| Brief Description |
This black and white photograph is of members of Prime Minister Walter Nash's Cabinet in 1957, with the Governor General, Lord Cobham. The group of 16 men and one woman is arranged in two rows, posing at the end of a building with pillars over a porch behind them and another house and tree in the background.
Sir Walter Nash served as the 27th Prime Minister of New Zealand, leading the second Labour government from 1957-1960. Nash was born on 12 February 1882 in Kidderminster, England, and came to New Zealand in May 1909, settling in Wellington. Nash was briefly involved with the first Labour party in 1910 but got more involved in New Plymouth in 1918. In 1935 he was appointed Minister of Finance and was ranked third in the Labour Government, and took over as party leader after Peter Fraser's death in 1949. The Labour Party narrowly won the 1957 election and Nash became Prime Minister. He retired as Leader in 1963, aged 81 years, but remained as MP for the Hutt until his death on 4 June 1968.
The 1957 election was close. 1,257,365 votes were cast, of which Labour received 48.3%, and won 41 of 80 seats with a majority of just two. The Cabinet Ministers included:
Clarence Skinner, Deputy Prime Minister
Rex Mason, Attorney-General, Minister of Health and Minister of Justice
Philip Connolly, Miisiter of Defence
Philip Skoglund, Minister of Education
Arnold Nordmeyer, Minister of Finance
Walter Nash, Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Maori Affairs
Bill Anderton, Minister of Internal Affairs
Frederick Hackett, Minister of Labour
Michael Moohan, Minister of Railways
Some features of the Second Labour Government 1957-1960 include:
- passing the "Black Budget" to counter the financial problems of the previous government, with the raising of taxes on alcohol, cigarettes and petrol
- signing the agreement for the building of Tiwai Point smelter and Manapouri power station
- declaring Waitangi Day a "national day of thanksgiving" but not making it a public holiday
- abolishing compulsory military training
- substantial improvements to social security benefits
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