Gordon Harold "Bill" Andersen (21 January 1924 – 19 January 2005) was a New Zealand

communist Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...

, social activist and

trade union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ( ...

leader.

Biography

Andersen was born in Auckland on 21 January 1924, the youngest child of Hans (Skip) Andersen and Minnie Boneham. He was educated at Panmure School. Andersen was one of the participants in the 1951 Waterfront Lockout and the president of the Northern Drivers' Union and later the

National Distribution Union The National Distribution Union (NDU) was a national trade union in New Zealand. It was formed in 1986 as the ''Northern Distribution Union'' by the merger of The Northern Drivers Union, The Northern Stores and Warehouse Union, The Auckland and ...

. He was later the president of the Socialist Unity Party, which broke away from the

Communist Party of New Zealand The Communist Party of New Zealand (CPNZ) was a communist party in New Zealand which existed from 1921 to 1994. Although spurred to life by events in Soviet Russia in the aftermath of World War I, the party had roots in pre-existing revolutiona ...

over the

Sino-Soviet split The Sino-Soviet split was the breaking of political relations between the People's Republic of China and the Soviet Union caused by doctrinal divergences that arose from their different interpretations and practical applications of Marxism–Len ...

, and he also led its successor, the

Socialist Party of Aotearoa The Socialist Party of Aotearoa was a minor political party in New Zealand. It was formed in 1990Andersen, G. H. (1990). ''The 1990 general elections and beyond.'' Auckland: Socialist Party of Aotearoa. through a split in the Socialist Unity Pa ...

. Andersen's opposition to then National Party Prime Minister

Robert Muldoon Sir Robert David Muldoon (; 25 September 19215 August 1992) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 31st Prime Minister of New Zealand, from 1975 to 1984, while leader of the National Party. Serving as a corporal and sergeant in th ...

made him a household name in New Zealand during the 1970s. He stood for parliament in the safe National seat of against Muldoon in the , , and s, receiving 108, 39, 62 and 188 votes respectively. Whenever the two flew from

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 ...

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

, sympathetic NAC and

Air New Zealand Air New Zealand Limited () is the flag carrier airline of New Zealand. Based in Auckland, the airline operates scheduled passenger flights to 20 domestic and 30 international destinations in 18 countries, primarily around and within the Pacific ...

staff ensured the two leaders were seated next to each other. Bill Andersen supported the

Ngāti Whātua Ngāti Whātua is a Māori iwi (tribe) of the lower Northland Peninsula of New Zealand's North Island. It comprises a confederation of four hapū (subtribes) interconnected both by ancestry and by association over time: Te Uri-o-Hau, Te Roroa, Te ...

occupation of

Bastion Point Takaparawhau / Bastion Point is a coastal piece of land in Ōrākei, Auckland, New Zealand, overlooking the Waitematā Harbour. The area is significant in New Zealand history as the site of protests in the late 1970s by Māori against forced la ...

, now the site of Ōrākei marae. He organised union support for the Māori claiming ownership of the land. He remained an active trade unionist all his life. In May 2003 he was arrested on a picket line for obstruction. He kept working at the National Distribution Union and Northern Drivers Charitable Trust until the week of his death. Andersen died on 19 January 2005 aged 80. Despite requests for no funeral, a large group gathered for a memorial ceremony to him at Ōrākei Marae which was attended by workers and activists as well as cabinet ministers, local councillors and mayors. He is the great-uncle of

Labour Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...

Ginny Andersen Virginia Ruby Andersen (born 1975) is a New Zealand politician and Member of Parliament in the House of Representatives for the Labour Party. Personal life Andersen lives in Belmont, Lower Hutt. Bill Andersen, a noted activist and trade unio ...

References

''New Zealand Herald'' obituary

{{DEFAULTSORT:Andersen, Bill 1924 births 2005 deaths New Zealand left-wing activists New Zealand communists New Zealand trade union leaders New Zealand Socialist Unity Party politicians Unsuccessful candidates in the 1972 New Zealand general election Unsuccessful candidates in the 1975 New Zealand general election Unsuccessful candidates in the 1978 New Zealand general election Unsuccessful candidates in the 1981 New Zealand general election