Sidney Holland (18 October 1893 – 5 August 1961) was Prime Minister of New Zealand from 13 December 1949 to 20 September 1957, succeeding Peter Fraser and preceding Keith Holyoake. He was a member of the New Zealand National Party.
Biography[]
Sidney George Holland was born in Greendale, New Zealand in 1893, and he served in World War I before becoming a successful businessman. In 1935, he followed his father Henry into the House of Representatives and in 1940 became leader of the New Zealand National Party due to their desparate search for a vigorous and youthful leader. After a brief period in the War Cabinet, he set about rebuilding his divided party, which eventually came into power in 1949. As Prime Minister, he gradually relaxed the state controls on enterprise established during the war. In 1950, he abolished the upper house and the Legislative Council. In 1951, he used the bitter strike by the Waterside Worker's Union to call a general election, which he won with a comfortable majority. Most importantly, however, he shifted the National Party to the left, whereby it endorsed pragmatic conservatism, for example through strengthening much of the social welfare legislation which had been introduced by the New Zealand Labor Party. In foreign policy, he committed troops to fight in the Korean War, and welcomed the creation of ANZUS and SEATO, which New Zealand joined. Despite his emphasis on the need for closer relations with the USA and its Asian neighbors, he remained strongly committed to the country's links with Britain and the Commonwealth, supporting Anthony Eden in the Suez Crisis. He retired in 1957 owing to ill health.