Bill Birch

Infobox_Officeholder
honorific-prefix = The Right Honourable
name=Sir William Francis Birch


caption=Rt. Hon. Sir William Birch
order=36^th Minister of Finance
term_start=November 1993
term_end=January 1999
June 1999 - 5 December 1999
predecessor=Ruth Richardson (1993)
Bill English (June 1999)
successor=Bill English (January 1999)
Michael Cullen (December 1999)
primeminister=Jim Bolger (1993 - 1997)
Jenny Shipley (1997 - 1999)
birth_date=birth date and age|1934|04|9
birth_place=Hastings, NZL
death_date=
death_place=
spouse=
party=National
constituency=Franklin
religion=
Profession=surveyor

Sir William Francis Birch, GNZM, (born 9 April 1934), usually known as Bill Birch, is a former New Zealand politician. He served as Minister of Finance for several years in the fourth National government.

Early life

Birch was born in Hastings, although gained his qualifications in Hamilton. He was trained as a surveyor, and established a business in Pukekohe (a small town south of Auckland). Birch quickly became involved in various Pukekohe community organizations. He served on Pukehohe's borough council from 1965 to 1974, and was deputy mayor from 1968 to 1974.

Member of Parliament

Birch first entered parliament in the 1972 elections, in which he was the National Party's candidate for the Franklin electorate (which included Pukehohe). National won the next election, in 1975, becoming the third National government.

Cabinet minister

1978 - 1984

After holding a number of internal National Party positions, Birch was made Minister of National Development, Minister of Energy, and Minister of Science and Technology in 1978. In 1981, he swapped the Science and Technology role for the Regional Development portfolio.

As Minister for National Development, Birch was closely involved in the Think Big project, a series of high-cost programmes designed to reduce New Zealand's dependence on imported fuel.

When National lost the 1984 election, Birch's ministerial career was interrupted, but he remained in parliament.

1990 - 1996

After National regained power in the 1990 election, Birch re-entered cabinet as part of the fourth National government. Over the next three years, he was to hold a number of ministerial roles, including Minister of Labour, Minister of Immigration, Minister of Pacific Island Affairs, Minister of Employment, Minister of Health, and Minister responsible for the ACC. As Minister of Labour, Birch introduced the Employment Contracts Act, which radically liberalised the labour market, most noticeably by reducing the power of trade unions.

In 1992, Birch was made a member of the British Privy Council, an honour reserved for senior New Zealand politicians.

During this period, Birch clashed a number of times with the controversial Minister of Finance, Ruth Richardson. The Prime Minister, Jim Bolger, had never been a supporter of Richardson's strong laissez-faire policies, and preferred the more conservative Birch for the Finance portfolio. At the 1993 election, which National nearly lost, Richardson was removed from her Finance role, and Birch was elevated in her place.

Birch's appointment to the Finance portfolio raised eyebrows, given Birch's association with the Think Big projects. However, he soon developed a reputation for a frugal finance minister, delivering a succession of balanced budgets. He also privatised a number of state assets.

1996 - 1999

After the 1996 election, National needed to form a coalition with the New Zealand First party in order to govern. New Zealand First's leader, Winston Peters, insisted on control of the Finance role as part of the coalition agreement, and National eventually agreed. The Minister of Finance role was split into two separate offices, one given the title "Treasurer" and the other still called "Minister of Finance". Treasurer, the senior title, was given to Winston Peters, while Birch retained the (lessened) role of Minister of Finance. Some, however, have voiced the opinion that whatever the official arrangement may have been, Birch still performed most of the job's key functions. Mike Moore of the Labour Party commented that "we are always impressed when Winston Peters answers questions, because Bill Birch's lips do not move."

When the coalition with New Zealand First broke down, Birch took over the role of Treasurer. He was both Treasurer and Minister of Finance for several months before Bill English was promoted to Minister of Finance, leaving Birch with the senior role. In the middle of 1999, however, Birch and English were swapped, with Birch becoming Minister of Finance again.

Retirement

Birch was made a Knight Grand Companion of New Zealand Order of Merit in the 1999 Queen's Birthday Honours.

Birch retired from Parliament at that year's general election.

External links

* [http://www.executive.govt.nz/96-99/minister/birch/ http://www.executive.govt.nz/96-99/minister/birch/] NZ Government biography

Persondata
NAME=Birch, William Francis
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=Birch, Bill
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Politician
DATE OF BIRTH=April 9, 1934
PLACE OF BIRTH=
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=