Remembering Jim Bolger: A Legacy of Family, Leadership, and National Identity

Our thoughts and condolences are rightly with Jim Bolger’s family – his wife Joan, their many children, grandchildren and the rest of his extended family.

As a Catholic man of Irish extraction, he will have taken both solace and pride by being surrounded by his large family during his final moments. He could have asked for no better farewell.

As always there are various views of history, but very few have had the benefit of living it, breathing it and working on it, like Jim.

Therefore, it is right for this House to acknowledge Mr Bolger’s passing.

He was, ironically, a republican serving his King-Country electorate for 26 years, from 1972 until 1998. He served here as a Prime Minister for seven years, leading three terms of Government which were markedly different to each other in their complexion and their output.

Jim is acknowledged for his pride in New Zealand’s independent national identity. The presence of the national museum here in Wellington, Te Papa, is due in large part to his insistence that an institution that tells our history and engenders young and old to take an interest in their history was needed.

Again, he was proud of his Irish ancestry and saw an historic parallel in the treatment of Irish nationalists with the mistakes of some former New Zealand governments with Māori people. As a Te Kūiti farmer, he grew up around Māori and saw no reason for difference and every reason for communities to be stronger together.

It is often said that Jim Bolger was the last Prime Minister without a university degree. For our sakes, we must hope that is not true for the future. Jim learned his craft on the farm and in the town halls, and he applied them to the highest elected office in this country.

In his early years in Parliament he earned the title, the woolshed orator.

Jim Bolger was a man of good character, strong morals, and family values. He called for a decent society in 1990, and he did so for good cause.

He was, in his own words, a red-blooded Irishman by descent, but a very practical Kiwi by practice.

We were not without our disagreements but today is not for recalling those moments. Disagreements are, however, fundamental to the democratic project and that was always understood by Jim. He happily took part in a healthy democratic discussion throughout his life.

Long out of politics, he later reminisced on the raging ideological disputes of his time as Prime Minister and had the reflective courage to admit that mistakes were made.

It is true to say that, 29 years ago, in 1996, we formed the first MMP government. We, he, put differences aside, shook hands on that agreement, and more importantly he kept his word.

Today, we can and must acknowledge that Jim Bolger contributed at a time of enormous economic difficulty and change to New Zealand.

But of far greater importance than this, we acknowledge the passing of a husband, father, and grandfather.

Jim, may God bless you.