Arthur Faulkner

Arthur James Faulkner (20 November 1921 – 15 May 1985) was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party.

Faulkner was born in the Auckland suburb of Devonport in 1921. He was educated at Takanini School then Otahuhu District High School and after finishing his education he found employment as a sales clerk. At the age of 15 he joined the Labour Party and worked as a party organiser and later a branch secretary.

At the outbreak of World War II Faulkner joined the Royal New Zealand Air Force and became a fighter pilot. He saw action in both Europe and North Africa flying a Supermarine Spitfire. He showed his prowess as a fighter pilot by being the first Allied pilot to land at Anzio, Italy, when Allied forces fought their way ashore during Operation Shingle. After returning to New Zealand after the war he was employed as the credit manager of a furniture company.

Faulkner stood unsuccessfully for the Franklin electorate in 1951 and the North Shore electorate in 1954. At the Bay of Plenty by-election in May 1957 he was Labour's campaign organiser.

He then stood for and won the Roskill electorate in 1957, and held the seat to 1981, when he retired. Faulkner was a backbencher during the government of Walter Nash before spending 12 years in opposition. During this period he spoke frequently on defence matters in the house and it was no surprise when Labour leader Norman Kirk designated Faulkner as Labour's defence spokesman in 1965. He was particularly critical of New Zealand's involvement in the Vietnam War. Earlier that year he stood unsuccessfully for the position of Kirk's deputy. He was beaten by the incumbent Hugh Watt by 24 votes to 8 with Norman Douglas receiving 2 votes.

When United States Vice President Spiro Agnew visited Wellington in mid-January 1970, Faulkner along with several other Labour Members of Parliament including Bob Tizard, Jonathan Hunt, and Martyn Finlay boycotted the state dinner to protest American policy in Vietnam. However, other Labour MPs including Opposition Leader Norman Kirk attended the function which dealt with the Nixon Doctrine.

He was a Cabinet Minister, and was appointed by Kirk as Minister of Defence from 1972 to 1974 in the Third Labour Government. Within days of being sworn in as a minister he ended New Zealand's compulsory military training scheme which fulfilled a key election campaign pledge by Labour. Faulkner strongly opposed New Zealand having sporting contact with South Africa during the Apartheid period and argued that the proposed 1973 Springbok tour should be cancelled. He told cabinet that he would resign rather than instruct troops to combat protesting civilians and that in any case the military was not trained to assist police in preserving civil order. The tour eventually did not go ahead. He was also briefly Minister of Works from August to September 1974. He was often called to serve in an acting role in other portfolios including lands, education, island affairs, agriculture and fisheries. He was particularly noted for his success in education and lands where he initiated the governments Ohu scheme of work groups for alternative communities in rural areas.

He stood a second time for deputy to Bill Rowling in 1974 following the death of Kirk. He was popular in caucus due to his amiable personality, but both chief whip Ron Barclay and senior minister Warren Freer saw him as indecisive and not leadership material. As Barclay learned that Faulkner could win on the first ballot, he got Freer to stand for deputy to split the vote. Bob Tizard, narrowly, won on the fourth ballot 28 votes to 26. In a surprise move, Rowling decided to remove Faulkner as Defence minister and instead appointed him as Minister of Labour instead. One of his strengths was his abilities as a conciliator, a talent which served him well in the Labour portfolio, deemed to be the most demanding job in the Third Labour Government. Rowling also appointed him Minister of State Services. Faulkner's critics suggested he was too ready to agree with all points of view but settle for none, whilst others thought he was skilled at reaching amicable agreements that never fully conceded to one side while still satisfying all parties. Those skills were underutilised in the defence portfolio but which led Rowling to shift his responsibilities.