaki Rugby Union referee .

On October 28, 1931, Nordmeyer married Frances Maria Kernahan in Oamaru . The marriage produced a daughter and a son.

Affected by the harsh working and living conditions of the workers on the Kurow Dam, Nordmeyer became interested in active policy-making.

Political career

After he had given up his pastor, Nordmeyer entered the General Election in 1935 for the Labor Party in the constituency of Oamaru with the aim of winning a direct mandate in the House of Representatives . Labor won the parliamentary elections with 52 seats by a large margin ahead of its competitors and Nordmeyer his direct mandate. For the first time in parliament, Nordmeyer appeared as a competent debater, supported the socialist wing of the party under John A. Lee and with this group went into opposition to the party leaders Michael Joseph Savage , Peter Fraser and Walter Nash , who were prime ministers , deputy prime ministers and Treasury ministers formed the backbone of the first Labor government in New Zealand. For Nordmeyer and the others, the political changes did not go far enough. Equipped with a comfortable majority, the Labor government, in their opinion , could have set even more social standards in the country.

Nordmeyer initially campaigned for the improvement of social security in old age and in the health system and, as Minister under Prime Minister Peter Fraser, assumed government responsibility for the first time in January 1941. In 1947 he took over the office of Minister of Industries and Commerce . In 1949 Labor lost government power and with them Nordmeyer lost his ministerial office and his constituency in Oamaru .

When Fraser died in 1950, Nordmeyer got his seat in parliament in February 1951 through the Brooklyn constituency , which was later integrated into the Island Bay constituency . From 1950 to 1955, Nordmeyer held the presidency of the Labor Party and was appointed Minister of Finance under Walter Nash after Labor took over again in 1957 . But shortly after the government took over, the national deficit developed rapidly due to the collapse of the export economy . Nordmeyer tried to get the trade deficit under control by increasing taxes on imported goods. But the tax on beer and tobacco products, which was just one of a larger package of measures, hit a nerve with New Zealanders in particular. Called the " Black Budget " by the opposition , the term branded the unpopular measures and led to Labor losing government power again in the 1960 elections and Nordmeyer to be associated with the term " Black Budget " ever since .

After leaving politics

In 1969 Nordmeyer withdrew from active politics. At the age of 68, he was invited to take on the role of arbitrator in various labor disputes in the meat industry, became a member of the board of directors of Wellington Hospital , took over directorships at the Reserve Bank of New Zealand and Maui Development Limited and became chairman of the New Zealand Superannuation Corporation . In 1970 he was awarded the Doctor of Law from the University of Otago . In the same year he was awarded the CMG of the Order of St. Michael and St. George and was promoted to the KCMG in 1975. On February 6, 1987, Nordmeyer was awarded the Order of New Zealand , making it the first ever received this award.

Arnold Nordmeyer died on February 2, 1989. His family waived a state funeral and instead of a burial scattered his ashes on Lake Ohau .

Political offices

1935-1949 - Member of the House of Representatives for the constituency of Oamaru

1940-1950 - Labor Party Vice President

1951-1960 - Member of the House of Representatives for the constituency of Brooklyn , later Island Bay , in Wellington

1950-1955 - President of the Labor Party

1963 - 1965 - Labor Party leader in Parliament

Government offices

1941 - 1947 - Minister of Health (health)
1947 - 1949 - Minister of Industries and Commerce (Industry and Trade)
1957 - 1960 - Minister of Finance (Finance)

Awards

1970 - Doctor of Law from the University of Otago
1970 - CMG of the Order of St. Michael and St. George
1975 - KCMG of the Order of St. Michael and St. George
1987 - Order of New Zealand

literature

Nordmeyer, Hon. Arnold Henry . In: Alexander Hare McLintock (Ed.): An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand . Wellington 1966 ( online [accessed December 15, 2015]).
Margaret Clark : Three Labor Leaders: Nordmeyer, Kirk, Rowling . Dunmore Publishing Limited , Palmerston North 2001, ISBN 0-86469-394-X (English).
Mary Logan : Nordy - Arnold Nordmeyer - A Political Biography . Steele Roberts Paperback , Wellington 2008, ISBN 978-1-877448-33-1 (English).

Web links

Bruce Brown : Nordmeyer, Arnold Henry - Biography . In: Dictionary of New Zealand Biography . Ministry for Culture & Heritage , accessed December 16, 2011 .

Individual evidence

↑ Nordmeyer, Arnold Henry . In: GH Schofield (Ed.): Who's who in New Zealand and Western Pacific . 4th edition . LT Watkins , Wellington 1941 (English).
^ General elections 1890-1993 - seats won by party . Elections Electoral Commission , September 9, 2013, archived from the original December 30, 2015 ; accessed on August 25, 2018 (English, original website no longer available).
↑ Bruce Brown : Nordmeyer, Arnold Henry - Biography . Dictionary of New Zealand Biography - Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand , accessed December 16, 2011 .
^ ^A ^b Nordmeyer, Hon. Arnold Henry . In: McLintock (Ed.): An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand . 1966 (English).
^ ^A ^b Nordmeyer, Arnold Henry . In: GC Peterson (ed.): Who's who in New Zealand and Western Pacific . 9th edition . Wellington 1968 (English).

personal data
SURNAME	Nordmeyer, Arnold
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Nordmeyer, Arnold Henry; Nordmeyer, Heinrich Arnold
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	New Zealand pastor of the Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand, politician (New Zealand Labor Party)
DATE OF BIRTH	February 7, 1901
PLACE OF BIRTH	Dunedin
DATE OF DEATH	February 2, 1989
Place of death	Wellington

[whoinz_1-1] Nordmeyer, Arnold Henry . In: GH Schofield (Ed.): Who's who in New Zealand and Western Pacific . 4th edition . LT Watkins , Wellington 1941 (English).

[elecnz_1-2] General elections 1890-1993 - seats won by party . Elections Electoral Commission , September 9, 2013, archived from the original December 30, 2015 ; accessed on August 25, 2018 (English, original website no longer available).

[dnzban_1-3] Bruce Brown : Nordmeyer, Arnold Henry - Biography . Dictionary of New Zealand Biography - Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand , accessed December 16, 2011 .

[encynz_1-4] A ^b Nordmeyer, Hon. Arnold Henry . In: McLintock (Ed.): An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand . 1966 (English).

[whoinz_2-5] A ^b Nordmeyer, Arnold Henry . In: GC Peterson (ed.): Who's who in New Zealand and Western Pacific . 9th edition . Wellington 1968 (English).