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Bill Birch
Sir William Francis Birch GNZM PC (born 9 April 1934), usually known as Bill Birch, is a New Zealand retired politician. He served as Minister of Finance from 1993 to 1999 in the fourth National Government.
Birch was born in Hastings on 9 April 1934, the son of Charles and Elizabeth Birch. He was educated at Hamilton's Technical High School and through Wellington Technical Correspondence School. 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 organisations. He served on Pukehohe's borough council from 1965 to 1974, and was deputy mayor from 1968 to 1974.
In 1953, Birch married Rosa Mitchell, and the couple went on to have four children.
Birch first entered parliament in the 1972 election and would remain an MP for the next twenty-seven years.
At first, Birch stood in Franklin, succeeding the retiring National Party MP and Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives Alf Allen. The seat had once been held by Prime Minister William Massey. Its name and shape changed regularly as required by post-New Zealand census boundary adjustments. Over Birch's career, the extreme borders of his electorate sometimes extended as far as north as Beachlands, as far south-west as Pirongia Mountain and as far east as Thames (though never all at once). However, no matter the name, Birch's electorate always included the town of Pukekohe.
After his retirement in 1999, he was succeeded by Paul Hutchison as MP for Port Waikato.
Birch's initial term of Parliament was in Opposition, but under leader and finance spokesperson Robert Muldoon, the National Party won the following three elections and formed the Third National Government. After holding a number of internal National Party positions in his first six years as an MP, including senior whip from 1976 to 1979, Birch was made Minister of National Development, Minister of Energy, and Minister of Science and Technology when National won its second term in government at the 1978 election.
As a minister in the Third National Government, Birch supported the Government's dawn raids against overstayers, which disproportionately targeted the Pasifika community. In response the Polynesian Panthers activist group staged "counter raids" on the homes of Birch and the Minister of Immigration Frank Gill, surrounding them with light and chanting with megaphones. As Minister of Energy during the 1979 oil crisis, Birch oversaw the introduction of temporary petrol demand reduction measures including carless days and the ban on petrol sales during weekends.
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Bill Birch
Sir William Francis Birch GNZM PC (born 9 April 1934), usually known as Bill Birch, is a New Zealand retired politician. He served as Minister of Finance from 1993 to 1999 in the fourth National Government.
Birch was born in Hastings on 9 April 1934, the son of Charles and Elizabeth Birch. He was educated at Hamilton's Technical High School and through Wellington Technical Correspondence School. 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 organisations. He served on Pukehohe's borough council from 1965 to 1974, and was deputy mayor from 1968 to 1974.
In 1953, Birch married Rosa Mitchell, and the couple went on to have four children.
Birch first entered parliament in the 1972 election and would remain an MP for the next twenty-seven years.
At first, Birch stood in Franklin, succeeding the retiring National Party MP and Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives Alf Allen. The seat had once been held by Prime Minister William Massey. Its name and shape changed regularly as required by post-New Zealand census boundary adjustments. Over Birch's career, the extreme borders of his electorate sometimes extended as far as north as Beachlands, as far south-west as Pirongia Mountain and as far east as Thames (though never all at once). However, no matter the name, Birch's electorate always included the town of Pukekohe.
After his retirement in 1999, he was succeeded by Paul Hutchison as MP for Port Waikato.
Birch's initial term of Parliament was in Opposition, but under leader and finance spokesperson Robert Muldoon, the National Party won the following three elections and formed the Third National Government. After holding a number of internal National Party positions in his first six years as an MP, including senior whip from 1976 to 1979, Birch was made Minister of National Development, Minister of Energy, and Minister of Science and Technology when National won its second term in government at the 1978 election.
As a minister in the Third National Government, Birch supported the Government's dawn raids against overstayers, which disproportionately targeted the Pasifika community. In response the Polynesian Panthers activist group staged "counter raids" on the homes of Birch and the Minister of Immigration Frank Gill, surrounding them with light and chanting with megaphones. As Minister of Energy during the 1979 oil crisis, Birch oversaw the introduction of temporary petrol demand reduction measures including carless days and the ban on petrol sales during weekends.