Geoffrey Palmer
Encyclopedia
Sir Geoffrey Winston Russell Palmer, KCMG, AC, SC
(born 21 April 1942), served as the 33rd Prime Minister
of New Zealand from August 1989 until September 1990, leading the Fourth Labour Government
. He was responsible for considerable reforms of the country's legal and constitutional framework, such as the creation of the Constitution Act 1986, New Zealand Bill of Rights, Imperial Laws Application Act
and the State Sector Act
.
and attended Nelson Central School, Nelson Intermediate School and Nelson College
. At Victoria University of Wellington
, he studied both political science
and law. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1964 and a Bachelor of Laws
in 1965. After working for a time in Wellington, he attended the University of Chicago
's law school, gaining a Juris Doctor
(doctorate of law) in 1967. He taught for a time at the University of Iowa
and the University of Virginia
, and undertook consultancy work for the Australian government. Eventually, in 1974, he was appointed to a professorship of law at Victoria University of Wellington, bringing him back to New Zealand. At the 1975 general election
, Palmer took part in the "Citizens for Rowling
" campaign.
, having stood as the Labour Party candidate. He eventually became deputy Leader of the Opposition
in 1983. When, in 1984, the Labour Party won the general elections
, Palmer became Deputy Prime Minister
of the Fourth Labour Government
. He also became Attorney-General and Minister of Justice. The new justice minister, who had promoted proportional representation as a law professor in his book Unbridled Power?, also published in 1984, set up a Royal Commission to investigate the electoral system and propose modifications or alternatives. His Royal Commission reported in December 1986, recommending the Mixed Member Proportional system. After the 1987 elections
, when Labour was re-elected, he also became Minister of the Environment, an area in which he took personal interest.
, Roger Douglas
. Douglas was advancing free market
monetarist
policies involving extensive privatization
of state assets and the removal of tariff
s and subsidies
. These policies, which contravened Labour's basic policy platform and campaign promises, were deeply unpopular with Labour's traditional support base, and resulted in a confrontation between Prime Minister David Lange
and Roger Douglas. Lange also reneged from his promise to hold a binding referendum on the MMP system. Palmer conceded defeat on MMP at an April 1989 Labour regional conference, saying that the issue was "effectively dead for the immediate future." Eventually, Douglas was removed from Cabinet
, but the dispute had weakened Lange enough that he resigned a month later. Palmer, being deputy leader, took over as Prime Minister. Electoral reformers in the Labour Party kept up the pressure, and in September 1989, after Palmer had become prime minister, the full annual conference of the Labour Party passed a remit endorsing a referendum on the principle of proportional representation.
Palmer, however, was perceived by the public as being too closely involved with Douglas's reforms and academically remote. Of particular concern to many people was his work on the legal aspects of state sector rearrangement, such as his preparation of the State Owned Enterprises Act. The presence of David Caygill
(a Douglas ally) as Minister of Finance further compounded perception that Palmer was doing nothing to address public concerns. The only area in which Palmer won praise from traditional left-wing supporters was in his handling of the Environment portfolio, which he kept when he became Prime Minister – it was his work here in iniating the resource management law reform process that eventually led to the creation of the Resource Management Act
.
Two months before the 1990 elections, it was clear that Labour would not win. The perceived damage done by Roger Douglas's reforms, as well as Palmer's lack of general charisma, caused too many Labour supporters to abandon the party. In addition, Palmer was perceived as being too academic and aloof, reminding people of the paternalistic
attitude that Douglas was accused of. Palmer was replaced by Mike Moore, who Labour believed would give it a better chance of winning. Palmer chose to resign from parliament, and was replaced in his seat by Lianne Dalziel
. The attempt failed, however, and the opposition National Party
under Jim Bolger
won a landslide victory.
Geoffrey Palmer became the first Labour leader to leave the party leadership without ever leading the party into an election.
, and worked for a time as a law consultant. The MMP system which he had helped promote was adopted in a 1993 referendum. In 1994, he established Chen Palmer & Partners, a specialist public law firm he began with Wellington lawyer Mai Chen
. In December 2002, Palmer was appointed to be New Zealand's representative to the International Whaling Commission
(IWC). Palmer continued his involvement with, and teaching at Victoria University of Wellington and was regularly engaged as an expert consultant on public and constitutional law issues. His son Matthew Palmer
is also a prominent legal academic and public servant.
(the government agency that reviews, reforms and seeks to improve the country's laws) by the Governor General for a term of five years. The New Zealand National Party has raised questions about his suitability as Law Commission President due to his partisan ties to the Labour Party. Palmer stepped down from the Law Commission at the end of his tenure on 1 December 2010.
in 1991 and made an Honorary Companion of the Order of Australia
in the same year. In 1991 he was listed on the United Nations Global 500 Roll of Honour for his work on environmental issues. These included reforming resource management law. Geoffrey Palmer has also sat as a Judge ad hoc on the International Court of Justice
in 1995. He holds honorary doctorates from three universities. In 2008 Palmer was one of the first people appointed as Senior Counsel
during the temporary change from Queen's Counsel
in the Helen Clark Government.
on the Mavi Marmara, a Turkish ship participating in a Gaza-bound protest flotilla in May of that year. The panel included the outgoing Colombian President Álvaro Uribe
as the Vice-chair, and representatives from Turkey and Israel. The report, released on 2 September 2011, found that Israel's “naval blockade was imposed as a legitimate security measure in order to prevent weapons from entering Gaza by sea and its implementation complied with the requirements of international law,” and that Israeli soldiers enforcing the blockade faced “organized and violent resistance from a group of passengers” when they boarded the ship. However, the report also found that the Israeli soldiers responded with “excessive and unreasonable” force and recommended that Israel make “an appropriate statement of regret” and pay compensation.
Senior Counsel
The title of Senior Counsel or State Counsel is given to a senior barrister or advocate in some countries, typically equivalent to the title "Queen's Counsel" used in Commonwealth Realms...
(born 21 April 1942), served as the 33rd Prime Minister
Prime Minister of New Zealand
The Prime Minister of New Zealand is New Zealand's head of government consequent on being the leader of the party or coalition with majority support in the Parliament of New Zealand...
of New Zealand from August 1989 until September 1990, leading the Fourth Labour Government
Fourth Labour Government of New Zealand
The Fourth Labour Government of New Zealand was the government of New Zealand from 26 July 1984 to 2 November 1990. It enacted major social and economic reforms, including reformation of the tax system. The economic reforms were known as Rogernomics after Finance Minister Roger Douglas...
. He was responsible for considerable reforms of the country's legal and constitutional framework, such as the creation of the Constitution Act 1986, New Zealand Bill of Rights, Imperial Laws Application Act
Imperial Laws Application Act 1988
The Imperial Laws Application Act 1988 is an important part of New Zealand's uncodified constitution. The Act applies certain enactments of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and its predecessors, rulings of the Privy Council and English common law into New Zealand law.-Background:The first...
and the State Sector Act
State Sector Act 1988
The State Sector Act 1988 defines what constitutes the State sector organisations in New Zealand. It substantially reshaped the shape of the Public service and to some extent its culture. It grants Ministers some role in the appointments of departmental chief executives.-External links:*...
.
Early life and education
Palmer was born in NelsonNelson, New Zealand
Nelson is a city on the eastern shores of Tasman Bay, and is the economic and cultural centre of the Nelson-Tasman region. Established in 1841, it is the second oldest settled city in New Zealand and the oldest in the South Island....
and attended Nelson Central School, Nelson Intermediate School and Nelson College
Nelson College
Nelson College is a boys-only state secondary school in Nelson, New Zealand. It teaches from years 9 to 13. In addition, it runs a private Preparatory School for year 7 and 8 boys...
. At Victoria University of Wellington
Victoria University of Wellington
Victoria University of Wellington was established in 1897 by Act of Parliament, and was a former constituent college of the University of New Zealand. It is particularly well known for its programmes in law, the humanities, and some scientific disciplines, but offers a broad range of other courses...
, he studied both political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
and law. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1964 and a Bachelor of Laws
Bachelor of Laws
The Bachelor of Laws is an undergraduate, or bachelor, degree in law originating in England and offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree...
in 1965. After working for a time in Wellington, he attended the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
's law school, gaining a Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
(doctorate of law) in 1967. He taught for a time at the University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
and the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
, and undertook consultancy work for the Australian government. Eventually, in 1974, he was appointed to a professorship of law at Victoria University of Wellington, bringing him back to New Zealand. At the 1975 general election
New Zealand general election, 1975
The 1975 New Zealand general election was held to elect MPs to the 38th session of the New Zealand Parliament. It was the first election in New Zealand where 18-20 year olds and all permanent residents of New Zealand were eligible to vote, although only citizens were able to be...
, Palmer took part in the "Citizens for Rowling
Citizens for Rowling
The Citizens for Rowling campaign was a campaign named after then Labour Prime Minister of New Zealand Bill Rowling in the lead up to the 1975 general election. Members of the campaign publicly signed the "Citizens for Rowling" petition warning against a National government led by Robert Muldoon...
" campaign.
Member of Parliament
In a 1979 by-election, Palmer was elected to Parliament as the member for Christchurch CentralChristchurch Central
Christchurch Central is a New Zealand Parliamentary electorate in the South Island city of Christchurch. The electorate was established for the 1946 election and has always been won by the Labour Party. Since 2008, the incumbent is Brendon Burns...
, having stood as the Labour Party candidate. He eventually became deputy Leader of the Opposition
Leader of the Opposition (New Zealand)
The Leader of the Opposition in New Zealand is the politician who, at least in theory, commands the support of the non-government bloc of members in the New Zealand Parliament. In the debating chamber the Leader of the Opposition sits directly opposite the Prime Minister...
in 1983. When, in 1984, the Labour Party won the general elections
New Zealand general election, 1984
The 1984 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the 41st New Zealand Parliament. It marked the beginning of the Fourth Labour Government, with David Lange's Labour Party defeating long-serving Prime Minister Robert Muldoon of the National Party. It was also the...
, Palmer became Deputy Prime Minister
Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand
The Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand is second most senior officer in the Government of New Zealand, although this seniority does not necessarily translate into power....
of the Fourth Labour Government
Fourth Labour Government of New Zealand
The Fourth Labour Government of New Zealand was the government of New Zealand from 26 July 1984 to 2 November 1990. It enacted major social and economic reforms, including reformation of the tax system. The economic reforms were known as Rogernomics after Finance Minister Roger Douglas...
. He also became Attorney-General and Minister of Justice. The new justice minister, who had promoted proportional representation as a law professor in his book Unbridled Power?, also published in 1984, set up a Royal Commission to investigate the electoral system and propose modifications or alternatives. His Royal Commission reported in December 1986, recommending the Mixed Member Proportional system. After the 1987 elections
New Zealand general election, 1987
The 1987 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the 43rd sitting of the New Zealand Parliament. The governing New Zealand Labour Party, led by Prime Minister David Lange, was re-elected for a second term, although the Opposition National Party made gains...
, when Labour was re-elected, he also became Minister of the Environment, an area in which he took personal interest.
Leadership
The most notable feature of New Zealand politics at the time was the economic reform promoted by the Finance MinisterMinister of Finance (New Zealand)
The Minister of Finance is a senior figure within the government of New Zealand. The position is often considered to be the most important Cabinet role after that of the Prime Minister....
, Roger Douglas
Roger Douglas
Sir Roger Owen Douglas , is a New Zealand politician who formerly served as a senior New Zealand Labour Party Cabinet minister. He became arguably best-known for his prominent role in the radical economic restructuring undertaken by the Fourth Labour Government during the 1980s...
. Douglas was advancing free market
Free market
A free market is a competitive market where prices are determined by supply and demand. However, the term is also commonly used for markets in which economic intervention and regulation by the state is limited to tax collection, and enforcement of private ownership and contracts...
monetarist
Monetarism
Monetarism is a tendency in economic thought that emphasizes the role of governments in controlling the amount of money in circulation. It is the view within monetary economics that variation in the money supply has major influences on national output in the short run and the price level over...
policies involving extensive privatization
Privatization
Privatization is the incidence or process of transferring ownership of a business, enterprise, agency or public service from the public sector to the private sector or to private non-profit organizations...
of state assets and the removal of tariff
Tariff
A tariff may be either tax on imports or exports , or a list or schedule of prices for such things as rail service, bus routes, and electrical usage ....
s and subsidies
Subsidy
A subsidy is an assistance paid to a business or economic sector. Most subsidies are made by the government to producers or distributors in an industry to prevent the decline of that industry or an increase in the prices of its products or simply to encourage it to hire more labor A subsidy (also...
. These policies, which contravened Labour's basic policy platform and campaign promises, were deeply unpopular with Labour's traditional support base, and resulted in a confrontation between Prime Minister David Lange
David Lange
David Russell Lange, ONZ, CH , served as the 32nd Prime Minister of New Zealand from 1984 to 1989. He headed New Zealand's fourth Labour Government, one of the most reforming administrations in his country's history, but one which did not always conform to traditional expectations of a...
and Roger Douglas. Lange also reneged from his promise to hold a binding referendum on the MMP system. Palmer conceded defeat on MMP at an April 1989 Labour regional conference, saying that the issue was "effectively dead for the immediate future." Eventually, Douglas was removed from Cabinet
New Zealand Cabinet
The Cabinet of New Zealand functions as the policy and decision-making body of the executive branch within the New Zealand government system...
, but the dispute had weakened Lange enough that he resigned a month later. Palmer, being deputy leader, took over as Prime Minister. Electoral reformers in the Labour Party kept up the pressure, and in September 1989, after Palmer had become prime minister, the full annual conference of the Labour Party passed a remit endorsing a referendum on the principle of proportional representation.
Palmer, however, was perceived by the public as being too closely involved with Douglas's reforms and academically remote. Of particular concern to many people was his work on the legal aspects of state sector rearrangement, such as his preparation of the State Owned Enterprises Act. The presence of David Caygill
David Caygill
David Caygill, CBE is a former New Zealand politician. After being New Zealand's youngest city councillor at 22 , he was an MP from 1978 to 1996, representing the Labour Party...
(a Douglas ally) as Minister of Finance further compounded perception that Palmer was doing nothing to address public concerns. The only area in which Palmer won praise from traditional left-wing supporters was in his handling of the Environment portfolio, which he kept when he became Prime Minister – it was his work here in iniating the resource management law reform process that eventually led to the creation of the Resource Management Act
Resource Management Act
The Resource Management Act passed in 1991 in New Zealand is a significant, and at times, controversial Act of Parliament. The RMA promotes the sustainable management of natural and physical resources such as land, air and water...
.
Two months before the 1990 elections, it was clear that Labour would not win. The perceived damage done by Roger Douglas's reforms, as well as Palmer's lack of general charisma, caused too many Labour supporters to abandon the party. In addition, Palmer was perceived as being too academic and aloof, reminding people of the paternalistic
Paternalism
Paternalism refers to attitudes or states of affairs that exemplify a traditional relationship between father and child. Two conditions of paternalism are usually identified: interference with liberty and a beneficent intention towards those whose liberty is interfered with...
attitude that Douglas was accused of. Palmer was replaced by Mike Moore, who Labour believed would give it a better chance of winning. Palmer chose to resign from parliament, and was replaced in his seat by Lianne Dalziel
Lianne Dalziel
Lianne Audrey Dalziel is a member of the New Zealand Parliament and was Minister of Immigration, Commerce, Minister of Food Safety and Associate Minister of Justice in the Fifth Labour Government of New Zealand...
. The attempt failed, however, and the opposition National Party
New Zealand National Party
The New Zealand National Party is the largest party in the New Zealand House of Representatives and in November 2008 formed a minority government with support from three minor parties.-Policies:...
under Jim Bolger
Jim Bolger
James Brendan "Jim" Bolger, ONZ was the 35th Prime Minister of New Zealand from 1990 to 1997. Bolger was elected on the promise of delivering a "Decent Society" following the previous Labour government's economic reforms, known as Rogernomics...
won a landslide victory.
Geoffrey Palmer became the first Labour leader to leave the party leadership without ever leading the party into an election.
After Parliament
Palmer later went on to serve as Professor of Law at Victoria University again. He also held a position as Professor of Law at the University of IowaUniversity of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
, and worked for a time as a law consultant. The MMP system which he had helped promote was adopted in a 1993 referendum. In 1994, he established Chen Palmer & Partners, a specialist public law firm he began with Wellington lawyer Mai Chen
Mai Chen
Mai Chen is a prominent constitutional lawyer in Wellington, New Zealand.She is a founding partner of the law firm Chen Palmer, alongside former New Zealand Prime Minister Sir Geoffrey Palmer.-Early life:...
. In December 2002, Palmer was appointed to be New Zealand's representative to the International Whaling Commission
International Whaling Commission
The International Whaling Commission is an international body set up by the terms of the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling , which was signed in Washington, D.C...
(IWC). Palmer continued his involvement with, and teaching at Victoria University of Wellington and was regularly engaged as an expert consultant on public and constitutional law issues. His son Matthew Palmer
Matthew Palmer
Matthew Simon Russell Palmer is a prominent New Zealand legal academic and public servant. Palmer was the Pro Vice-Chancellor , Dean of Law, and Director of the New Zealand Centre for Public Law at Victoria University of Wellington from January 2001 until June 2006. He was previously Deputy...
is also a prominent legal academic and public servant.
Law Commissioner
In on 1 December 2005 Palmer was appointed to the presidency of the New Zealand Law CommissionNew Zealand Law Commission
New Zealand's Law Commission was established in 1986 by the Law Commission Act 1985. The Commission is a Crown Entity under the Crown Entities Act 2004....
(the government agency that reviews, reforms and seeks to improve the country's laws) by the Governor General for a term of five years. The New Zealand National Party has raised questions about his suitability as Law Commission President due to his partisan ties to the Labour Party. Palmer stepped down from the Law Commission at the end of his tenure on 1 December 2010.
Honours and awards
Palmer is a member of Her Majesty's Privy Council. He was created a Knight Commander of the Most Distinguished Order of St Michael and St GeorgeOrder of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
in 1991 and made an Honorary Companion of the Order of Australia
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
in the same year. In 1991 he was listed on the United Nations Global 500 Roll of Honour for his work on environmental issues. These included reforming resource management law. Geoffrey Palmer has also sat as a Judge ad hoc on the International Court of Justice
International Court of Justice
The International Court of Justice is the primary judicial organ of the United Nations. It is based in the Peace Palace in The Hague, Netherlands...
in 1995. He holds honorary doctorates from three universities. In 2008 Palmer was one of the first people appointed as Senior Counsel
Senior Counsel
The title of Senior Counsel or State Counsel is given to a senior barrister or advocate in some countries, typically equivalent to the title "Queen's Counsel" used in Commonwealth Realms...
during the temporary change from Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
in the Helen Clark Government.
UN Inquiry
In August 2010 Palmer was chosen to chair a UN Inquiry panel into the fatal Israeli raidGaza flotilla raid
The Gaza flotilla raid was a military operation by Israel against six ships of the "Gaza Freedom Flotilla" on 31 May 2010 in international waters of the Mediterranean Sea...
on the Mavi Marmara, a Turkish ship participating in a Gaza-bound protest flotilla in May of that year. The panel included the outgoing Colombian President Álvaro Uribe
Álvaro Uribe
Alvaro Uribe Vélez was the 58th President of Colombia, from 2002 to 2010. In August 2010 he was appointed Vice-chairman of the UN panel investigating the Gaza flotilla raid....
as the Vice-chair, and representatives from Turkey and Israel. The report, released on 2 September 2011, found that Israel's “naval blockade was imposed as a legitimate security measure in order to prevent weapons from entering Gaza by sea and its implementation complied with the requirements of international law,” and that Israeli soldiers enforcing the blockade faced “organized and violent resistance from a group of passengers” when they boarded the ship. However, the report also found that the Israeli soldiers responded with “excessive and unreasonable” force and recommended that Israel make “an appropriate statement of regret” and pay compensation.