Ron Bailey (politician)

Bailey was born in Napier in 1926. He grew up in various public works camps during the Great Depression and attended four different primary schools in the central North Island. After attending four different primary schools, he received his secondary education at Wairoa District High School (now Wairoa College) and Gisborne High School. His first jobs were as a clerk and a carpenter. He became a union organiser in 1956 where he inspected living conditions in the agricultural sector.[1] He and his union were staunch Anti-communist and allegedly he was a member of the far-right World Anti-Communist League's New Zealand chapter.[2]

Plaque from his period as Minister of Railways at Hamilton Railway Station, Waikato

At the 1959 local body elections he was elected a member of the Wellington Hospital Board for the Upper Hutt constituency. He served for three years until 1962.[3]

When Phil Holloway unexpectedly retired from the Heretaunga electorate,[1] Bailey contested the Labour Party nomination for the seat which resulted in a deadlock in the selection committee between himself and Jim Bateman, a Wellington City Councillor. As a result of the deadlock the matter was referred to the party national executive.[4] Bailey was eventually victorious for the nomination and won the seat at the subsequent election.[5] He served seven terms and retired in 1981, when he was succeeded by Bill Jeffries.[6] Labour spent all but one of those terms in opposition, a situation he described in his valedictory speech as a "brick wall of frustration".[1]

During his time in Parliament Bailey was noted for lobbying for a new wing for Wellington Hospital, opposing increases in railway fares in the Hutt Valley and advocating for an increase in state house building.[1] Bailey was Labour's junior whip from 1966 to 1972.[7] Bailey narrowly missed out on election to cabinet following the formation of the Third Labour Government. He was tied for the final place in cabinet with Henry May (whom he had shared an office with for many years) with May narrowly winning. Prime Minister Norman Kirk regretted two friends being pitted against one another and was relieved when Bailey took the defeat graciously. He was upset though thinking he had lost his only opportunity to ever enter cabinet.[8] Subsequently he was given the consolation job of Chairman of Committees from 16 February 1973 until 10 September 1974.[9] As Chairman of Committees he deputised for the Speaker and notably chaired the session that saw the passing of Labour's short-lived compulsory superannuation scheme. He is also reputed to have been the only Speaker to eject National leader Robert Muldoon from the House.[1]

When Bill Rowling was elected Prime Minister, after Kirk died suddenly, Bailey was elected to fill the vacant seat in cabinet.[10] He was appointed as both Minister of Railways[11] and Minister of Electricity by Rowling from 10 September 1974 to 12 December 1975, when National came to power.[12] He remembered his time as a minister as his best in politics.[1] As Minister of Electricity he advocated for energy conservation and empowered the New Zealand Electricity Department to promote advertising to curb power wastage to avoid building further generating plants.[13]

In opposition after the unexpected defeat of the Third Labour Government Bailey initially retained a frontbench seat and from 1975 to 1979 he was Shadow Minister of Works and Development.[14][15] In December 1979, impending retirement, he decided against standing for re-election to the Shadow Cabinet. He intended to enter local politics after leaving parliament. At the 1980 local-body elections he stood for the position of Mayor of Upper Hutt, but lost to incumbent Rex Kirton by the unexpectedly wide margin of 4,666 votes. Bailey attributed his loss to low voter turnout and local newspapers criticising his intention to do two jobs at once by remaining in parliament until the end of the term.[16]

With his local-body intentions curtailed, Bailey struggled to find permanent work when he left parliament. He worked as a real estate agent for a while but found it hard to persuade people to take on high debt. For a while, he and his wife manufactured artisan chocolate at their home. He then became a review officer for the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) and went to retirement when he was 66.[1]

Bailey remained politically active after exiting parliament and during the Fourth Labour Government he was the Auckland convenor of the Backbone club, a party ginger group, formed to support Roger Douglas against Jim Anderton.[17] He remained a friend of Douglas but never went as far as to join ACT.

They later moved to Auckland and he died there on 16 April 2015, survived by his second wife.[18]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ron Bailey.

• Bassett, Michael (2008). Working with David: Inside the Lange Cabinet. Auckland: Hodder Moa. ISBN 978-1-86971-094-1.
• Hayward, Margaret (1981) [First ed. published 1981]. Diary of the Kirk Years (1 ed.). Wellington: A.H. and A.W. Reed Limited. ISBN 0-589-01350-5.
• Stott, Bob; Leitch, David (1988). New Zealand Railways: The First 125 Years. Auckland: Heinemann Reed. ISBN 0-7900-0000-8.
• Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First ed. published 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103.