Richard Seddon

Richard Seddon’s nickname, ‘King Dick’, says it all. Our longest-serving and most famous leader not only led the government, many argued he was the government. For 13 years he completely dominated politics. Like Julius Vogel, Seddon followed gold to Victoria and New Zealand, in his case Westland, where he entered politics.

In 1881 Kumara voters sent him to Parliament. His goldfields experience coloured his politics, explaining both his anti-Chinese prejudice and the pensions he gave to ageing pioneers. This former publican was not John Ballance’s choice to succeed him, but with Sir Robert Stout away from Parliament, Seddon persuaded Cabinet to let him mind the shop until Stout returned. He then quickly persuaded his colleagues that a leadership dispute would risk the party’s precarious reforms. Stout was out.

After winning the 1893 election, Seddon entrenched the major Liberal reforms to land, labour and taxation previously thwarted by the upper house. He even took credit for enfranchising women, a reform he had opposed.

Seddon’s five consecutive election victories have never been matched. At his peak he exercised almost one-man, one-party rule, but the quality of his ministry declined as he monopolised important portfolios and meddled in the rest. By subordinating the extra-parliamentary party organisation, he weakened the Liberals.