Phil Holloway

New Zealand Parliament

The Honourable Phil Holloway CMG
21st Minister of Industries and Commerce
In office 12 December 1957 –12 December 1960
Years	Term	Electorate		Party
1954 –1957	31st	Heretaunga			Labour
1957 –1960	32nd	Heretaunga			Labour

Holloway in his office, 1959

He stood in the 1946 election in the Manawatu electorate, but was defeated by the incumbent, Matthew Oram of the National Party. ^[4] At the 1947 local-body elections he stood unsuccessfully for the Wellington City Council on a Labour ticket (along with all other Labour candidates). ^[5] In the 1951 election, he unsuccessfully stood in the Otaki electorate. ^[6]

He represented the Heretaunga electorate from 1954 to 1960, when he retired. ^[7] He was both Minister of Industries and Commerce and Minister for Science and Industrial Research from 1957 to 1960 in the Second Labour Government. ^[8] In that role, he was involved in the negotiations with Australia and eventually led to a free trade agreement. ^[1] Holloway initiated several capital works initiatives to improve New Zealand's manufacturing capacity. He oversaw the construction of the Tiwai Point Aluminium Smelter, the Marsden Point Oil Refinery and New Zealand Steel's mill at Glenbrook. Another, a cotton mill in Nelson, was cancelled after National won the 1960 election. ^[2]

Holloway had one of the largest majorities of any member of Parliament when he surprisingly decided he would not seek re-election in the 1960 election. By then he was disillusioned by politics and rationalised his unexpected departure stating there is "only so much one could do in politics". ^[2]

Looming over his retirement, was the fact he had been involved in a very public stoush due to a libel case. In Truth (NZ) Ltd v Holloway, he sued the tabloid newspaper New Zealand Truth for libel after an article in its 24 March 1959 issue which featured an article "This Ex-Russian's Export Licences Should Be Investigated" which demanded an immediate government inquiry into dealings between Henry Judd, an émigré importer, and Warren Freer, Labour MP for Mt Albert. It quoted the importer as saying he had an ease-of-passage remedy for controlled imports, stating: "See Phil, and Phil will fix it", and reported that the reference was to Holloway who as Minister of Industries and Commerce was in charge of import controls. Holloway vehemently denied the suggestion and sued the paper for libel and sought £15,000 in damages. The nation was gripped by the trial which focused heavily on the derivations and meanings of the word "fix". The defence led by Robin Cooke took appeals all the way to the Privy Council in London. The court case that lasted 14 months, and eventually he was awarded £11,000 in damages and a further £800 in costs, a record sum for the times. ^[2]

Holloway's early retirement also had other reasons. He wrote to Prime Minister Walter Nash early in 1960 to inform him he would not be standing again. Privately he lamented the fact that neither caucus or party member meetings had energy or enthusiasm any more. In the letter Holloway remarked that he thought Labour's party organisation was "pathetically weak" and that the future of both the party and the government was "not bright until there is a re-assessment of our [Labour's] policy and objectives, and also a re-vitalizing of our organisation". ^[9]

Post-politics

In 1962 Holloway became manager of the New Zealand branch of the Chandris Shipping Lines. In 1963, after divorcing his first wife Joyce, he married Beverley Woolf with whom he would have another daughter. ^[2] He remained an active member of the Labour Party and stood twice for the party presidency. He unsuccessfully challenged incumbent president Norman Douglas at both the 1967 and 1968 party conferences. ^{[10] [11]}

In 1973, following the election of the Third Labour Government, Holloway was appointed as Ambassador to Italy (with cross-accreditation to Yugoslavia, Egypt and Iraq) and High Commissioner to Malta from 1973 to 1976. ^[2]

After his return to New Zealand, he became company director of an export company until he retired in 1989. He was a co-owner of a number of successful race horses with his friend Woolf Fisher. ^[2]

In the 1987 Queen's Birthday Honours, Holloway was appointed a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George, for public services. ^[12] He was genuinely surprised with the award. ^[2]

Death

In early 2001 he became unwell and increasingly disabled following a series of small strokes. Holloway died on 28 May 2003. He was survived by his second wife Beverley, two daughters and one stepson from his second marriage. His funeral was attended by Labour leaders, including then Prime Minister Helen Clark. ^[2]

Family

One of his daughters was actor and writer Liddy Holloway and a grandson is actor Joel Tobeck. ^[13]

Notes

1. Falconer, Phoebe (7 June 2003). "Obituary: Philip Holloway". The New Zealand Herald . Retrieved 20 January 2013.
2. Kitchin, Peter (12 June 2003). "Truth left begging in Holloway case". The Dominion Post . p. 6.
3. Freer, Warren W (2004). A Lifetime in Politics: the memoirs of Warren Freer. Wellington: Victoria University Press. pp. 128, 136. ISBN   0-86473-478-6.
4. "The General Election, 1946". National Library. 1947. p. 5. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
5. Norrie, J (1 December 1947). Declaration of Election Results (Report). Wellington City Council.
6. "The New Zealand Official Year-Book, 1951–52". Statistics New Zealand. Archived from the original on 23 June 2012. Retrieved 19 November 2012.
7. Wilson 1985, p. 206.
8. Wilson 1985, p. 89.
9. Sinclair 1976, p. 349.
10. "Labour Officers". The Evening Post . 9 May 1967. p. 19.
11. "Mr Douglas Again President of NZ Labour Party". The Evening Post . 7 May 1968. p. 13.
12. "No. 50950". The London Gazette (4th supplement). 13 June 1987. p. 31.
13. Liddy Holloway – Biography. New Zealand On Screen. Retrieved 20 January 2013.

References

• Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First published in 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC   154283103.
• Sinclair, Keith (1976). Walter Nash. Auckland: Oxford University Press. ISBN   0-19-647949-5.

New Zealand Parliament
New constituency	Member of Parliament for Heretaunga 1954–1960	Succeeded by Ron Bailey
Political offices
Preceded by Eric Halstead	Minister of Industries and Commerce 1957–1960	Succeeded by Jack Marshall
Preceded by Ronald Algie	Minister for Science and Industrial Research 1957–1960	Succeeded by Blair Tennent
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by Dick Atkins	Ambassador to Italy 1973–1976	Succeeded by Eric Halstead