Remembering Bolger
OPINION: Is it now time for the country's top agricultural university to start thinking about a name change - something that has been mooted in the past?
In the days of his premiership, he was sometimes maligned for his progressive and smart thinking which didn't always resonate well with members of his own party. While a loyal National Party man, he was just as loyal to his strong Irish Catholic background that formed the basis of his personal philosophy of life, his policies and his attitudes to his fellow human beings.
Sure, he was a hard-nosed politician who could mix it with the best of his colleagues and others, but overlaying this was his innate compassion, unpretentiousness and humility. People speak glowingly of the man who took time to talk to people, sick people he hardly knew, to young people and even to journalists - always taking a genuine interest in anyone he met.
Bolger gave a lifetime of service to the primary sector, beginning as a 15-year-old milking cows in Taranaki, then as a farmer in his own right, Federated Farmers and then through his 26 years in parliament and, in particular, his outstanding leadership as Prime Minister and later as ambassador to the USA.
He had an enduring love of NZ, wanted the best for it and gave it his best. His Irish background gave him a unique insight into Māori and the effects on them of British colonisation - something the Irish endured for centuries. His leadership in the treaty settlements process and his determination to see Māori right will probably rank as his greatest achievement. He took up their cause like another great Prime Minister, Peter Fraser, did in the 1930s and '40s.
Bolger was a man who stuck to his beliefs and whose legacy will see him recognised as one of the greatest prime ministers and leaders that this country has ever produced.
