Sidney Holland

The Right Honourable Sir Sidney George Holland MP, GCMG, CH
Sidney George Holland in 1953
25th Prime Minister of New Zealand
In office 13 December 1949 (1949-12-13) – 20 September 1957 (1957-09-20)
Monarch	George VI Elizabeth II
Governor General	Bernard Freyberg Charles Norrie Charles Lyttelton
Deputy	Keith Holyoake
Preceded by	Peter Fraser
Succeeded by	Keith Holyoake
14th Leader of the Opposition
In office 26 November 1940 (1940-11-26) – 13 December 1949 (1949-12-13)
Preceded by	Adam Hamilton
Succeeded by	Peter Fraser
Personal details
Born	(1893-10-18)18 October 1893 Greendale, Canterbury, New Zealand
Died	5 August 1961(1961-08-05) (aged 67) Wellington, New Zealand
Political party	Reform (1935–1938) National (1938–1957)
Spouse(s)	Florence Beatrice Drayton
Relations	Henry Holland (father) Eric Holland (son)
Children	4
Religion	Anglican [1]

Sir Sidney George Holland, GCMG, CH (18 October 1893 – 5 August 1961) was the 25th Prime Minister of New Zealand from 13 December 1949 to 20 September 1957.

Early life [edit]

Holland was born in Greendale in the Canterbury Region of the South Island, one of eight children. His father, Henry Holland, was a farmer and merchant, and was elected Mayor of Christchurch in 1912. Holland was a prominent sportsman and sports administrator, representing Canterbury at provincial and inter-island level in hockey. After retiring from playing, he managed the New Zealand representative hockey team on an unbeaten tour of Australia in the 1932 and was a prominent hockey referee. In business, he worked for the successful family engineering company in Christchurch.^[2]

Member of Parliament [edit]

He came from a politically prominent family and his father, Henry Holland served as Mayor of Christchurch from 1912 to 1919. Sidney was elected to Parliament in 1935 after replacing his father in elections for his seat, due to Henry's ill health. In 1940 he became leader of the National Party and served as Leader of the Opposition for nearly ten years, until the National Party won the 1949 elections.

He represented the Christchurch North electorate from 1935 to 1946, and then the Fendalton electorate from 1946 to 1957.

Prime minister [edit]

His First National Government implemented economic reforms, dismantling many state controls. In 1951, the National government signed the ANZUS defence agreement with Australia and the United States. The government also undertook constitutional change in 1950, by abolishing the Legislative Council, the upper house of Parliament, on the grounds that it was ineffectual. Subsequently New Zealand has had a unicameral parliament. His government had promised to reinstate the death penalty, which had been out of use since 1935 and abolished for murder in 1941, and subsequently did so in 1950. Another eight executions were carried out through Holland's administration (out of 36 murder convictions, 22 of whom had resulted in a death sentence). To solve the partisan-infected issue Holland called a referendum to be held on the same day as the general election of 1957, but the proposal failed to make the ballot. No executions were carried out under Holland's successor, Keith Holyoake, and in 1961 Holyoake oversaw a vote in which Parliament voted 41-30 (with eleven National MPs crossing the floor) to abolish capital punishment for murder.

In 1951, Holland caused controversy by confronting locked-out dockers and coal miners intent on what he called "industrial anarchy". He ordered the army to unload cargo from key ports and called a snap election, on the basis of this decision. Under his leadership the government implemented Emergency Regulations which drastically curtailed civic liberties, including the freedom of speech and expression. The Regulations were designed to silence and criminalise any support for the watersiders, including food supplies for their families and publications which publicised watersiders concerns and persepctives. The National Party was re-elected with an increased majority, with the backing of a largely conservative Press and the State control of radio broadcasting.

Resignation and later life [edit]

Following a period of ill health, Holland stepped down as Prime Minister in September 1957 and was replaced by Keith Holyoake.

Holland was knighted after stepping down as Prime Minister and retired at the November 1957 general election. He died in Wellington Hospital after suffering further ill health in 1961.

His son Eric Holland became a National MP for Fendalton and Riccarton (1967–81) and a cabinet minister (1975–78).

Significance of Holland's legacy [edit]

Holland was one of New Zealand’s most significant politicians. It was due not only because of his 22 years as an MP, of which 17 was as party leader, and almost eight as Prime Minister, or because of the achievements of his government between 1949 and 1957. His major contribution was undoubtedly the role he played in the creation and consolidation of the National Party, which was to dominate New Zealand politics for much of the latter half of the twentieth century.

References [edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Sidney Holland

• Prime Ministers' Office biography
• Gustafson, B. The first 50 years. Auckland, 1986
• Obit. Evening Post. 5 Aug. 1961: 18
• Wilson, J. O. ‘Holland, Sir Sidney George’. In An encyclopaedia of New Zealand. Ed. A. H. McLintock. Wellington, 1966