Martyn Finlay
| The Honourable Martyn Finlay QC MP |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| 22nd Attorney-General of New Zealand | |
| In office 8 December 1972 – 12 December 1975 |
|
| Preceded by | Roy Jack |
| Succeeded by | Peter Wilkinson |
| 36th Minister of Justice of New Zealand | |
| In office 8 December 1972 – 12 December 1975 |
|
| Preceded by | Roy Jack |
| Succeeded by | David Spence Thomson |
| 19th President of the Labour Party | |
| In office 1960–1964 |
|
| Vice President | J. A. Bateman |
| Leader | Walter Nash Arnold Nordmeyer |
| Preceded by | Michael Moohan |
| Succeeded by | Norman Kirk |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1 January 1912 |
| Died | 20 January 1999 |
| Political party | Labour Party |
Allan "Martyn" Finlay QC (1 January 1912 – 20 January 1999) was a New Zealand lawyer and politician of the Labour Party.
Contents
Biography[edit]
Electoral history[edit]
| Parliament of New Zealand | ||||
| Years | Term | Electorate | Party | |
| 1946–1949 | 28th | North Shore | Labour | |
| 1963–1966 | 34th | Waitakere | Labour | |
| 1966–1969 | 35th | Waitakere | Labour | |
| 1969–1972 | 36th | Henderson | Labour | |
| 1972–1975 | 37th | Henderson | Labour | |
| 1975–1978 | 38th | Henderson | Labour | |
Martyn Finlay stood unsuccessfully for Remuera in 1943. He then represented the North Shore electorate from 1946 to 1949, when he was defeated. Later he represented the Waitakere electorate from 1963 to 1969, then the Henderson electorate from 1969 to 1978, when he retired.[1]
Vietnam War[edit]
Martyn Finlay was also one of the Labour Party's most active opponents of New Zealand's military involvement in the Vietnam War and questioned the New Zealand government's support for South Vietnam. In 1964, he argued during a parliamentary speech that the Viet Cong were the only effective opposition in South Vietnam, but still accepted the general consensus within New Zealand government circles that the Viet Cong were being supported by North Vietnam and the People's Republic of China.[2] On 6 June 1965, Finlay chaired an anti-war meeting in Auckland which was sponsored by the Auckland Trades Council, the Auckland Labour Representation Committee, and the Auckland Peace For Vietnam Committee (PFVC). A prominent speaker at that meeting was the trade unionist Jim Knox.[3] He also participated in a teach-in at the University of Auckland on 12 September 1966, which drew about 600 people.[4]
During a Labour Party conference in 1966, Martyn Finlay, at the instigation of the Labour Party leader and future Prime Minister Norman Kirk, proposed an amendment which advocated replacing New Zealand's artillery battery with a non-combatant force.[5] Despite his opposition to the Vietnam War, Finlay argued that New Zealand troops should not be withdrawn from Vietnam too quickly to avoid interfering with the Paris peace talks in 1969.[6] When the United States Vice President Spiro Agnew visited the capital Wellington in mid-January 1970, Finlay along with several other Labour Members of Parliament including Arthur Faulkner, Jonathan Hunt, and Bob Tizard boycotted the state dinner to protest American policy in Vietnam. However, other Labour MPs including the Opposition Leader Norman Kirk attended the function which dealt with the Nixon Doctrine.[7] Later, he lost a notable 1969 election TV debate (on the NZBC's Gallery programme) against Robert Muldoon.
The Third Labour Government[edit]
Finlay was a Cabinet Minister, and was the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice from 1972 to 1975 and Minister of Civil Aviation and Meteorological Services from 1973 to 1975 in the Third Labour Government.[8][9] He was President of the Labour Party from 1960 to 1964.
He was made a Queen's Counsel (QC) in 1973.[10]
Notes[edit]
- ^ Wilson 1985, p. 196.
- ^ Rabel 2005, p. 76-78.
- ^ Rabel 2005, p. 120.
- ^ Rabel 2005, p. 162.
- ^ Rabel & 2005 180.
- ^ Rabel 2005, p. 287.
- ^ Rabel & 2005 299-300.
- ^ "Obituary—Hon. Dr Allan Martyn Finlay QC". New Zealand Hansard. VDIG.net. 16 February 1999. Retrieved 29 August 2013.
- ^ Wilson 1985, pp. 92–93.
- ^ "Queen's Counsel appointments since 1907 as at July 2013" (PDF). Crown Law Office. Retrieved 4 September 2013.
References[edit]
- Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First ed. published 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103.
- Rabel, Roberto (2005). New Zealand and the Vietnam War: Politics and Diplomacy. Auckland: Auckland University Press. ISBN 1-86940-340-1.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Roy Jack |
Minister of Justice 1972–1975 |
Succeeded by David Thomson |
| Attorney-General of New Zealand 1972–1975 |
Succeeded by Peter Wilkinson |
|
| New Zealand Parliament | ||
| New constituency | Member of Parliament for North Shore 1946–1949 |
Succeeded by Dean Eyre |
| Preceded by Rex Mason |
Member of Parliament for Waitakere 1963–1969 |
Vacant
Constituency abolished, recreated in 1978
Title next held by
Ralph Maxwell |
| New constituency | Member of Parliament for Henderson 1969–1978 |
Vacant
Constituency abolished, recreated in 1993
Title next held by
Jack Elder |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by Michael Moohan |
President of the Labour Party 1960–1964 |
Succeeded by Norman Kirk |
- New Zealand Queen's Counsel
- Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives
- 1912 births
- 1999 deaths
- New Zealand Labour Party MPs
- Members of the Cabinet of New Zealand
- New Zealand lawyers
- New Zealand MPs for Auckland electorates
- Attorneys General of New Zealand
- Unsuccessful candidates in the New Zealand general election, 1949
- Unsuccessful candidates in the New Zealand general election, 1943
