Jim McLay facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Honourable Sir Jim McLay KNZM QSO
24th Leader of the Opposition
In office 29 November 1984 – 26 March 1986
Prime Minister	David Lange
Deputy	Jim Bolger
Preceded by	Robert Muldoon
Succeeded by	Jim Bolger
9th Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand
In office 15 March 1984 – 26 July 1984
Prime Minister	Robert Muldoon
Preceded by	Duncan MacIntyre
Succeeded by	Geoffrey Palmer
38th Minister of Justice
In office 13 December 1978 – 26 July 1984
Prime Minister	Robert Muldoon
Preceded by	David Thomson
Succeeded by	Geoffrey Palmer
25th Attorney-General
In office 13 December 1978 – 26 July 1984
Prime Minister	Robert Muldoon
Preceded by	Peter Wilkinson
Succeeded by	Geoffrey Palmer
Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Birkenhead
In office 29 November 1975 – 15 August 1987
Preceded by	Norman King
Succeeded by	Jenny Kirk
Personal details
Born	(1945-02-21) 21 February 1945 (age 80) Devonport, Auckland, New Zealand
Political party	National
Spouse	Marcy Farden
Children	Denis McLay
Alma mater	University of Auckland
Profession	Lawyer

Sir James Kenneth McLay KNZM QSO (born 21 February 1945) is a New Zealand diplomat and former politician. He held important roles like the ninth Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand from March to July 1984. McLay was also the Leader of the National Party and Leader of the Opposition from November 1984 to March 1986. After leaving his role as party leader, he retired from politics in 1987. In June 2009, he became New Zealand's Permanent Representative to the United Nations. Later, in May 2015, McLay became New Zealand's Representative to the Palestinian Authority. From May 2016 to January 2017, he served as New Zealand's Consul General in Honolulu.

Early Life and Education

James McLay was born in Devonport, Auckland. His parents were Robert and Joyce McLay. He went to King's College, Auckland and then studied law at the University of Auckland, earning his law degree in 1967. For some time, he worked as a lawyer and was involved in several law groups. In 1983, he married Marcy Farden.

Political Career

McLay joined the National Party in 1963. He held several important roles within the party's Auckland branch and also served on the party's national council.

Becoming a Member of Parliament

In the 1975 election, McLay ran as the National Party's candidate for the Birkenhead area. He won against the Labour Party's MP, Norman King. This was a big win for McLay, as King had been the local MP for 21 years.

Serving as a Cabinet Minister

In Parliament, McLay was known for his more modern views within the National Party. He was especially interested in changing laws to improve women's rights. In 1978, Prime Minister Robert Muldoon appointed McLay to two important roles: Attorney General (the government's chief legal advisor) and Minister of Justice (in charge of the justice system).

In 1980, McLay was part of a group of politicians who tried to replace Muldoon as leader. This event was sometimes called the 'Colonels' Coup'. The group wanted Muldoon's deputy, Brian Talboys, to take over. However, Talboys was not keen on challenging Muldoon, so the plan did not work, and Muldoon remained leader.

Becoming Deputy Prime Minister

In early 1984, after Duncan MacIntyre retired, McLay became the deputy leader of the National Party. This also made him the Deputy Prime Minister. He won this position against other senior politicians like Jim Bolger and Bill Birch. His younger age and more modern views were seen as important for the party at that time.

Leading the Opposition

When the National Party lost the 1984 election, many in the party wanted a new leader. They felt that Robert Muldoon represented an older way of thinking. Muldoon, however, did not want to step down easily, which led to a direct challenge for the leadership.

The main candidates were Jim McLay and Jim Bolger. McLay supported free market economic ideas and had more liberal social views. Bolger was seen as a more traditional but still practical choice. McLay won the vote among the party's Members of Parliament.

Challenges as Leader

McLay's first big challenge was dealing with Muldoon himself. After losing the leadership, Muldoon refused to take on any new roles and became a regular Member of Parliament. McLay tried to give Muldoon an "elder statesman" role, but Muldoon wanted to stay actively involved. Their relationship became difficult, especially as McLay started to promote new economic policies that were very different from Muldoon's.

Muldoon's opposition caused many problems for McLay's leadership and made it hard to unite the party. When Muldoon publicly criticized the party's leadership, he was moved to a lower rank within the party.

Muldoon then supported Bolger, who was still against McLay. There was a lot of talk in the news that McLay might be replaced before the end of 1985. However, this challenge did not happen, and McLay remained leader.

Losing Leadership

In early 1986, McLay made a key mistake. He tried to "refresh" the party's top ranks by moving George Gair and Bill Birch to less important roles. Both Gair and Birch were highly respected for their many years of service.

Gair and Birch had been McLay's opponents in the 1984 leadership election before they withdrew. They quickly joined forces with Bolger. After this, it became very likely that McLay would lose his leadership.

On March 26, Gair, Birch, and party whip Don McKinnon gave McLay a letter. It was signed by most of the National Party MPs, asking him to step down. Bolger then won the vote among the MPs, ending McLay's time as leader of the National Party.

After his defeat, Bolger appointed McLay as Shadow Minister of Justice and Shadow Attorney-General. However, he was given a relatively low rank within the party. This led McLay to retire from Parliament at the 1987 election.

McLay is one of only three leaders of the National Party who did not become Prime Minister or lead the party to win an election.

Life After Parliament

After leaving Parliament in 1987, McLay continued to serve New Zealand in other important roles.

International Roles

From 1994 to 2002, he was New Zealand's representative on the International Whaling Commission. This group works to manage whaling and protect whales around the world.

Permanent Representative to the United Nations

In July 2009, McLay became New Zealand's Permanent Representative to the United Nations. This means he was New Zealand's top diplomat at the UN. On October 16, 2014, McLay led New Zealand to win a temporary seat on the United Nations Security Council. New Zealand won in the first round of voting, getting 145 out of 193 possible votes, beating both Spain and Turkey. McLay took up New Zealand's seat on the Security Council on January 1, 2015.

Representative to the Palestinian Authority

On February 20, 2015, it was announced that McLay would finish his role as Permanent Representative to the UN. He then became New Zealand's Representative to the Palestinian Authority. He also served as a special advisor to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and, when needed, as a special envoy for the Prime Minister.

Awards and Recognition

McLay (right), after being made a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit by the governor-general, Sir Jerry Mateparae, on 27 August 2015

McLay has received several awards for his public service:

• In 1977, he was given the Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal.
• In 1990, he received the New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal.
• In 1993, he was awarded the New Zealand Suffrage Centennial Medal.

In the 1987 Queen's Birthday Honours, McLay was made a Companion of the Queen's Service Order for his public services. In the 2003 Queen's Birthday Honours, he became a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his work in conservation. Then, in the 2015 Queen's Birthday Honours, he was promoted to Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his services to business and the country.

In 2012, McLay received an honorary degree, a Doctor of Humane Letters, from Juniata College.

Named in His Honour

The McLay Glacier in Antarctica's Churchill Mountains is named after Jim McLay. This was done to recognize his work as New Zealand's representative on the International Whaling Commission. During his time, he strongly supported creating a whale sanctuary (a safe area for whales) in the Southern Ocean.