Stan Rodger

{{Infobox officeholder

| honorific-prefix = The Honourable

| name = Stan Rodger

| honorific-suffix = {{post-nominals|country=NZL|CMG|JP|size=100%}}

|image = Stan Rodger, 1970.jpg

|caption = Rodger in 1970

|order = 3rd Minister for State Owned Enterprises

|term_start = 8 November 1988

|term_end = 9 February 1990

|primeminister = David Lange
Geoffrey Palmer

|predecessor = David Lange

|successor = Richard Prebble

|order1 = 7th Minister of State Services

|term_start1 = 26 July 1984

|term_end1 = 9 February 1990

|primeminister1 = David Lange
Geoffrey Palmer

|predecessor1 = David Thomson

|successor1 = Clive Matthewson

|order2 = 28th Minister of Labour

|term_start2 = 26 July 1984

|term_end2 = 8 August 1989

|primeminister2 = David Lange

|predecessor2 = Jim Bolger

|successor2 = Helen Clark

|constituency_MP4 = Dunedin North

|parliament4 = New Zealand

|term_start4 = 25 November 1978

|term_end4 = 27 October 1990

|predecessor4 = Richard Walls

|successor4 = Pete Hodgson

|birth_name =

|birth_date = {{Birth date|1940|02|13|df=y}}

|birth_place = Dunedin, New Zealand

|death_date = {{Death date and age|2022|05|29|1940|02|13|df=y}}

|death_place = Dunedin, New Zealand

|spouse = {{marriage|Anne Patricia O'Connor|1968}}

|children = 2

|relatives =

|party = Labour

|religion =

|profession = Public servant

}}

Stanley Joseph Rodger {{post-nominals|country=NZL|CMG|JP}} (13 February 1940 – 29 May 2022) was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party. He was president of the Public Service Association between 1970 and 1973 and Member of Parliament for Dunedin North from 1978 to 1990.

Biography

=Early life and career=

Rodger was born in Dunedin on 13 February 1940, the son of Edith Rodger (née Lloyd) and James Stanley Rodger.{{sfn|Lambert|1991|p=542}} He was educated at Kaikorai Primary School and King Edward Technical College.{{sfn|Lambert|1991|p=542}} In 1968, he married Anne Patricia O'Connor and the couple went on to have two children,{{sfn|Lambert|1991|p=542}} including Craig Rodger who became the Beverly Professor of Physics at the University of Otago.{{cite news |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/former-labour-cabinet-minister-stan-rodger-dies-aged-82/IW25JLHG7KOZ5TAG6LNH42JHHQ/ |title=Former Labour Cabinet minister Stan Rodger dies aged 82 |date=30 May 2022 |work=The New Zealand Herald |access-date=31 May 2022}}{{cite web |url=https://www.otago.ac.nz/otagobulletin/news/otago740666.html |title=One family; generations of discovery |date=23 July 2020 |publisher=University of Otago |access-date=31 May 2022}}

In 1957, Rodger began his career in the public service in Dunedin working at the Ministry of Works and Development, later moving to Wellington to take up another position at the Ministry.{{sfn|Who's Who|1987|p=85}} He remained at the Ministry of Works and Development until 1974 when he transferred to the newly created Housing Corporation.{{Cite news |title='A Poacher Turned Gamekeeper...' – Cabinet Profiles |work=The New Zealand Herald |date=25 July 1984 |page=3 }}

He became involved with the Public Service Association (PSA) and became vice-president from 1967 to 1970. From 1970 to 1973, he was president of the PSA.{{Cite web |url=http://www.psa100.org.nz/stories/people/l-z/stan-rodger/ |author=O'Hare, Noel |publisher=Public Service Association |title=Stan Rodger |date=2 April 2013 |access-date=24 May 2019 }} Between 1970 and 1974 he was the chairman of the Combined State Unions and from 1976 to 1978 he was the assistant secretary of the PSA.{{sfn|Who's Who|1987|p=85}}

=Political career=

{{NZ parlbox|term=39th|start={{NZ election link year|1978}}|end=1981|party=New Zealand Labour Party|electorate=Dunedin North}}

{{NZ parlbox|term=40th|start={{NZ election link year|1981}}|end=1984|party=New Zealand Labour Party|electorate=Dunedin North}}

{{NZ parlbox|term=41st|start={{NZ election link year|1984}}|end=1987|party=New Zealand Labour Party|electorate=Dunedin North}}

{{NZ parlbox|term=42nd|start={{NZ election link year|1987}}|end=1990|party=New Zealand Labour Party|electorate=Dunedin North}}

In 1963 he put himself forward to replace Phil Connolly the retiring MP for Dunedin Central, but lost out to Brian MacDonell. Aged only 22 at the time Rodger was informed by Arnold Nordmeyer that his age was against him. However, Connolly subsequently gave Rodger encouragement to pursue politics.{{sfn|Jamieson|2009|p=266}}

Rodger stood unsuccessfully for the Labour Party in the {{NZ election link|1963}} for {{NZ electorate link|Waitaki}} and in the {{NZ election link|1966}} for {{NZ electorate link|Otago}}. In 1965, 1968 and 1971, he stood as a Labour candidate for the Wellington Hospital Board without success. In 1968 he also stood for a seat on the Wellington City Council, but was likewise unsuccessful.{{Cite news |work=The Evening Post |title=Official Result of Poll in Wellington |date=14 October 1968 }} In 1973, he stood for vice-president of the Labour Party and was seen as the front-runner for the position. However, he finished only third behind the winner, Eddie Isbey, and Jonathan Hunt.{{Cite news |work=The Evening Post |title=Mr Bennett Elected First Maori Labour President |date=8 May 1973 |page=1 }}

Rodger represented the electorate of Dunedin North in Parliament from 1978 to 1990, when he retired and was replaced by Pete Hodgson. From 1980 to 1984 he was Labour's junior whip.{{sfn|Wilson|1985|p=281}} From 1982 to 1984 he was Shadow Postmaster-General.{{Cite news |title=Heads of Labour posts named |date=15 December 1979 |work=The New Zealand Herald |page=12 }}{{Cite news |title=Labour leader allocates responsibilities |date=17 March 1983 | work=The Press |page=3 }}

He was appointed Minister of Labour and State Services by Prime Minister David Lange in the Fourth Labour Government.{{sfn|Wilson|1985|p=98}} With his union background he happily conceded a media tag that as Minister of Labour he was "a poacher turned gamekeeper" also stating that his union background would be advantageous to all parties in industrial disputes. His immediate concern was the wage freeze implemented by the preceding National government. He negotiated with unions to agree to an initial three-month extension of the wage freeze until a solution to exit the freeze could be decided. He represented the government at the annual conferences of the International Labour Organization (ILO) as well as the Asian Region Conference of the ILO in Jakarta in 1985.{{sfn|Who's Who|1987|p=86}}

Rodger's political opponents gave him the tag of "Side-line Stan". As Minister of State Services, Rodger was responsible for overseeing the introduction and implementation of the controversial State Sector Act 1988 that reshaped and partially privatised the public service in New Zealand. The reform was deeply unpopular, so much so that the PSA stripped Rodger of his life membership (however they restored it in 2004). He was never enthusiastic about the public service reforms, but publicly went along with them nevertheless. Roderick Deane, the then Chairman of the State Services Commission, said of Rodger's role in the reforms: "The quiet, silent type who held it all together by not intervening when he must have been sorely tempted to do so was Stan Rodger".{{sfn|Russell|1996|p=111}}

The Business Round Table was critical of Rodger for holding up labour market reforms, though fellow ministers thought this was unfair due to his high workload (which also included the immigration portfolio from 1987).{{sfn|Bassett|2008|pp=281, 489}} After Richard Prebble was sacked by Lange, Rodger's workload increased further when he was given Prebble's former post of Minister for State Owned Enterprises.{{sfn|Bassett|2008|p=436}} The Rural Bank, National Shipping Line and Telecom were all privatised by Rodger.{{sfn|Bassett|2008|p=516}}

On 11 December 1989, Rodger publicly announced, to much surprise, he would retire from parliament at the {{NZ election link|1990}}. He had planned to do so far in advance, confidentially telling Lange on 21 August 1988 of his retirement intentions as well as sending a sealed envelope to Keith Eunson, the editor of the Otago Daily Times with instruction not to open until 11 December 1989.{{sfn|Bassett|2008|pp=523–4}} When Lange's replacement as Prime Minister Geoffrey Palmer held a complete re-election of cabinet in early 1990 all members of the cabinet not contesting the next election were discouraged from standing. Despite this, Rodger did put his name on the ballot, the only retiring minister to do so. He missed out on election, but took the defeat benignly.{{sfn|Bassett|2008|pp=528–9}} After leaving the cabinet he was selected to represent the New Zealand government at the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association held in Zimbabwe in September 1990.{{sfn|Bassett|2008|p=530}}

In the 1991 New Year Honours, Rodger was appointed a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George, for public services.{{London Gazette |issue=52383 |date=31 December 1990 |page=29 |supp=2}}

=Post-parliamentary career=

In December 1990, after exiting parliament, Rodger took up a position at the University of Otago as the assistant registrar and secretary of the School of Dentistry.{{Cite news |work=Otago Daily Times |title=University post for Rodger |date=7 November 1990 |page=1 }} He was later appointed director of the Southern Regional Health Authority (RHA) and in 1997 was appointed a member of a board of review into RHAs.{{Cite news |first=Nicholas |author=Maling |work=The Evening Post |title=Health revamp board named |date=12 March 1997 |page=1 }} He was a vocal critic of Sukhi Turner's performance as mayor of Dunedin and endorsed former Labour MP Clive Matthewson (and his successor as Minister of State Services) at the 1998 mayoral election.{{Cite news |work=The Dominion |title=Matthewson plans to stand for Dunedin mayoralty |date=26 February 1998 |page=15 }}

In 2000, Rodger was appointed chair of the review team tasked with conducting a ministerial review of the Education Review Office.{{Cite news |work=The Dominion |title=Rodger to head ERO review |date=31 August 2000 |page=2 }} In 2004, he was appointed deputy chairman of Transpower New Zealand.{{Cite news |work=The Dominion Post |title=New chair at Transpower |date=15 December 2004 |page=C3 }} In 2006, he was appointed to the Electricity Commission, and he stepped down from his chairmanship role at Transpower.{{Cite news |work=The Dominion Post |title=Rodger switches board seats |date=2 September 2006 |page=C2 }}

In the 2019 New Year Honours, Rodger's wife, Anne Rodger, was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to women.{{cite web |url=https://www.dpmc.govt.nz/publications/new-year-honours-list-2019 |title=New Year honours list 2019 |date=31 December 2018 |publisher=Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet |access-date=15 June 2022}}

Rodger died in Dunedin on 29 May 2022, aged 82.{{Cite news |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2018843936/former-labour-minister-stan-rodger-dies-aged-82 |title=Former Labour minister Stan Rodger dies aged 82 |date=30 May 2022 |work=RNZ News |access-date=30 May 2022}}{{cite news |url=https://deaths.stuff.co.nz/nz/obituaries/dominion-post-nz/name/hon-rodger-obituary?pid=202093030 |title=Hon. Stanley Rodger |date=31 May 2022 |work=The Dominion Post |access-date=31 May 2022}} His wife, Anne Rodger, died on 30 November 2023.{{cite news |url=https://www.legacy.com/nz/obituaries/dominion-post-nz/name/anne-rodger-obituary?id=53740561 |title=Anne Rodger obituary |date=4 December 2023 |work=The Post |access-date=4 December 2023}}

Notes

References

{{Cite book |last=Bassett |first=Michael |author-link=Michael Bassett |title=Working with David: Inside the Lange Cabinet |year=2008 |publisher=Hodder Moa |location=Auckland |isbn=978-1-86971-094-1 }}
{{Cite book |last=Jamieson |first=Rosemary |title=In Command: Minesweeper Captain and Labour Parliamentarian |edition=1st |place=Wellington |publisher=Steele Roberts |year=2009 | isbn= 978-1-877448-81-2 }}
{{Cite book |title=Who's Who in New Zealand, 1991 |editor-last=Lambert |editor-first=Max |year=1991 |edition=12th |publisher=Reed |location=Auckland |isbn=0-7900-0130-6}}
{{Cite journal |title=Who's Who in the New Zealand Parliament 1987 |journal=Who's Who in the New Zealand Parliament |location=Wellington, NZ |publisher=Parliamentary Service |date=1987 |ref={{sfnref|Who's Who|1987}} | issn = 1170-7364 }}
{{Cite book |last=Russell |first=Marcia |author-link=Marcia Russell |title=Revolution: New Zealand from Fortress to Free Market |publisher=Hodder Moa Beckett |year=1996 |isbn=978-1-86958-428-3 }}
{{Cite book |last=Wilson |first= James Oakley |title= New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 |edition= 4th |orig-year=First published in 1913 |year= 1985 |publisher= V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer |location= Wellington |oclc=154283103 }}