Jim Anderton facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Honourable Jim Anderton CNZM
Anderton in 2010
15th Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand
In office 10 December 1999 – 15 August 2002
Prime Minister	Helen Clark
Preceded by	Wyatt Creech
Succeeded by	Michael Cullen
32nd Minister of Agriculture
In office 19 October 2005 – 19 November 2008
Prime Minister	Helen Clark
Preceded by	Jim Sutton
Succeeded by	David Carter
Leader of the Progressive Party
In office 27 July 2002 – 15 March 2012
Deputy	Matt Robson
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Position abolished
1st Minister of Economic Development
In office 10 December 1999 – 19 October 2005
Prime Minister	Helen Clark
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Trevor Mallard
1st Leader of the Alliance
In office 7 May 1995 – 20 April 2002
Deputy	Sandra Lee
Preceded by	Sandra Lee
Succeeded by	Laila Harré
In office 1 December 1991 – 10 November 1994
Deputy	Sandra Lee
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Sandra Lee
Leader of the NewLabour Party
In office 1 April 1989 – 13 October 2000
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Position abolished
Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Wigram Sydenham (1984–1993)
In office 14 July 1984 – 26 November 2011
Preceded by	John Kirk
Succeeded by	Megan Woods
25th President of the Labour Party
In office 15 May 1979 – 8 September 1984
Vice President	Stu McCaffley
Preceded by	Arthur Faulkner
Succeeded by	Margaret Wilson
Personal details
Born	James Patrick Byrne (1938-01-21)21 January 1938 Auckland, New Zealand
Died	7 January 2018(2018-01-07) (aged 79) Christchurch, New Zealand
Political party	Labour (1963–1989, 2011–2018) NewLabour (1989–1991) Alliance (1991–2002) Progressive (2002–2011)
Spouse	Carole Anderton
Profession	Businessman, politician
Signature

James Patrick Anderton (born Byrne; 21 January 1938 – 7 January 2018) was a well-known New Zealand politician. He was famous for leading several left-wing political parties after leaving the Labour Party in 1989.

Anderton's journey in politics started in 1965 when he was elected to the Manukau City Council. He later became the president of the Labour Party for five years. In 1984, he became a Member of Parliament (MP) for Sydenham in Christchurch. However, he soon disagreed with his party's leaders. He strongly criticised the Fourth Labour Government's new economic policies, known as Rogernomics. These policies made the economy more free-market. In April 1989, Anderton left the Labour Party because he felt it had changed too much.

As the leader of the Alliance and later the Progressive Party, he held important roles. He was the 15th deputy prime minister of New Zealand from 1999 to 2002. He also served as a senior minister in the government until 2008. In 2010, he ran for Mayor of Christchurch but did not win. Anderton retired from Parliament in 2011. After retiring, he helped lead the effort to restore ChristChurch Cathedral in Christchurch.

Early Life and Career

Jim Anderton was born on 21 January 1938 in Auckland. His birth name was James Patrick Byrne. His father left the family, and his mother later married Victor Anderton. Jim was adopted by Victor in 1951. He went to school in Auckland, attending Seddon Memorial Technical College and Auckland Teachers' Training College. He became a qualified teacher but only taught for two years. He then worked as a child welfare officer in Wanganui.

In 1960, Jim married Joan Caulfield, and they had five children. He also worked as an organiser for the Catholic Youth Movement. Later, he became a businessman. He worked as an export manager for a textiles company. In 1971, he started his own manufacturing company, Anderton Holdings, with his brother Brian.

Starting a Political Journey

Anderton in 1965

Anderton joined the Labour Party in 1963. His political career officially began in 1965 when he was elected to the Manukau City Council. In 1971, he tried to get elected to the Auckland City Council but did not succeed.

In 1974, he ran for Mayor of Auckland City against the current mayor, Dove-Myer Robinson. He lost that election but was elected to the Auckland City Council. He tried again for mayor in 1977 but lost once more. However, he did become a member of the Auckland Regional Authority that year.

Anderton continued to rise within the Labour Party. He became the party's president in 1979. He was also a long-time member of the party's policy council. He was known for his strong opinions and for defending the party's leader, Bill Rowling, from criticism.

A Member of Parliament

In 1983, Anderton was chosen as the Labour candidate for the Christchurch area of Sydenham. In the 1984 general election, he was elected as an MP. This election led to the Fourth Labour Government being formed.

Anderton soon found himself disagreeing with the new government's direction. He became a strong critic of the Minister of Finance, Roger Douglas. Douglas and his team wanted to make big changes to the country's economy. These changes were called "Rogernomics". They included selling state-owned businesses and removing government support for industries. Anderton believed these changes went against the Labour Party's original goals.

His strong criticism made many people in the party unhappy. They felt his public comments were hurting the party's image. Anderton's opposition to these policies meant he chose not to become a government minister. In 1988, he tried to become the party president again but lost. This showed a clear split within the Labour Party.

Leaving the Labour Party

Logo of the NewLabour Party

Even though many regular Labour Party members supported Anderton, he felt more and more alone in Parliament. When he voted against selling the Bank of New Zealand, which Labour had promised not to do, he was suspended from the party group in Parliament. In April 1989, Anderton decided to leave the Labour Party. He famously said, "I did not leave the Labour Party; the Labour Party left me." Most of his staff in Sydenham also left with him.

On 1 May, Anderton announced he was starting a new party called the NewLabour Party. He wanted this party to represent the true spirit of the original Labour Party. Its main goals were for the government to help the economy, keep public assets, and ensure everyone had a job. In the 1990 general election, Anderton kept his Sydenham seat. This was a historic moment, as he was the first MP in New Zealand to leave an established party, start a new one, and be re-elected. He continued to criticise the new National Party government's policies.

Anderton later said he had no regrets about leaving Labour. He felt he would do the same thing again if faced with the same situation.

Leading the Alliance

Anderton and his NewLabour Party were key in forming the Alliance Party in 1991. He became the leader of this new party. In the 1993 election, another Alliance member, Sandra Lee, also became an MP. Anderton briefly stepped down as leader in 1994 after his daughter passed away, but he returned in 1995.

In the 1996 election, which used the new MMP voting system, the Alliance won 13 seats. Anderton kept his local seat, now called Wigram. He was joined by 12 other Alliance MPs.

Anderton was a strong critic of MPs who switched parties, which was sometimes called "waka jumping". He felt it was wrong for MPs to change their party after being elected. After the government coalition broke down, Anderton started a petition in 1998 asking for an early election. The Alliance did surprisingly well in a by-election that year. This led to the Alliance and Labour parties starting to work together. They agreed to form a coalition if they won enough seats in the next election.

A Key Role in Government

Creating Kiwibank is often seen as one of Anderton's biggest achievements

By the late 1990s, the Labour Party had moved away from the "Rogernomics" policies. To avoid splitting the left-wing vote, Labour and the Alliance agreed to form a coalition after the 1999 election. National lost, and Anderton became Deputy Prime Minister. He also became the first Minister of Economic Development. This role focused on creating jobs and helping different regions develop.

Anderton also helped create the New Zealand Superannuation Fund. This fund helps save money for future retirement payments. He also supported the first law to stop "waka jumping" by MPs. Anderton, along with another Alliance MP, Laila Harré, was also very important in getting 12 weeks of paid parental leave for new parents.

One of Anderton's greatest achievements is often said to be the creation of Kiwibank. This is a bank owned by the New Zealand government. At first, some leaders in the Labour Party did not support the idea. But Anderton kept pushing for it until they agreed.

Towards the end of the Alliance's time in government, Anderton had disagreements within his own party. Some members felt the Alliance was too close to Labour. They wanted the party to be less moderate. Anderton believed some compromise was needed to achieve their goals. Eventually, Anderton and three other MPs left the Alliance. They formed a new party called the Progressive Coalition, which later became the Progressive Party.

In the 2002 election, Anderton was re-elected. The Progressive Party took the Alliance's place as Labour's coalition partner. Anderton won his local seat, but only one other Progressive MP, Matt Robson, entered Parliament. Anderton gave up the Deputy Prime Minister role to Michael Cullen. He remained Minister of Economic Development and held other ministerial jobs. He was ranked third in the Cabinet, after Prime Minister Helen Clark and Michael Cullen.

Before the 2005 election, Anderton renamed his party "Jim Anderton's Progressive Party". He was the only Progressive MP to be re-elected. He then became Minister of Agriculture, Minister for Biosecurity, Minister of Fisheries, and Minister of Forestry, among other roles.

In the 2008 election, the National Party won. Anderton kept his seat, but his party's support remained low. He announced that he would stay in a coalition with Labour, even though they were now in opposition. He said his party would focus on supporting better access to dental care.

Running for Christchurch Mayor

Anderton with Megan Woods (left), November 2010

In May 2010, Anderton announced he would run for Mayor of Christchurch. He first said he would not give up his MP seat if he won, to avoid an expensive special election. However, after the 2010 Canterbury earthquake, he changed his mind. He said he would step down as MP if elected mayor to focus fully on rebuilding the city. Anderton was leading in the polls before the earthquake. He lost the election to the current mayor, Bob Parker.

Retirement and Legacy

Anderton's CNZM Investiture in 2017

Anderton retired from Parliament at the 2011 election. At that time, he was the "Father of the House," meaning he had served as an MP for the longest continuous period. During the election, he supported Megan Woods to take his place in his electorate, and she was elected. After retiring, he worked hard to get ChristChurch Cathedral restored. The cathedral was badly damaged in the February and June 2011 Christchurch earthquakes. He worked with former National MP Philip Burdon on this project. Their efforts were successful in 2017 when the church decided to restore the building.

In 2017, he was given the title of Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit. This award recognised his important work as a Member of Parliament. A special ceremony was held for him in September 2017.

Passing Away

Jim Anderton passed away in Christchurch on 7 January 2018, just two weeks before his 80th birthday. Hundreds of people, including the Prime Minister, attended his funeral. He was buried at Onetangi Cemetery on Waiheke Island.

Many people from different political parties praised Anderton after his death. Leaders of New Zealand's political parties shared their tributes to him.