Book review 

Battlers, Bluffers and bully boys. 

Spending  some time sifting through the Library’s catalogue often rewards with an interesting find, Battlers, Bluffers and bully boys is one such. Author Richard Wolfe has done some serious investigation to produce a background piece on each of New Zealand’s leaders up to and including Helen Clark. These including men who held the titles of colonial secretary and premier, the direct predecessors to the modern office. Colonial Secretary, the original title of the office was formally changed to “premier” in 1869, and then to “prime minister” in 1907 when New Zealand was granted Dominion status in the British Empire. 

Many of the early leaders I had never heard of, others I had heard of but had little knowledge of. It was interesting to learn the part that each these early politician played in the forming of the country’s ruling systems.  

The newly independant governing body got off to a very shaky start with the first leader , Henry Sewell , only lasted a couple of weeks ( 7 – 20 May 1856) before deciding that the position was not for him. His successor, William Fox, did little better  ( 20 th May – 2 nd June). Indeed some early leaders did not even seem to have obvious leadership abilities, contemporary description had William Fox as a ‘gentleman artist’ and Alfred Domett as ‘Māoriland poet’.   

Sir Edward Stafford bought some stability to the position by serving for the next five years (1856 – 1861). Then being re-elected to serve until 1869.

The first ten premiers were  all described as independent of party affiliations. It was forty years before parliament fully gelled along party lines.

Battlers, Bluffers and Bully Boys is loaded with snippets of information bringing some realism to men, they were all men, who had previously been just names in history.  

I found the information on Peter Fraser, Walter Nash, Sid Holland and  Keith Holyoake particularly interesting. Their influence on forming politics as we know it is well recorded, it is really good to also have  information available on what they were like as individuals.

A book well worth reading 

Mike Beckett