Jim Bolger facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Right Honourable Jim Bolger ONZ
Bolger in 2018
35th Prime Minister of New Zealand
In office 2 November 1990 – 8 December 1997
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Deputy	Don McKinnon Winston Peters
Governor-General	Paul Reeves Catherine Tizard Michael Hardie Boys
Preceded by	Mike Moore
Succeeded by	Jenny Shipley
7th Leader of the National Party
In office 26 March 1986 – 8 December 1997
Deputy	George Gair Don McKinnon
Preceded by	Jim McLay
Succeeded by	Jenny Shipley
25th Leader of the Opposition
In office 26 March 1986 – 2 November 1990
Prime Minister	David Lange Geoffrey Palmer Mike Moore
Deputy	George Gair Don McKinnon
Preceded by	Jim McLay
Succeeded by	Mike Moore
27th Minister of Labour
In office 13 December 1978 – 26 July 1984
Prime Minister	Robert Muldoon
Preceded by	Peter Gordon
Succeeded by	Stan Rodger
39th Minister of Immigration
In office 13 December 1978 – 12 February 1981
Prime Minister	Robert Muldoon
Preceded by	Frank Gill
Succeeded by	Aussie Malcolm
1st Minister of Fisheries
In office 8 March 1977 – 13 December 1978
Prime Minister	Robert Muldoon
Succeeded by	Duncan MacIntyre
Member of the New Zealand Parliament for King Country Taranaki-King Country (1996–1998)
In office 25 November 1972 – 9 April 1998
Succeeded by	Shane Ardern
Personal details
Born	James Brendan Bolger (1935-05-31) 31 May 1935 (age 90) Ōpunake, New Zealand
Political party	National
Spouse	Joan Maureen Riddell ​ (m. 1963)​
Children	9
Parents	Daniel Bolger Cecilia Doyle
Profession	Politician, businessman

James Brendan Bolger (born 31 May 1935) is a New Zealand politician who used to be the 35th Prime Minister of New Zealand. He served in this role from 1990 to 1997. People sometimes called him "The Great Helmsman."

Bolger was born in Ōpunake, Taranaki. His parents were immigrants from Ireland. Before he became a politician, he was a farmer in Waikato. He was also part of Federated Farmers, a group for farmers across New Zealand. Bolger was first elected to Parliament in 1972. He later held several important jobs in the government. In 1986, he became the leader of the National Party. He was the Leader of the Opposition from 1986 until 1990.

In 1990, Bolger led the National Party to a huge victory in the election. This was the biggest win in the party's history. He became Prime Minister on 2 November 1990. His government promised to create a "Decent Society" after the previous government's economic changes. However, soon after taking office, his government had to help the Bank of New Zealand financially. This meant they couldn't keep all their election promises. Bolger's government continued many of the free-market changes and cut a lot of public spending. National won the 1993 election again, but with a much smaller majority.

During Bolger's second term, New Zealand changed its voting system to MMP. After the 1996 election, National was the biggest party, but they had to form a coalition with another party called New Zealand First. Bolger stayed as Prime Minister, but some people thought he gave New Zealand First too much power. On 8 December 1997, his own party decided to replace him as leader. Jenny Shipley took over as Prime Minister. After leaving Parliament in 1998, Bolger became New Zealand's Ambassador to the United States until 2002.

Early Life and Farming

Jim Bolger was born in Ōpunake, Taranaki, in 1935. He was one of five children in an Irish Catholic family. His parents, Daniel and Cecilia Bolger, moved to New Zealand from Ireland in 1930. He said that World War II greatly affected his early childhood.

At 15, he left Opunake High School to work on his family's dairy farm. In 1962, he bought his own farm near Rahotu. He became very active in Federated Farmers, a group that supports farmers. He held several leadership roles in this group.

In 1963, he married Joan Riddell. Two years later, they moved to their own sheep and beef farm in Te Kuiti. During this time, Bolger became involved in local farmer politics. He joined the National Party and became an officer in the Te Kuiti branch.

Starting in Politics

Bolger became a Member of Parliament (MP) in 1972. He represented the King Country area, which was a new area for elections. This area usually voted for the National Party, so Bolger won easily. He continued to represent this area, later called Taranaki-King Country, until he retired in 1998. In 1974, he became the National Party's spokesperson for rural affairs.

In 1975, when the National Party formed a new government, Bolger became an assistant to the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries and the Minister of Maori Affairs. In 1977, he was promoted to a full Minister. He first served as Minister of Fisheries. After the 1978 election, he became Minister of Labour and Minister of Immigration.

After the National Party lost the 1984 election, Bolger remained an important member of the party. He became the Deputy Leader of the Opposition. In 1986, Bolger successfully challenged the party's leader and became the new leader of the National Party.

Becoming Prime Minister

As Leader of the Opposition, Bolger focused on law and order. He also criticized the Labour government's economic policies, which were very unpopular. In the 1990 general election, Bolger led the National Party to their biggest victory ever. This allowed him to become Prime Minister at 55 years old.

Premiership of Jim Bolger
2 November 1990 – 8 December 1997
Elizabeth II
Cabinet	Fourth National Government of New Zealand
Party	New Zealand National Party
Election	1990, 1993, 1996
Appointer	Paul Reeves
Seat	Premier House
← Mike Moore • Jenny Shipley →

Important Changes as Prime Minister

First Term: Big Economic Decisions

Just three days after becoming Prime Minister, Bolger's government had to help the Bank of New Zealand, which was the country's largest bank. This cost a lot of money. Because of this, the government had to change its plans. His first budget was called the "Mother of All Budgets."

His Finance Minister, Ruth Richardson, made big cuts to government spending. This especially affected health and welfare services. For example, unemployment benefits were cut. The government also started charging fees for some hospital and school services that used to be free.

Another major change was the 1991 Employment Contracts Act. This law changed how workers and unions operated. After this law, fewer people joined unions. His government also passed the Building Act 1991. Some people believe this law contributed to New Zealand's later "leaky homes crisis."

Bolger did not support changing the voting system. However, his government held a public vote (referendum) on whether New Zealand should change from the 'first past the post' system to proportional representation. In 1992, New Zealanders voted to change to the Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) system. This was confirmed in another vote during the 1993 election.

Second Term: A Smaller Majority

In the 1993 election, the National Party barely won enough seats to stay in power. Their large majority of seats almost disappeared. They ended up with a majority of just one seat. This meant they had to work closely with other political parties.

After this close election, Bolger decided to replace Ruth Richardson as Finance Minister. He appointed Bill Birch, who was seen as more moderate. Under Birch, spending on important areas like health and education increased. His government also passed the Fiscal Responsibility Act 1994.

In 1995, a viewing platform collapsed at Cave Creek, killing fourteen people. The platform was built by the Department of Conservation (DOC). Investigations found that the builders did not have the right qualifications. Bolger's government faced criticism for its management of conservation areas. The Minister of Conservation, Denis Marshall, resigned in 1996.

During Bolger's second term, France started testing nuclear weapons again in the Pacific. New Zealand and other Pacific nations strongly protested this. Bolger's government supported New Zealand boats that went to protest the tests.

Bolger's government also stopped giving out British honours in 1996. Instead, they created a New Zealand Honours System. Bolger also spoke about New Zealand becoming a republic, meaning it would have its own head of state instead of the British monarch.

Third Term: A Coalition Government

The 1996 election was different because of the new MMP voting system. No single party won enough seats to govern alone. New Zealand First, led by Winston Peters, held the balance of power. This meant they could choose which party to form a government with.

In December 1996, Winston Peters decided to form a coalition government with the National Party. To stay in power, Bolger had to make many agreements. Winston Peters became Deputy Prime Minister and Treasurer, a new important role. Bolger also agreed to many of New Zealand First's policy ideas.

Resignation

Jenny Shipley became Prime Minister after Jim Bolger

Some people in Bolger's own party felt he was moving too slowly. They also thought New Zealand First had too much influence. In December 1997, the Transport Minister, Jenny Shipley, gathered support within the party to replace Bolger.

When Bolger returned from a meeting overseas, he realized he no longer had enough support to be leader. He resigned on 8 December 1997. Jenny Shipley then became New Zealand's first woman Prime Minister. Bolger was given a smaller role in Shipley's government.

Jim Bolger is the third-longest-serving leader of the National Party. Many people respected him for his ability to understand ordinary New Zealanders.

Life After Being Prime Minister

Bolger at the University of Waikato, 2008.

Bolger retired as an MP in 1998. After that, he became New Zealand's Ambassador to the United States. He stayed in this job until 2002.

When he returned to New Zealand, he became the Chairman of New Zealand Post, which is a state-owned company. He also chaired its banking part, Kiwibank. He held many other important roles in different companies and organizations.

Bolger in 2018

On 14 February 2007, Bolger was chosen as the Chancellor of the University of Waikato.

In 2008, Bolger became the chairman of KiwiRail, a company that runs New Zealand's railways. This was interesting because his government had sold the railways many years before. Bolger said, "my life is full of ironies," meaning he found it amusing.

Bolger and Helen Clark in 2022

Bolger has spoken about his worries about poverty and inequality in New Zealand. He also thinks that trade unions might not have enough power. In 2021, he said that the National Party should rethink capitalism because social inequality was causing problems. He believes that free-market capitalism is "on the verge of destroying the planet and destabilising society."

In 2018, Bolger was asked by the government to lead a group looking into "fair pay agreements" for workers. As of 2022, he is also a member of the Board of Te Urewera, a protected natural area.

Honours and Awards

Jim Bolger has received several awards for his service to New Zealand:

• In 1977, he received the Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal.
• Both Jim and his wife Joan received the New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal.
• In 1993, they received the New Zealand Suffrage Centennial Medal.
• In 1998, Jim Bolger was made a Member of the Order of New Zealand. This is a very high honour. Joan Bolger was also honoured for her community work.

Bolger received the Order of New Zealand without being made a knight. This is because he supports getting rid of honorary titles like knighthoods.

Personal Life

Jim Bolger and his wife Joan are Roman Catholics. Bolger has described himself as religious but not "deeply so." They have nine children. Since 2013, Bolger has lived in Waikanae.

See also

• Electoral history of Jim Bolger