Walter Nash (12 February 1882 – 4 June 1968) was Prime Minister of New Zealand from 12 December 1957 to 12 December 1960, interrupting Keith Holyoake's two terms. He was a New Zealand Labor Party member.
Biography[]
Walter Nash was born in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, England in 1882, and he worked as a clerk in Birmingham until he emigrated to New Zealand in 1909. A Christian socialist, he joined the New Zealand Labor Party in 1916 and was a member of its executive from 1919 to 1960. He was first elected to Parliament in 1929 and became the leading spokesman for the moderate wing of the party. With Peter Fraser he organized the party on a national basis and formulated policies which won the election of 1935, when he became Finance Minister (until 1949). In addition, he was Minister of Social Security in 1938, where he was responsible for legislation on child allowances and national health. Together with the social reform legislation established by Liberal and Labor governments since Richard Seddon, these measures confirmed New Zealand's position as the world's most comprehensive welfare state. He became leader of the opposition in 1950 and led Labor to a narrow victory in 1957. As Prime Minister, he initiated comprehensive social welfare in his first year of office, but spent the last two years coping with a dramatic decline in the terms of trade, caused by a flood in imports. The austerity measures which he introduced in response lost him the 1960 electios. He died eight years later.