David Lange

Lawyer, politician, prime minister

Renowned for his sharp wit and oratory skills, David Lange led the fourth Labour government for five tumultuous years between 1984 and 1989. His government's strong anti-nuclear position and pioneering social and human rights legislation – including homosexual law reform – seemed to fit easily with the liberal tradition of the Labour Party.

But Lange's administration is also remembered for the 'new right' economic policies of his Minister of Finance, Roger Douglas. The selling of state assets and economic deregulation led some critics to accuse the government of destroying the welfare state that Michael Joseph Savage's first Labour government had created half a century earlier. Ultimately, Lange could not reconcile himself with 'Rogernomics' and resigned as Prime Minister in August 1989.

Lange had come into politics via the law. In 1977 he won a by-election in the safe Labour seat of Mangere. He rose quickly through Labour's ranks, becoming deputy leader in 1979 and leader in 1983. His meteoric rise was completed when he led Labour to a landslide victory over Robert Muldoon's National government in the 1984 'snap' election.

Lange's first term as Prime Minister was dominated by the nuclear ships row with the United States and the bombing of the Greenpeace vessel Rainbow Warrior by French agents in Auckland in 1985. As Minister of Foreign Affairs, he enhanced his international reputation with a masterful performance in the widely televised Oxford Union debate in March 1985. Arguing that 'nuclear weapons are morally indefensible' against right-wing evangelist Jerry Falwell, Lange drew thunderous applause with his now famous reply to a young conservative: '... hold your breath just for a moment. I can smell the uranium on it as you lean toward me!'

H. Monroe Browne, the US Ambassador to New Zealand at the height of the nuclear ships row, also felt the sharp end of Lange's wit. The Ambassador owned a racehorse called Lacka Reason, prompting Lange to muse that he was 'the only ambassador in the world to race a horse named after [his] country's foreign policy.'

After the 1987 election, in which Labour increased its majority, Lange clashed openly with Douglas over the implementation of his 'new right' economic policies. The extent and pace of these reforms alarmed many of Labour's traditional supporters. Critics argued that these policies could not have been introduced and implemented without Lange's support. Initially Lange appeared to support the Douglas agenda. Labour had inherited an economy in bad shape in 1984 and there was a sense that something drastic was required to turn it around. By 1987 the pace of change saw Lange somewhat belatedly call for a pause and 'a cup of tea'.

Despite the worldwide stock market crash of October 1987 Douglas was adamant that the government had to hold its nerve and proceed with its economic reforms. Douglas presented a package of reforms to Cabinet in December which included plans for a flat tax rate. Lange opposed these proposals but publicly supported Douglas as Cabinet had approved the package. A month later Lange did an about-face and unilaterally announced that there would be no flat tax. Some describe what happened next as political civil war.

During 1988 Lange attempted to reign in Douglas and his closest allies. In November he sacked a key Douglas supporter, Richard Prebble, from Cabinet. By the end of the year Douglas had also left Cabinet.  Lange narrowly won a vote of confidence in caucus in June 1989. The decision of the Labour caucus to re-elect Douglas to Cabinet in August was the final straw. An exhausted and isolated Lange resigned as leader on 8 August.

Lange served as Attorney-General when Geoffrey Palmer succeeded him as Prime Minister. After Labour's crushing defeat in the 1990 election he served another six years as MP for Mangere.

In 1989 Lange separated from Naomi, his wife of 21 years. In 1992 he married his former speech writer Margaret Pope. They had one daughter, Edith, in 1996.

Lange had suffered poor health for many years, including diabetes and heart problems. In 2002 he was diagnosed as having a rare and incurable blood plasma disorder. By July 2005 he was receiving dialysis treatment for kidney failure. He had his lower right leg amputated as a result of complications from diabetes before dying of heart failure on 13 August 2005. He was 63.