1980 New Zealand Labour Party leadership election

1980 New Zealand Labour Party leadership election

← 1974 12 December 1980 1983 →

Candidate Bill Rowling David Lange Popular vote 19 18 Percentage 51.40% 49.60%

Leader before election 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.

Rowling was already seriously considering resigning from politics altogether. After the 1978 election, 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.^[1] 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.^[2]

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.^[1]

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.^[3][4] Lange had always been a critic of Rowling and came "to resent the bloody-mindedness with which he clung to the leadership."^[5]

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.^[6][7]

A list of each MP's vote.^[8]

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.^[9]

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.^[6] 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.^[10] The brigade blamed the loss on one 'turncoat' who switched allegiance at the last moment, later revealed to have been Koro Wētere.^[7]

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".^[2] Following the coup attempt Lange resigned as deputy leader in January 1981 to offer himself for re-election as a vote of confidence.^[11] At Labour's first caucus meeting of the year he was re-elected as deputy leader.^[12]

• Bassett, Michael (2008). Working with David: Inside the Lange Cabinet. Auckland: Hodder Moa. ISBN 978-1-86971-094-1.
• Grant, David (2022). Anderton: His Life and Times. Wellington: Te Herenga Waka University Press. ISBN 9781776920563.
• Henderson, John (1981). Rowling: The Man and the Myth. Auckland: Fraser Books. ISBN 0-908620-03-9.
• Lange, David (2005). My Life. Viking. ISBN 0-670-04556-X.