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Warren Wilfred Freer (27 December 1920 – 29 March 2013) was a New Zealand politician and member of the Labour Party. He represented the Mount Albert electorate from to . He is internationally known as the first Western politician to ever visit the
People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
after its creation in 1949.


Early life

Freer was born in 1920. His parents, Charles and May Freer had lived in
Waihi Waihi is a town in Hauraki District in the North Island of New Zealand, especially notable for its history as a gold mine town. The town is at the foot of the Coromandel Peninsula, close to the western end of the Bay of Plenty. The nearby res ...
during the Waihi miners' strike in 1913 and had to leave the town. They married in 1914 in
Remuera Remuera is an affluent suburb in Auckland, New Zealand. It is located four kilometres southeast of the city centre. Remuera is characterised by many large houses, often Edwardian era, Edwardian or mid 20th century. A prime example of a "leafy ...
. He attended Royal Oak Primary School in Auckland. During the early days of the
Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...
he was embarrassed to be the only one of his class not bare-footed, so used to take off his shoes and socks on the way to school and replace them before getting home.
Michael Joseph Savage Michael Joseph Savage (23 March 1872 – 27 March 1940) was an Australian-born New Zealand politician who served as the 23rd prime minister of New Zealand, heading the First Labour Government of New Zealand, First Labour Government from 1935 ...
frequently went to the Freer home for Sunday roasts. On his 13th birthday, Freer received a present from Savage, a copy of
Edward Bellamy Edward Bellamy (; March 26, 1850 – May 22, 1898) was an American author, journalist, and political activist most famous for his utopian novel ''Looking Backward''. Bellamy's vision of a harmonious future world inspired the formation of numer ...
's novel ''
Looking Backward ''Looking Backward: 2000–1887'' is a utopian time travel science fiction novel by the American journalist and writer Edward Bellamy first published in 1888. The book was translated into several languages, and in short order "sold a million ...
'', which he "devoured and cherished". As a school boy at
Auckland Grammar School Auckland Grammar School (often simplified to Auckland Grammar, or Grammar), established in 1869, is a State school, state, Day school, day and Boarding school, boarding secondary school for Single-sex education, boys in Auckland, New Zealand. ...
, Freer suffered a spinal injury, and he subsequently did not join the war. He initially worked as a shop assistant at Milne and Choice, a large Queen Street department store, but moved to journalism. On 9 May 1941, Freer married Sylvia Prudence Squire at the Epsom
Methodist Church Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...
in Auckland, and the couple went on to have two children.


Member of Parliament

Freer stood unsuccessfully in the for the "hopeless" (for Labour) electorate. He was then asked to stand for the electorate in a by-election, which he won. Freer was only 26 when he entered Parliament following the death of Arthur Richards, and was relatively unknown to Labour executive members, but local supporter Dick Barter convinced
Peter Fraser Peter Fraser (; 28 August 1884 – 12 December 1950) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 24th prime minister of New Zealand from 27 March 1940 until 13 December 1949. Considered a major figure in the history of the New Zealand Lab ...
that his work in Eden was adequate apprenticeship. Freer represented the Mount Albert electorate for 34 years. He chose not to seek re-election at the , and was succeeded by
Helen Clark Helen Elizabeth Clark (born 26 February 1950) is a New Zealand politician who served as the 37th prime minister of New Zealand from 1999 to 2008 and was the administrator of the United Nations Development Programme from 2009 to 2017. She was ...
.


1950s

In 1955 he was the first Western politician to visit the People's Republic of China, against the wishes of Labour leader
Walter Nash Sir Walter Nash (12 February 1882 – 4 June 1968) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 27th prime minister of New Zealand in the Second Labour Government from 1957 to 1960. He is noted for his long period of political service, havi ...
but with the encouragement of
National National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, c ...
Prime Minister
Sidney Holland Sir Sidney George Holland (18 October 1893 – 5 August 1961) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 25th prime minister of New Zealand from 13 December 1949 to 20 September 1957. He was instrumental in the creation and consolidation ...
. After Labour won the , Freer stood for a cabinet seat in the
Second Labour Government The second MacDonald ministry was formed by Ramsay MacDonald on his reappointment as prime minister of the United Kingdom by King George V on 5 June 1929. It was the second time the Labour Party had formed a government; the first MacDonald m ...
led by Nash. In the third ballot for the final seat he was tied with Auckland Central MP Bill Anderton. Freer cast his own vote in the next ballot for the 66 year old Anderton, thinking that at 36 he had plenty of time to make it in to cabinet. Retrospectively, Freer regretted the decision as Labour spent the following four terms in opposition. During the Nash government he was chairman of the public accounts select committee which considered to matters relating to the finances of the government. In March 1959 Freer was quoted in the tabloid newspaper '' New Zealand Truth'' as having stated "See Phil, and Phil will fix it" to Henry Judd, an émigré importer, insinuating Freer was informing Judd that the Minister of Industries and Commerce Phil Holloway (who was in charge of import controls) could grant him an ease-of-passage remedy for controlled imports. The incident became a libel case ('' Truth (NZ) Ltd v Holloway'') in which Holloway was awarded NZ£11,000 in damages and a further NZ£800 in costs.


1960s

Freer, alongside Bill Fox and Mick Moohan, was one of the few senior Labour MPs who helped propel
Norman Kirk Norman Eric Kirk (6 January 1923 – 31 August 1974) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 29th prime minister of New Zealand and as well as the Minister of Foreign Affairs (New Zealand), minister of Foreign Affairs from 1972 until h ...
to Labour's leadership by ensuring he had the numbers to successfully challenge Nordmeyer in 1965. From then on he became a close confidant of Kirk. As a reward he was promoted to the frontbench as Shadow Minister of Industries and Commerce and Shadow Minister of Customs.


1970s

He was a cabinet minister in the Third Labour Government of 1972–1975, holding the portfolios of Trade and Industry and Minister of Energy Resources. He was ranked third in cabinet and served as acting Prime Minister three times, and was "appalled" by the amount of paper Kirk was given to read, with "international secrets" that he could read in that week's ''Time''. On the first occasion, Kirk congratulated him that there were no industrial disputes and that he had not gone to war against anyone. As Minister of Energy Resources he held negotiations with the private sector over the development of the
Maui gas field The Maui natural gas field is the largest gas, natural gas condensate and oil field in New Zealand, producing nearly three-quarters of the country's hydrocarbons, as well as providing energy for electricity generation. It is located in the Tasma ...
(a
natural gas condensate Natural-gas condensate, also called natural gas liquids, is a low-density mixture of hydrocarbon liquids that are present as gaseous components in the raw natural gas produced from many natural gas fields. Some gas species within the raw natura ...
and oil field) which was the largest single infrastructure undertaking in New Zealand's history. In 1974 he instituted a Maximum Retail Price (MRP) scheme as part of the governments attempts to control price increases. The MRP scheme, which prescribed maximum prices for retail goods, was not successful as it was highly bureaucratic and easily evaded by retailers. Despite its lack of success Freer proposed reviving the scheme in 1975 despite the public view that it was ineffective. He stood as a candidate for the deputy leadership of the New Zealand Labour Party in
1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; ...
after Kirk's death only to prevent Arthur Faulkner winning on the first ballot, hoping that either
Bob Tizard Robert James Tizard (7 June 1924 – 28 January 2016) was a Labour politician from New Zealand. He served as the sixth deputy prime minister, the minister of Finance, minister of Health and minister of Defence. Biography Early life and career ...
or Colin Moyle would win the subsequent ballot(s). He lost on the third ballot. Initially he had no intention of standing, and preferred Tizard (who won). In 1975 the government passed the Commerce Act that consolidated the laws on commercial competition, price controls, monopolies and takeovers. After Labour were defeated in , Freer retained the Trade and Industry portfolio in opposition. From 1977 to 1978 he was additionally Shadow Minister of Foreign Affairs and Overseas Trade. Following Labour's 1978 defeat Freer became Shadow Minister of Regional Development and Tourism until December 1979 when, impending retirement, he opted not to stand for re-election to the Shadow Cabinet. Freer was replaced in the safe Mount Albert seat by
Helen Clark Helen Elizabeth Clark (born 26 February 1950) is a New Zealand politician who served as the 37th prime minister of New Zealand from 1999 to 2008 and was the administrator of the United Nations Development Programme from 2009 to 2017. She was ...
who beat six other contenders including electorate chairman Keith Elliot, former MP Malcolm Douglas and future MP Jack Elder for the nomination. Freer's preferred successor was Elliot.


Later life and death

In 1982, Freer was appointed a justice of the peace. In 1996, Freer moved to
Noosa The Shire of Noosa () is a local government area about north of Brisbane in the Sunshine Coast district of South East Queensland, Australia. The shire covers an area of . It existed as a local government entity from 1910 until 2008, when it w ...
on the Sunshine Coast in Australia. His first wife died in 2003; they had been married for 62 years. His second marriage was to Joyce. Freer died on 29 March 2013 after a long illness. He was survived by his two sons from his first marriage, and by his second wife.


Honours and awards

In 1953, Freer was awarded the
Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal The Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal () is a commemorative medal instituted to celebrate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II on 2 June 1953. Award This medal was awarded as a personal souvenir from the Queen to members of the Royal Family ...
, and in 1977 he received the
Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal The Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal () is a commemorative medal created in 1977 to mark the 25th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's accession in 1952. The medal is physically identical in all realms where it was awarded, save for Canada ...
. In the 1987 Queen's Birthday Honours, he was appointed a
Companion of the Queen's Service Order The King's Service Order () established by royal warrant (document), royal warrant of Queen regnant, Queen Elizabeth II on 13 March 1975, is used to recognise "valuable voluntary service to the community or meritorious and faithful services to t ...
for public services. In 1990, he was awarded the New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal. Warren Freer Park, in the Auckland suburb of
Sandringham Sandringham can refer to: Places Australia * Sandringham, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney * Sandringham, Queensland, a rural locality * Sandringham, Victoria, a suburb of Melbourne **Sandringham railway line **Sandringham railway station * ...
, is named for him.


Notes


References

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Freer, Warren 1920 births 2013 deaths New Zealand Labour Party MPs Members of the Cabinet of New Zealand New Zealand MPs for Auckland electorates Companions of the Queen's Service Order Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives Unsuccessful candidates in the 1946 New Zealand general election People educated at Auckland Grammar School