Deputy Leader of the New Zealand Labour Party

Deputy Leader of the Labour Party
Incumbent Kelvin Davis since 1 August 2017
Term length	No fixed term
Inaugural holder	James McCombs
Formation	27 August 1919

The deputy leader of the Labour Party is the second-most senior politician within the Labour Party in New Zealand. The officeholder deputises for the leader of the Labour Party at party-specific events. Unlike other political party leaders, the Labour Party's leader does not have the power to dismiss or appoint their deputy; both the leader and deputy Leader are elected. In all cases where the leadership is vacant, the deputy leader shall also serve as acting leader until a new leadership election.^[1] When the Labour Party forms the Official Opposition the deputy leader typically serves as deputy leader of the Opposition.

Kelvin Davis is the current Deputy Leader, elected on 1 August 2017.^[2]

History[]

The position of deputy leader of the New Zealand Labour Party was created in 1919, three years after the party's creation. The first holder, James McCombs, was bestowed the role after he lost the draw of lots to Harry Holland in the leadership election that year.^[3] It was not until 1974 that the first deputy to have been born in New Zealand, Bob Tizard. Prior to this, three deputy leaders had been born in Australia, two in England and one each in Ireland and Scotland. The Labour Party's longest-serving deputy leader, having served for 11 years, 4 months and 12 days between 1963 and 1974, was Hugh Watt.

To date, a total of seven deputy leaders have gone on to become the elected leader of the Labour Party (Savage, Fraser, Nash, Lange, Palmer, Clark and Ardern). Two deputy leaders have died in office (Skinner and Hackett).

List of deputy leaders[]

The following is a complete list of Labour Party deputy leaders. Some deputies served concurrently as acting party leader.

No.		Leader (Birth–Death)	Portrait	Electorate	Term of Office		Leader
	1	James McCombs (1873–1933)		Lyttelton	27 August 1919	7 February 1923		Holland
	2	Michael Joseph Savage (1872–1940)		Auckland West	7 February 1923	12 October 1933
	3	Peter Fraser (1884–1950)		Wellington Central	12 October 1933	1 April 1940		Savage
	4	Walter Nash (1882–1968)		Hutt	1 April 1940	17 January 1951		Fraser
	5	Jerry Skinner (1900–1962)		Buller	17 January 1951	26 April 1962†		Nash
	6	Fred Hackett (1901–1963)		Grey Lynn	7 June 1962	19 March 1963†
	7	Hugh Watt (1912–1980)		Onehunga	29 April 1963	6 September 1974		Nordmeyer
								Kirk
	8	Bob Tizard (1924–2016)		Otahuhu	10 September 1974	1 November 1979		Rowling
	9	David Lange (1942–2005)		Mangere	1 November 1979	3 February 1983
	10	Geoffrey Palmer (1942–)		Christchurch Central	3 February 1983	8 August 1989		Lange
	11	Helen Clark (1950–)		Mount Albert	8 August 1989	1 December 1993		Palmer
								Moore
	12	David Caygill (1948–)		St Albans	1 December 1993	11 June 1996		Clark
	13	Michael Cullen (1945–2021)		Dunedin South	11 June 1996	11 November 2008
	14	Annette King (1947–)		Rongotai	11 November 2008	13 December 2011		Goff
	15	Grant Robertson (1971–)		Wellington Central	13 December 2011	15 September 2013		Shearer
	16	David Parker (1960–)		List	15 September 2013	18 November 2014		Cunliffe
	(14)	Annette King (1947–)		Rongotai	18 November 2014	7 March 2017		Little
	17	Jacinda Ardern (1980–)		Mount Albert	7 March 2017	1 August 2017
	18	Kelvin Davis (1967–)		Te Tai Tokerau	1 August 2017	incumbent		Ardern

Living former deputy leaders[]

There are seven living former deputy leaders. The most recent deputy leader to die was Sir Michael Cullen (1996-2008) on 19 August 2021.^[4]

References[]