1980 New Zealand Labour Party leadership election

New Zealand party leadership election April 2024 April 2022 1980 New Zealand Labour Party leadership election Labour L Logo.png legislative no 1974 New Zealand Labour Party leadership election 1974 1983 New Zealand Labour Party leadership election 1983 12 December 1980 Caucus 150x150px Bill Rowling DC241F 19 51.40% 150x150px David Lange DC241F 18 49.60% Leader Bill Rowling Leader after election Bill Rowling The 1980 New Zealand Labour Party leadership election was held on 12 December 1980 to determine the leadership of the New Zealand Labour Party. The leadership was retained by former Prime Minister Bill Rowling, who had led the party for the last six years. Background Rowling was already seriously considering resigning from politics altogether. After the 1978, it was clear that his days as leader were numbered and a leadership challenge was imminent. Earlier in 1980 Rowling sacked Roger Douglas from his shadow cabinet as consumer affairs and transport spokesperson for releasing an unauthorised alternative budget, fuelling prospects of a leadership challenge from Douglas' friend David Lange.Henderson John 6r1 Rowling, Wallace Edward 21 January 2016 Many were also weary of the fact that Labour was still polling well below National and just barely ahead of the Social Credit Party, who reached their popularity zenith during the East Coast Bays by-election.Lange 2005 133 Candidates thumb|300px|Poor polling results helped instigate a challenge to Rowling. Bill Rowling Bill Rowling had been leader for six years including as prime minister in 1974–75 despite Labour defeats in the 1975 and 1978 elections. However, he was able to claim a moral victory in the latter where Labour polled more votes overall than National, although they won fewer seats. His contemporaries argued that Labour's losses reflected badly on Rowling himself, despite making a substantial effort in rebuilding the party's membership during its time in opposition. Also, the fact that Rowling lacked the backing of the trade unions was crippling in Labour's circles and hampered his leverage in party structure. David Lange After entering parliament in a by-election that received much media attention and helped propel him to the deputy leadership of the Labour Party in 1979, Lange became Labour's rising star. Lange was Shadow Minister for Social Welfare from 1978 to 1979 and since 1979 had been Deputy Leader of the Opposition, Shadow Attorney-General, Shadow Minister of Justice and Shadow Minister of Pacific Island Affairs.Rowling shuffles his pack 9 December 1978 Auckland Star 3 The Team 15 December 1979 The New Zealand Herald 12 Lange had always been a critic of Rowling and came "to resent the bloody-mindedness with which he clung to the leadership."Gustafson Barry 6l1 Lange, David Russell 21 January 2016 Result A caucus vote was held on 12 December 1980 where half the attendees supported a leadership change, and the other half opposed. After a silent pause, Rowling added that he too opposed, bringing the total votes for himself to 19 and enabling him to cling on to the party's leadership by a single vote.Bassett 2008 57Grant 2022 64 Leadership ballot CandidateVotes% Bill Rowling 19 51.40 David Lange 18 48.60Majority 1 2.70Turnout 37 How each MP voted A list of each MP's vote.Henderson 1981 24–25 MP Leader Vote Basil Arthur Rowling Ron Bailey New Zealand politician Lange Michael Bassett Lange Mary Batchelor Lange Kerry Burke Rowling David Butcher Rowling David Caygill Rowling Gordon Christie Rowling Fraser Colman Rowling Mick Connelly Lange Mel Courtney Lange Roger Douglas Lange Arthur Faulkner Lange Warren Freer Rowling Fred Gerbic Rowling Bruce Gregory politician Lange Ann Hercus Rowling Jonathan Hunt New Zealand politician Rowling Eddie Isbey Lange John Kirk New Zealand politician Lange David Lange Lange Brian MacDonell Lange Russell Marshall Rowling Ralph Maxwell politician Lange Mike Moore New Zealand politician Lange Geoffrey Palmer New Zealand politician Rowling Richard Prebble Lange Paraone Reweti Rowling Jack Ridley Jack Ridley (engineer) Lange Stan Rodger Rowling Bill Rowling Rowling John Terris Rowling Whetu Tirikatene-Sullivan Rowling Bob Tizard Rowling Gerard Wall Lange Koro Wētere Rowling Trevor Young Lange Three MPs were not present. Both Frank O'Flynn and Joe Walding were overseas and Bill Fraser was absent due to illness. Given the closeness of the result, their presence could have changed the result. Walding was a Rowling supporter whilst O'Flynn was likely to back Lange. Fraser was also thought to have favoured a leadership change.Henderson 1981 25 Aftermath Rowling remained leader until 1983. He was visibly wounded by the challenge and called Lange's supporters 'nakedly ambitious rats', which he refused to retract.Bassett 2008 57 Later, Lange and a group of his core supporters (Roger Douglas, Michael Bassett, Richard Prebble and Mike Moore) became known as the "Fish and Chip Brigade" due to a picture published at the time with the group (minus Prebble) eating Fish and chips in Douglas' office after the vote.http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/seafood/2/2 Photo of the Fish and Chip Brigade in 1980 in Douglas’ office; Bassett, Douglas, Lange and Moore Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand 13 July 2013 24 February 2015 The brigade blamed the loss on one 'turncoat' who switched allegiance at the last moment, later revealed to have been Koro Wētere.Grant 2022 64 Lange noted the lack of any ideological motives about the election to be odd, stating "It was a mixture of loyalty, distrust, calculation, idealism and opportunism which decided the vote".Lange 2005 133 Following the coup attempt Lange resigned as deputy leader in January 1981 to offer himself for re-election as a vote of confidence.Party Deputy Leader Will Quit To Test Support The New Zealand Herald 23 January 1981 1 At Labour's first caucus meeting of the year he was re-elected as deputy leader.Lange back with confidence Auckland Star 12 February 1981 1 Notes References Bassett Michael Michael Bassett Working with David: Inside the Lange Cabinet 2008 Hodder Moa Auckland 978-1-86971-094-1 Grant David Anderton: His Life and Times 2022 Te Herenga Waka University Press Wellington 9781776920563 Henderson John Rowling: The Man and the Myth 1981 Fraser Books Auckland 0-908620-03-9 David Lange Lange David 2005 Viking 0-670-04556-X My Life Labour Party leadership 1980 Category:December 1980 in Oceania New Zealand Labour Party leadership election