Albert Frederick Orme (27 March 1937 – 27 November 2008) was a New Zealand rugby player, lawyer and politician.

Biography

Orme was born in 1937 in

Rotorua Rotorua () is a city in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand's North Island. The city lies on the southern shores of Lake Rotorua, from which it takes its name. It is the seat of the Rotorua Lakes District, a territorial authority encompass ...

. As a teenager he was sent to board at

Waitaki Boys' High School Waitaki Boys' High School is a secondary school for boys located in the northern part of the town of Oamaru, Otago, New Zealand, with day and boarding facilities, and was founded in 1883. , it has a school roll of approximately 400 students. The ...

in Oamaru, where he was the only Māori student at the school. He starred in Waitaki Boys' first XV rugby team plating in the backline. While studying law at

University of Canterbury The University of Canterbury ( mi, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha; postnominal abbreviation ''Cantuar.'' or ''Cant.'' for ''Cantuariensis'', the Latin name for Canterbury) is a public research university based in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was ...

he played in the university team as a first-five. He played provincial rugby for

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. ...

from 1959 to 1962. He was selected for the New Zealand Māori team to play against France in their 1961 tour and later toured North America with the New Zealand Universities XV in 1962. While at university he was elected president of the

University of Canterbury Students' Association The University of Canterbury Students' Association (UCSA) is a student organisation associated with the University of Canterbury in New Zealand, established in 1894. Organisation USCA is funded by students and is governed by a constitution thro ...

. After he graduated in 1967 he worked for 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 ...

in Christchurch. He was elected to the

Christchurch City Council The Christchurch City Council is the local government authority for Christchurch in New Zealand. It is a territorial authority elected to represent the people of Christchurch. Since October 2022, the Mayor of Christchurch is Phil Mauger, who ...

, on the Labour Party ticket, in

1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses ( February 25, July 22 and August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 10, and August 6). The world population increased by 2.1% this year, the highest increase in history. Events Ja ...

. On the council he served on the museum and airport committees. He forged links with

Ngāi Tahu Ngāi Tahu, or Kāi Tahu, is the principal Māori (tribe) of the South Island. Its (tribal area) is the largest in New Zealand, and extends from the White Bluffs / Te Parinui o Whiti (southeast of Blenheim), Mount Mahanga and Kahurangi Poi ...

and North Island iwi in the city and was a finalist for the Young Māori of the Year award in 1971. He was awarded a

Winston Churchill Fellowship Winston Churchill Memorial Trusts (WCMT) are three independent but related living memorials to Sir Winston Churchill, based in the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. They exist for the purpose of administering Churchill Fellowships, a ...

and studied international race relations in London. Based at New Zealand's High Commission offices, he spent most of time with Lord

Louis Mountbatten Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma (25 June 1900 – 27 August 1979) was a British naval officer, colonial administrator and close relative of the British royal family. Mountbatten, who was of German ...

and leading members of the British legal establishment. He attended the 1972 Munich Olympics as a city council representative, exploring ideas for Christchurch hosting the

1974 Commonwealth Games The 1974 British Commonwealth Games ( mi, 1974 Taumāhekeheke Commonwealth) were held in Christchurch, New Zealand from 24 January to 2 February 1974. The bid vote was held in Edinburgh at the 1970 British Commonwealth Games. The Games were off ...

. By the end of the council term Orme was embroiled in a public stoush over parking fines. The bad publicity contributed to him being defeated at the 1974 election in the West Ward. After leaving the council he first began to suffer ill-health but proceeded to study overseas. After returning to New Zealand he settled in

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

, where he became involved in Treaty issues and Māori land claims. He also did legal work, mainly for Māori and Pacific Islanders, in court on criminal matters. Orme often did not charge clients, though many paid him sums of money years afterwards. He was also involved in the establishment of law courses in Māori land and Treaty issues at the

University of Auckland , mottoeng = By natural ability and hard work , established = 1883; years ago , endowment = NZD $293 million (31 December 2021) , budget = NZD $1.281 billion (31 December 2021) , chancellor = Cecilia Tarrant , vice_chancellor = Dawn F ...

. Orme contested the Panmure electorate as a

New Zealand Party The New Zealand Party operated as a political party in New Zealand from 1983 to 1993. Established by millionaire property tycoon Bob Jones (businessman), Bob Jones, the party promoted economic liberalisation—it was the first political party to ...

candidate at the 1984 general election. He finished third out of five contenders. He was one of the party's highest polling candidates nationwide. When ill health ended his career, he moved back to Rotorua. He died in Rotorua on 27 November 2008, aged 71. He was buried in Rotorua Cemetery.

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Orme, Albert 1937 births 2008 deaths Rugby union fly-halves Canterbury rugby union players Māori All Blacks players 20th-century New Zealand lawyers New Zealand Labour Party politicians Christchurch City Councillors New Zealand Party politicians Unsuccessful candidates in the 1984 New Zealand general election New Zealand rugby union players