Media Release
November 15, 2010

“Larrikin” former PM unmasked in new biography

A “warts and all” biography of the political career of former prime minister Sir Geoffrey Palmer, is being launched this week at Parliament by Labour leader Phil Goff.

Written by University of Waikato historian Dr Raymond Richards over a 12-year period, the book draws on more than 200 linear metres of archives as well as interviews with Sir Geoffrey, his family and associates – including Mr Goff.

The book covers Sir Geoffrey’s early years and his decision to follow his mother’s advice and become a lawyer, his entry into parliament, his role as deputy prime minister in David Lange’s reforming government, and his own 13-month tenure as prime minister.

During his time in office, Sir Geoffrey compiled what Dr Richards describes as an “unmatched record” of reform concerning parliamentary procedures, the voting system, the environment, longstanding Māori grievances, the Bill of Rights and economic reform.

Dr Richards approached Sir Geoffrey with a request to be his official biographer shortly after Sir Geoffrey donated all his papers to the University of Canterbury archives. “He said come down to Wellington and we’ll have a chat about it, which I did,” recalls Dr Richards. “I told him I would only do it if it was my book, and he said ‘warts and all’. So that’s what this book is.”

It reveals details of the negotiations between the Lange government and the United States over the nuclear issue. “New Zealand tried hard to accommodate the Americans, but the Americans were adamant they wanted to bring their nuclear ships in at will,” says Dr Richards. “So it was an impasse.”

Dr Richards says the book also reveals two very different sides of Sir Geoffrey. “In private, he has a zany, almost larrikin sense of humour, but you would never know that from his measured public presence. He can be very entertaining – he’s even been known to jump up on the table and do a victory dance after a particularly successful press conference – once the journalists have gone.”

The book is already in its second printing after the first print run sold out prior to the launch, and it has also been nominated for a New Zealand Post Book Award.

Palmer: The Parliamentary Years is Dr Richards’ second book. He is also the author of Closing the Door to Destitution (1994), which compares New Zealand and US social security legislation. The book was nominated for five awards in the United States.

Palmer: The Parliamentary Years is published by Canterbury University Press, and will be launched on November 17 at Parliament.

ENDS

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