On the 31st of August 1974 Norman Kirk, the then Prime Minister of New Zealand passed away at the age of 51. It is said that there “followed an outpouring of grief paralleled only by that which had followed M J Savage’s death” (Te Ara).

Born in Waimate, South Canterbury in 1923 to devout Salvation Army parents, Norman Kirk was the eldest of three children. When almost 13, he left school with his proficiency certificate and began work as an assistant roof painter. On the 17th of July 1943, with only ₤7.10s in his pocket, Kirk married Lucy Ruth Miller with whom he had five children. Around the time of their marriage Kirk joined the Labour party and by October 1953, at the age of 30 he became the youngest mayor of the country as mayor of Kaipoi. . A man who commanded attention and a skilled debater, he was described as having ‘a resolute chin, a twinkling eye, a charming smile and an impish wit’ (Te Ara). Only four years later he was elected to Parliament and in 1965 at the age of 42 he became leader of the Labour Party. After years of tireless campaigning on the 25th of November 1972 Kirk led Labour to victory and became the 29th Prime Minister of New Zealand. Over this period the government refused visas to the South African Rugby team the Springboks on the grounds the sport was not racially integrated and applied considerable pressure on the French to stop testing nuclear weapons in the Pacific. Kirk followed a gruelling schedule and over the Christmas New Year period of 1973-1974 in his role as Minister of Foreign Affairs he toured New Guinea, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, India and Bangladesh.

Pictured above is Norman Kirk at the High Commissioner’s Reception for him in New Delhi on the 29th of December. He is pictured with Indira Gandhi, the fourth Prime Minister of India and the only woman to hold the office and Mrs Cunninghame, the wife of the New Zealand High Commissioner. It was while in New Delhi that Kirk developed a heart problem. July of 1974 brought a worsening industrial scene with strikes and soaring inflation as well as considerable media attention on abortion and homosexual law reform, both of which Kirk opposed. On Wednesday the 28th of August a heart specialist persuaded Kirk to enter Our Lady’s Home of Compassion hospital in Island Bay. On the following Saturday Norman Kirk passed away.

This photograph is held at Archives New Zealand and is a part of the series 625: Photographs – Politicians which was transferred from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Archives New Zealand also holds the record group Kirk 1 which is comprised of miscellaneous political and personal records of the Rt. Hon. Norman Eric Kirk and cover a broad range of topics including: foreign affairs, race relations, nuclear testing, electorates and elections, political parties, speech notes, congratulator messages and messages of condolence for his family at the time of his death.

Archives Reference: AAEG W2879 625 Box 1 (R20833567) www.archway.archives.govt.nz/ViewFullItem.do?code=20833567 For updates on our On This Day series and news from Archives New Zealand, follow us on Twitter www.twitter.com/ArchivesNZ Material supplied by Archives New Zealand Source: Michael Bassett. 'Kirk, Norman Eric', from the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, updated 30-Oct-2013