Joe Walding

Joseph Albert Walding (18 June 1926 – 5 June 1985) was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party. He represented the Palmerston North for several terms. After his retirement from Parliament, he became High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, but died within months of taking the post.

Early life

Walding was born in Christchurch, in 1926. He went to school in that city. When he was 15, he joined the New Zealand Merchant Navy and later the British Merchant Navy. The impressions that he gained through the war shaped his outlook on life. He became a carpenter after the war, working in the Wellington area.

He married Eileen Norma Walding (née Paul) of Feilding in 1950. They had six daughters. After the marriage, the couple moved to Palmerston North. Walding joined his mother's catering business, Smith and Walding. Together with his brother Charlie, he developed the company into a successful venture. In 1957, Walding established Prepared Foods Co Ltd, a gourmet food and canning business with an export focus.

Political career

Walding was first elected a member of the Palmerston North City Council in 1959; councillors were already elected for three year terms at that time. He was re-elected in 1962 and 1965. Having been elected to Parliament in 1967, he did not stand for the City Council again in 1968.

Walding stood unsuccessfully against Bill Brown for the Palmerston North seat in the 1966 election. Following Brown's sudden death in 1967, Walding successfully contested the resulting 1967 by-election against four others: Gordon Cruden (National Party), John O'Brien (Social Credit Party), Goldingham (Progress) and Jamie Wedderspoon (Democratic Labour).

Walding represented the Palmerston North electorate for the next eight years. During the Third Labour Government between 1972 and 1975, he was Minister of Overseas Trade, Minister for the Environment, Minister for Sport and Recreation and Associate Minister of Foreign Affairs.

As Minister of Overseas Trade he made major trading market breakthroughs with both China and the Soviet Union in response to New Zealand's need to grow overseas markets after the United Kingdom cut trading ties after joining the European Common Market. At the same time he still was able to achieve favourable concessions from the United Kingdom. He solved New Zealand's problem with a beef sales quota to the United States while on a visit to Mexico. He convinced Mexico to sell its beef supply to the United States allowing New Zealand to sell more of its beef surpluses to Mexico instead of the Unites States. Both countries benefitting from the arrangement. In 1973 he made the first official visit by a minister to China since the 1949 Chinese Communist Revolution and famously rode a bicycle down the Great Wall of China.

As Minister for Sport and Recreation he initiated the "Come Alive" campaign in 1973 which urged Kiwis to get active and participate in sport and other physical hobbies.

In 1975 he was defeated by John Lithgow for the Palmerston North seat. Following his defeat he was elected vice-president of the Labour Party at the 1977 party conference (after failing to win the presidency) and was re-elected at the 1978 conference. In 1978 he in turn defeated Lithgow to regain the Palmerston North seat and return the parliament. Labour was still in opposition and he was appointed Shadow Minister of Trade and Industry and later Shadow Minister of Overseas Trade. In 1979 he stood again for the Labour Party presidency but was defeated by Jim Anderton 586 votes to 527. Six months prior to the 1981 election, he announced his retirement from Parliament citing ill-health.

He later became a key advisor to David Lange while he was leader of the opposition and was heavily involved in Labour's successful 1984 election campaign. During the campaign he accompanied Lange on his hectic schedule of public hustings as an organiser and confidante earning him the title "Mr Lange's minder".

High Commissioner

In late 1984, he was appointed High Commissioner to the United Kingdom. In March 1985 he made a rare official visit to the Soviet Union and met with Soviet Premier Konstantin Chernenko just before Chernenko's death.

Death

Three months after starting the position, he died on 5 June 1985 in London. He collapsed following an evening dinner at his official residence in Chelsea before being rushed to St. Stephen's Hospital shortly after 10pm. He was survived by his wife and six daughters.

Walding's wife, Eileen Walding, was appointed a Companion of the Queen's Service Order for community service in the 1990 New Year Honours. She died in Havelock North on 8 June 2017.