Bill Birch

The Rt. Hon. Sir William Francis Birch, GNZM, (born 9 April 1934), usually known as Bill Birch, is a former New Zealand politician. He served as Minister of Finance for several years in a National Party government. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 175 × 250 pixelsFull resolution (175 × 250 pixel, file size: 24 KB, MIME type: image/gif) Bill Birch, a New Zealand politician Taken from http://www. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 175 × 250 pixelsFull resolution (175 × 250 pixel, file size: 24 KB, MIME type: image/gif) Bill Birch, a New Zealand politician Taken from http://www. ... The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order of chivalry established on 30 May 1996 by Queen Elizabeth II of New Zealand. ... April 9 is the 99th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (100th in leap years). ... 1934 (MCMXXXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Minister of Finance is a senior figure within the government of New Zealand. ... The New Zealand National Party (National or the Nats) currently forms the second-largest (in terms of seats) political party represented in the New Zealand Parliament, and thus functions as the core of the parliamentary Opposition. ...

Birch was born in Hastings, although gained his qualifications in Hamilton. 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 organizations. He served on Pukehohe's borough council from 1965 to 1974, and was deputy mayor from 1968 to 1974. Hastings is the administrative centre of the Hastings District in the Hawkes Bay Region of the North Island of New Zealand. ... Hamilton (Kirikiriroa in Māori) is the centre of New Zealands fourth largest urban area, and is the countrys seventh largest city. ... Surveyor at work with a leveling instrument. ... Pukekohe is a town in the Franklin district of the North Island of New Zealand. ... Schematic map of Auckland. ... 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1965 calendar). ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday. ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ...

Birch first entered parliament in the 1972 elections, in which he was the National Party's candidate for the Franklin electorate (which included Pukehohe). National won the next election, in 1975, becoming the third National government. After holding a number of internal National Party positions, Birch was made Minister of National Development, Minister of Energy, and Minister of Science and Technology in 1978. In 1981, he swapped the Science and Technology role for the Regional Development portfolio. The final results of the New Zealand General Election 1972 were 55 seats won by the Labour party (led by Norman Kirk) and 32 seats won by the National Party, with no minor parties winning any seats. ... The 1975 New Zealand general election was held to elect MPs to the 38th session of the New Zealand Parliament. ... The Third National Government of New Zealand was the government of New Zealand from 1975 to 1984. ... 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday. ... 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

As Minister for National Development, Birch was closely involved in the Think Big project, a series of high-cost programmes designed to reduce New Zealand's dependence on imported fuel. The New Zealand Prime Minister Robert Muldoon (Prime Minister: 1975 - 1984; Sir Robert from 1983) and his New Zealand National Party government in the early 1980s sponsored Think Big as an interventionist state economic strategy. ...

When National lost the 1984 election, Birch's ministerial career was interrupted, but he remained in parliament. The 1984 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament. ...

After National regained power in the 1990 election, Birch re-entered cabinet as part of the fourth National government. Over the next three years, he was to hold a number of ministerial roles, including Minister of Labour, Minister of Immigration, Minister of Pacific Island Affairs, Minister of Employment, Minister of Health, and Minister responsible for the ACC. As Minister of Labour, Birch introduced the Employment Contracts Act, which radically liberalised the labour market, most noticeably by reducing the power of trade unions. The 1990 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliaments 43rd term. ... The Fourth National Government of New Zealand was the government of New Zealand from 2 November 1990 to 27 November 1999. ... The Accident Compensation Corporation (Te Kaporeihana Āwhina Hunga Whara, ACC) is a New Zealand Crown Entity responsible for administering the Injury Prevention, Rehabilitation, and Compensation Act ; which supports citizens, residents, and temporary visitors who have suffered accidental injuries. ...

In 1992, Birch was made a member of the British Privy Council, an honour reserved for senior New Zealand politicians. A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a nation, especially in a monarchy. ...

During this period, Birch clashed a number of times with the controversial Minister of Finance, Ruth Richardson. The Prime Minister, Jim Bolger, had never been a supporter of Richardson's strong laissez-faire policies, and preferred the more conservative Birch for the Finance portfolio. At the 1993 election, which National nearly lost, Richardson was removed from her Finance role, and Birch was elevated in her place. Ruth Richardson (born December 13, 1950) served as New Zealands Minister of Finance from 1990 to 1993, and is known for her strong pursuit of radical economic reforms (sometimes known as Ruthanasia). Early life Richardson was born in southern Taranaki on 13 December 1950. ... The Prime Minister of New Zealand is New Zealands head of government and is the leader of the party or coalition with majority support in the Parliament of New Zealand. ... The Right Honourable James Brendan Jim Bolger, ONZ, (born 31 May 1935) was Prime Minister of New Zealand from 1990 to 1997. ... Laissez-faire is short for laissez faire, laissez passer, a French phrase meaning to let things alone, let them pass. First used by the eighteenth century Physiocrats as an injunction against government interference with trade, it is now used as a synonym for strict free market economics. ... The 1993 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament. ...

Birch's appointment to the Finance portfolio raised eyebrows, given Birch's association with the Think Big projects. However, he soon developed a reputation for a frugal finance minister, delivering a succession of balanced budgets. He also privatised a number of state assets.

After the 1996 election, National needed to form a coalition with the New Zealand First party in order to govern. New Zealand First's leader, Winston Peters, insisted on control of the Finance role as part of the coalition agreement, and National eventually agreed. The Minister of Finance role was split into two separate offices, one given the title "Treasurer" and the other still called "Minister of Finance". Treasurer, the senior title, was given to Winston Peters, while Birch retained the (lessened) role of Minister of Finance. Some, however, have voiced the opinion that whatever the official arrangement may have been, Birch still performed most of the job's key functions. Mike Moore of the Labour Party commented that "we are always impressed when Winston Peters answers questions, because Bill Birch's lips do not move." The 1996 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament. ... A coalition government, or coalition cabinet, is a cabinet in parliamentary government in which several parties cooperate. ... New Zealand First functions as a political party in New Zealand. ... Winston Raymond Peters (born April 11, 1945) is a New Zealand politician and the current Minister of Foreign Affairs, outside cabinet. ... This page is about the New Zealand politician and Director-General of the World Trade Organization. ... The New Zealand Labour Party is a New Zealand political party. ...

When the coalition with New Zealand First broke down, Birch took over the role of Treasurer. He was both Treasurer and Minister of Finance for several months before Bill English was promoted to Minister of Finance, leaving Birch with the senior role. In the middle of 1999, however, Birch and English were swapped, with Birch becoming Minister of Finance again. Simon William Bill English is a New Zealand politician, and former leader of the National Party from October 2001 to October 2003. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ...

Birch was made a Knight Grand Companion of New Zealand Order of Merit in the 1999 Queen's Birthday Honours.

Birch retired from Parliament at that year's election. The 1999 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the 46th session of the New Zealand Parliament. ...

External links

• http://www.executive.govt.nz/96-99/minister/birch/ NZ Government biography