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Politics in the Eighties

By 1981 we were living in New Plymouth, and the candidate was Dennis Duggan.  We did not know many people and had not got in touch with the Labour Party here. But we talked to people about it and supported where we could. 

By 1984 we knew more local people and were deeply involved in the Trade Aid work in New Plymouth. We supported the candidate, Ida Gaskin, by dropping pamphlets, canvassing and driving people to the polls on election day. 

At this stage I was working for Maatua Whaangai, a programme which was introduced by Robert Muldoon at the instigation of some of the Maori leaders, including Sir James Henare. I respected Muldoon’s willingness to listen to their submissions and act on them. 

However I found his cancellation of the compulsory superannuation scheme introduced by Kirk and Rowling less to my liking. After a generation and a half I believe even more that this scheme would have provided some security for individual New Zealanders, and a nestegg investment for the whole country. We would not now be worrying about the future of our retirement provisions, and I blame Muldoon for all of this. 

I was even more displeased about his support for the UK when Margaret Thatcher went to war against Argentina over the Falklands. Another imperialist adventure in my opinion.  Of course Argentina has a claim to the Falklands, it is the nearest country to them. This question is a matter of negotiation and compromise, not war. 

In 1987 the candidate was Harry Duynhoven, who was by this time a friend, because we had been working together for some years on the shop committee for the Trade Aid Shop. So we did all the usual supporting activities for election campaigns, and were delighted when Harry won the contest and went to Parliament. I replaced him as chair of the Trade Aid Shop committee. 

Since then we have supported Harry, and his successor, Andrew Little, at each election; for one three-year stint I was Chair of the Electorate Committee, and Margaret is now its secretary. 

Not that we have agreed with every last decision of Labour Governments or oppositions! But we prefer to see the country moving in the direction of fairer sharing of resources, greater equality and social justice, which is the direction represented by the Labour Party. We also give a cheer and a half from time to time for the Greens, many of whose policies we also like.