William Ferguson Massey

William Ferguson Massey (1856-1925) was a New Zealand political leader and prime minister. His talent for administration saw his country through World War I and led New Zealand to economic recovery.

William Ferguson Massey was born in the village of Limavady a few miles from Londonderry, Ireland, on March 26, 1856. In 1870 he followed his father to New Zealand, where he gained farming experience and by 1890 had set himself up near Auckland as a small farmer. He took to politics as a spokesman for the small farmers and was elected to Parliament in 1894. For 18 years he sat on the opposition benches with the independent Conservatives and was elected opposition leader in September 1903. In February 1909 he announced that his party would thenceforth be known as the Reform party, and in 1912 he emerged from the political confusion to form a government, though lacking a clear majority of seats, and remained in office until his death 13 years later.

During World War I Massey showed his ability in organizing the country for the crisis. In August 1915 he led the Reform party into a coalition with the Liberal party under Sir Joseph Ward, leaving a small Labour minority as the opposition. Both Ward and Massey went to England twice to attend meetings of the imperial War Cabinet, and after the war Massey represented New Zealand at the peace conference.

Massey did not work easily with Ward, who was minister of finance and not inclined to accept a subordinate role, and in 1919 the coalition was dissolved. At the election in December the Reform party won a substantial majority, and Massey was able for the first time to govern without maneuvering among the other parties. He retained his majority in the election of 1922. In 1923 he was able to effect large reductions in income tax and a return to penny postage, but his health was failing, and he died at Wellington on May 10, 1925, just before an election in which his party was to triumph yet again.

Massey was a large man with a homespun appearance and was an effective, if harsh and verbose, speaker. He was devoted to politics and was in some ways stubborn and narrow in outlook, but he gave the impression of sincerity, was respected by his opponents, and was admired for his courage, tenacity, and political acumen.

Further Reading

For information on Massey's career see L. C. Webb, Rise of the Reform Party (1928), and W. D. Bell, Sir Francis Bell (1937). See also J. C. Beaglehole, New Zealand: A Short History (1936); A. H. Reed, The Story of New Zealand (1955); and Keith Sinclair, A History of New Zealand (1959; rev. ed. 1969). Information on New Zealand politics can be found in R. S. Milne, Political Parties in New Zealand (1966). □

Massey, William Ferguson (b. 26 Mar. 1856, d. 10 May 1925). Prime Minister of New Zealand 1912–25 Born in Limavady, Ulster (Ireland), he emigrated to New Zealand with his family in 1870 and settled at Tamaki. He leased a farm at Mangere in 1877, became active in the local masonic lodge, and in 1890 became president of the Mangere Farmers' Club. He became president of the Auckland district of the National Association, and in 1894 entered Parliament. He became prominent in parliamentary opposition to Sedden's government, and was a champion of farming interests. He became leader of the conservative opposition in 1903, which in 1909 emerged as the Reform Party. He worked hard at party organization, and created the first disciplined parliamentary party in New Zealand politics. These organizational efforts, his propagation of farming interests through demanding the private purchase (freehold) of state (Crown) lands, as well as his graphic warnings about the threats of an advancing Labour Party, resulted in his narrow victory in the 1911 elections, though Ward's Liberal Party was able to hang on to government until 6 July 1912.

Massey's government forcefully suppressed a militant dockers' and coalminers' strike in 1912–13, one of the most bitter industrial disputes in New Zealand history. He was a committed supporter of the British Empire thoughout World War I, though from 1915 the Ulster Protestant was forced to form a national government in coalition with the Catholic Ward, whom he disliked intensely. He emerged from the 1919 elections for the first time with a convincing majority, though he spent most of his time trying to stave off a decline in the prosperity which the farming community had enjoyed during the war. However, the political balance started to shift to the cities with the growth of urbanization, and he only just won the 1922 elections. His marginal majority in Parliament made his last administration overreliant on the particular concerns of individual MPs. He died in office.

Massey, William Ferguson (1856–1925) New Zealand statesman. He founded the Reform Party which campaigned for freehold tenure and free enterprise. As Prime Minister (1912–25) Massey also made extensive purchases of remaining MAORI land. He was challenged by militant unionists (RED FEDS) and broke the strikes of 1912–13, having enrolled farmers as special constables - ‘Massey's Cossacks’. He committed New Zealand manpower heavily in World War I, but his hold on domestic politics weakened with increasing urbanization.