Father of the House (New Zealand)

Father or Mother of the House is an unofficial title applied to the longest-serving member of Parliament (MP) sitting in the New Zealand House of Representatives. No duties or special distinctions are associated with the position.

The current Father of the House is Nick Smith, a former Cabinet Minister, who has served continuously since 1990.[1][2] He succeeded former Prime Minister Bill English, who was also elected in 1990, when the latter resigned as an MP in March 2018.[3] The position is determined by continuous service, not aggregate time in parliament. While Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters first entered parliament in 1979, he was not an MP from 1981 to 1984, or between 2008 and 2011.[4]

In New Zealand's first general election of 1853, the Bay of Islands electorate was the first to declare the election of a successful candidate, Hugh Carleton, who was returned unopposed. In the subsequent General Assembly of 1854, Carleton liked to be known as the Father of the House.[5]

In March 2005 then Prime Minister Helen Clark became the first to be dubbed Mother of the House.[6]

List of Fathers and Mother of the House

Key

  Independent     Liberal     Reform     United  
  Labour     National     Progressive     United Future  
Name Image First elected Became Father Left Parliament Notes References
Hugh Carleton 14 July 1853 30 December 1870[nb 1] Defeated in 1871 election [5][7]
Alfred Brandon 29 July 1858 30 December 1870 8 November 1881[nb 2] Retired in 1881 [8]
James Macandrew 27 September 1853 8 November 1881 24 February 1887 Died in office [9]
Sir Maurice O'Rorke 18 January 1861 24 February 1887 3 October 1890[nb 3] Defeated in 1890 election, re-elected in 1893 [10]
John Bryce 3 March 1866 3 October 1890 31 August 1891 Resigned in 1891 [11]
Ebenezer Hamlin 18 January 1876 31 August 1891 8 November 1893[nb 4] Retired in 1893 [12]
Richard Seddon 5 September 1879 8 November 1893 10 June 1906 Prime Minister 1893–1906; died in office [13]
Sir William Steward 3 February 1871 10 June 1906 20 November 1911[nb 5] Retired in 1911 [14][15][16]
Sir Arthur Guinness 22 July 1884 20 November 1911 10 June 1913 Died in office [15][17]
Sir James Carroll 7 September 1887 10 June 1913 27 November 1919[nb 6] Defeated in 1919 election [18]
Sir James Allen 26 September 1887 27 November 1919 22 March 1920 Resigned in 1920 [19]
William Massey 9 April 1894 22 March 1920 10 May 1925 Prime Minister 1912–1925; died in office [20]
Sir Thomas Wilford 4 December 1896 10 May 1925 18 November 1929 Resigned in 1929[nb 7] [21][22]
Sir Āpirana Ngata 20 December 1905 18 November 1929 30 August 1943[nb 8] Defeated in 1943 election [23]
Peter Fraser 3 October 1918 30 August 1943 12 December 1950 Prime Minister 1940–1949; died in office [24]
Bill Parry 17 December 1919 12 December 1950 27 July 1951[nb 9] Retired in 1951 [25]
Robert McKeen 7 December 1922 27 July 1951 5 October 1954[nb 10] Retired in 1954 [26]
Rex Mason 15 April 1926 5 October 1954 25 October 1966[nb 11] Retired in 1966 [27]
Sir Walter Nash 18 December 1929 25 October 1966 4 June 1968 Prime Minister 1957–1960; died in office [28]
Sir Keith Holyoake 1 December 1932 4 June 1968 10 March 1977 Prime Minister 1957, 1960–1972; resigned in 1977[nb 12] [29]
Warren Freer 24 September 1947 10 March 1977 29 October 1981[nb 13] Retired in 1981 [30]
Robert Muldoon 26 November 1960 29 October 1981 17 December 1991 Prime Minister 1975–1984; resigned in 1991 [31]
Jonathan Hunt 26 November 1966 17 December 1991 30 March 2005 Resigned in 2005[nb 14] [32]
Helen Clark 28 November 1981 30 March 2005 18 April 2009 Prime Minister 1999–2008; resigned in 2009 [6][33]
Michael Cullen 28 November 1981 18 April 2009 29 April 2009 Resigned in 2009 [34]
Jim Anderton 14 July 1984 29 April 2009 20 October 2011[nb 15] Retired in 2011 [35]
Peter Dunne 14 July 1984 26 November 2011 23 September 2017 Retired at the 2017 election. [36][37][38]
Bill English 27 October 1990 23 September 2017 13 March 2018 Prime Minister 2016–2017
Nick Smith 27 October 1990 13 March 2018

Table footnotes:[39]

  1. date of dissolution of the 4th Parliament
  2. date of dissolution of the 7th Parliament
  3. date of dissolution of the 10th Parliament
  4. date of dissolution of the 11th Parliament
  5. date of dissolution of the 17th Parliament
  6. date of dissolution of the 19th Parliament
  7. Wilford resigned to take up the post of High Commissioner to the United Kingdom
  8. date of dissolution of the 26th Parliament
  9. date of dissolution of the 29th Parliament
  10. date of dissolution of the 30th Parliament
  11. date of dissolution of the 34th Parliament
  12. Holyoake resigned to take up the post of Governor-General
  13. date of dissolution of the 39th Parliament
  14. Hunt resigned to take up the post of High Commissioner to the United Kingdom
  15. date of dissolution of the 49th Parliament

See also

Notes
  1. "Members of Parliament - Longest, shortest, oldest, youngest". New Zealand Parliamentary Service. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
  2. Sivignon, Cherie (5 January 2019). "Perennial politician Nick Smith 'highly likely' to be back in 2020". Stuff. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
  3. Sivignon, Cherie (13 February 2018). "Nelson MP Nick Smith to stay in politics as Bill English announces resignation". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
  4. "Peters, Winston". www.parliament.nz. New Zealand Parliament. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
  5. McLintock, A. H., ed. (23 April 2009) [First published in 1966]. "Carleton, Hugh Francis". An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand. Ministry for Culture and Heritage / Te Manatū Taonga. Retrieved 27 September 2013.
  6. Hansard (3 March 2005) vol. 623, Week 81, col. 2005. Available at: https://www.parliament.nz/en/pb/hansard-debates/rhr/document/47HansD_20050303/volume-623-week-81-thursday-3-march-2005 (Retrieved 24 February 2019).
  7. Wilson 1985, p. 188.
  8. Wilson 1985, pp. 185, 188.
  9. Wilson 1985, pp. 185, 213.
  10. Wilson 1985, pp. 213, 225.
  11. Wilson 1985, pp. 186, 225.
  12. Wilson 1985, pp. 186, 202.
  13. Wilson 1985, pp. 57, 202, 233.
  14. "The Father of the House". The Marlborough Express. XXXIX (155). 5 July 1906. p. 1. Retrieved 27 September 2013.
  15. "The Late Sir Arthur Guinness". Colonist. LV (13752). 18 June 1913. p. 1. Retrieved 18 July 2012.
  16. Wilson 1985, pp. 233, 236.
  17. Wilson 1985, pp. 201, 236.
  18. Wilson 1985, pp. 188, 201.
  19. Wilson 1985, pp. 179, 188.
  20. Wilson 1985, pp. 58, 179, 219.
  21. "Māori MPs - Parliament's people". Ministry for Culture and Heritage. 20 December 2012. Retrieved 27 September 2013.
  22. Wilson 1985, pp. 219, 245.
  23. Wilson 1985, pp. 223, 245.
  24. Wilson 1985, pp. 58, 198, 223.
  25. Wilson 1985, pp. 198, 225.
  26. Wilson 1985, pp. 215, 225.
  27. Wilson 1985, pp. 215, 218.
  28. Wilson 1985, pp. 58, 218, 223.
  29. Wilson 1985, pp. 47, 58, 206, 223.
  30. Wilson 1985, pp. 198, 206.
  31. Wilson 1985, pp. 58, 198, 222.
  32. Wilson 1985, p. 206.
  33. Wilson 1985, p. 189.
  34. Wilson 1985, p. 191.
  35. Wilson 1985, p. 180.
  36. Wilson 1985, p. 194.
  37. "UnitedFuture thanks Peter Dunne for his service and looks to the future". United Future. 21 August 2017. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  38. "Peter Dunne resigns from politics only weeks out from the election". 22 August 2017. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  39. Wilson 1985, pp. 137–139.

References
  • Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First ed. published 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
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