Allan Robert Wallbank (born 1937) was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party.

Biography

Early life and career

Wallbank was born in

Ngāruawāhia Ngāruawāhia () is a town in the Waikato region of the North Island of New Zealand. It is located north-west of Hamilton at the confluence of the Waikato and Waipā Rivers, adjacent to the Hakarimata Range. Ngāruawāhia is in the Hamilton Ur ...

in 1937. In his youth he was a provincial representative rugby player. He worked at the

Public Trust Office The Public Trust Office is a heritage-listed office building at 19–21 O'Connell Street, Sydney, Australia. It was designed by Ross & Rowe and built from 1926. It is also known as the Public Trustee. It was originally known as Rofe Chambers. I ...

for three years until he entered farming in the

King Country The King Country (Māori: ''Te Rohe Pōtae'' or ''Rohe Pōtae o Maniapoto'') is a region of the western North Island of New Zealand. It extends approximately from the Kawhia Harbour and the town of Otorohanga in the north to the upper reaches of ...

. He owned a dairy and pig farm for seven years and later a meat and wool farm for fourteen years. He was a branch chairman and district vice-president of the Young Farmers' Club. For two years he was a

Aerial topdressing Aerial topdressing is the aerial application of fertilisers over farmland using agricultural aircraft. It was developed in New Zealand in the 1940s and rapidly adopted elsewhere in the 1950s. Origins Previous aerial applications The first k ...

representative. He was a prominent member of

Federated Farmers Federated Farmers of New Zealand is a lobby and advocacy group for all farmers: arable including fruit and vegetables, dairy and meat and their often remote communities. It has a network of 24 regional organisations and six industry groups. Fed ...

, being a branch chairman, member of the Auckland area executive and national vice-president. By 1984 his farm was 1,400 acres in size and was running a thoroughbred unit. He was a member of the New Zealand Asthma Foundation and president of the Gisborne Asthma Society.

Political career

He had been both secretary and president of the Labour Electorate Committee and was the campaign organiser for Labour MP

Trevor Davey Trevor Davey (5 July 1926 – 13 February 2012) was a Member of Parliament from Gisborne in the North Island of New Zealand who represented the Labour Party. Biography Davey was born in Didsbury, Lancashire, England, in 1926, the son of H. ...

at the . He was elected to Labour's national executive and a member of the party's policy council. Wallbank contested Gisborne in the and unsuccessfully, losing by small margins on each occasion. In 1981 he was first on election night, but lost on a recount. He represented the electorate of in Parliament from

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...

1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of Humankind, humanity on Earth, Astroph ...

. He developed

Guillain–Barré syndrome Guillain–Barré syndrome (GBS) is a rapid-onset muscle weakness caused by the immune system damaging the peripheral nervous system. Typically, both sides of the body are involved, and the initial symptoms are changes in sensation or pain often ...

which damaged his nerves and was reliant on a wheelchair for his recovery. While still needing a wheelchair he travelled to Wellington to attend a special caucus meeting in 1988 to support Prime Minister

David Lange David Russell Lange ( ; 4 August 1942 – 13 August 2005) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 32nd prime minister of New Zealand from 1984 to 1989. Lange was born and brought up in Otahuhu, the son of a medical doctor. He became ...

in a leadership challenge by sacked finance minister

Roger Douglas Sir Roger Owen Douglas (born 5 December 1937) is a retired New Zealand politician who served as a minister in two Labour governments. He became arguably best known for his prominent role in New Zealand's radical economic restructuring in the 198 ...

. He was defeated by

Wayne Kimber Wayne Allan Kimber (1949 – 22 May 2004) was a New Zealand politician of the New Zealand National Party, National Party. He was born in Auckland in 1949. Professional career Kimber was a town planner by profession and worked for Gisborne, New Z ...

; one of a number of losses contributing to the fall of the

Fourth Labour Government The Fourth Labour Government of New Zealand governed New Zealand from 26 July 1984 to 2 November 1990. It was the first Labour government to win a second consecutive term since the First Labour Government of 1935 to 1949. The policy agenda o ...

. At the 1992 local-body elections he stood as a candidate for

Mayor of Gisborne The Mayor of Gisborne officiates over the Gisborne District Gisborne District or the Gisborne Region (Māori: ''Te Tairāwhiti'' or ''Te Tai Rāwhiti'') is a local government area of northeastern New Zealand. It is governed by Gisborne Dist ...

, but was unsuccessful, losing to the incumbent John Clarke.

Personal life

Wallbank is married with four children. His interests are rugby, soccer and polocrosse.

Notes

References

* 1937 births Living people New Zealand Labour Party MPs People from Gisborne, New Zealand Unsuccessful candidates in the 1990 New Zealand general election Unsuccessful candidates in the 1981 New Zealand general election Unsuccessful candidates in the 1978 New Zealand general election Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives New Zealand MPs for North Island electorates People from Ngāruawāhia 20th-century New Zealand farmers {{NZLabour-politician-stub