David Lange's global diplomacy: Ken Ross assesses the performance of a former Labour prime minister.

• Author: Ross, Ken

Of New Zealand's fifteen prime ministers since 1945, David Lange has been written about the most in regards to his global diplomacy. He is the one who has written the most insightfully on his own prime ministerial time, particularly about his global diplomacy. Lange gave the Kirk brand--New Zealand as a progressive small state, with a deep internationalism central to our national identity--a new impetus. His standout achievement was in promoting New Zealand's enduring non-nuclear status. He also secured invaluable exposure for New Zealand beyond our traditional audiences in Canberra, London and Washington and repolished New Zealand's good international citizenship credentials.

'In Lange's case what attracted him to politics was not power over others, but the stage it provided on which he could perform. The additional attraction of the foreign affairs area was that it provided a world stage.' (John Henderson)'

Lange's gonzo dynamics were his strength and in due course his fatal political weakness. He scores poorly on the maturity of mind and intellectual capital measures I use to consider the global diplomacy of the fifteen prime ministers New Zealand has had since 1945- When combined with his maverick approach, the three measures explain why Lange was sometimes flawed in his global diplomacy, most spectacularly his Yale speech on Anzac Day 1989 that led five months later to his early departure from the prime ministership.

Lange's considerable portfolio of accomplished serious global diplomacy more than matches those flawed performances. He brought kudos to himself and to New Zealand. The Kirk brand--New Zealand as a progressive small state, with a deep internationalism central to our national identity--flourished again. There were brilliant moments, including the 1985 Oxford Union debate. Lange struck out for an Oscar, not for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Lange's gold medal has to be for promoting New Zealand's enduring non-nuclear status. Norman Kirk would have been gruff with Lange for some of his antics along the way, but would have been well-pleased with the resulting non-nuclear status. Lange's other medal-worthy accomplishments include recovering our international credibility, most particularly in India (and elsewhere in South Asia), Africa and the United Nations.

Lange secured invaluable exposure for New Zealand beyond our traditional audiences in Canberra, London and Washington, where we were too often expected to be a loyal little brother. The 'Small State Rampant' mantra that was first tagged to Peter Fraser was again in full flight. New Zealand's good international citizenship credentials were being polished after Muldoon had muddied them.

Lange's international good standing is captured here with three illustrations. Lange has recounted that Geoffrey Howe quipped to him 'It has been a good day for you, Prime Minister' when he (then Margaret Thatcher's foreign secretary) and Lange were in Vancouver for the October 1987 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (Chogm). Howe then mentioned to him 'four African leaders have congratulated me on my government's anti-nuclear policy'. As Lange notes, 'he and I didn't look much alike, but neither of us was slender and we both wore glasses'.' When in London at the International Institute for Strategic Studies throughout 1996, I found that Lange was still approvingly remembered by many 'wise old owls' including for at least partially inspiring, most recently, New Zealand's classy act throughout our UN Security Council term. Lange was an important bonus card when I was advocating Don McKinnon's Commonwealth secretary-general candidacy in the late 1990s--assuring that like Lange had been, McKinnon was a paid-up member of Team Kirk.

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Lange reflections

Of the fifteen prime ministers, Lange has been written about the most in regards to his global diplomacy. He is the one who has written the most insightfully on his own prime ministerial time, particularly about his global diplomacy. As well as his two memoirs Nuclear Free--The New Zealand Way (1990) and My Life (2005), much of Lange's considerable portfolio of post-prime ministerial journalism survives in two collections, Broadsides (1992) and Cuttings (1994), each of which is well laced with his observations on his global diplomacy.

John Henderson, the smartest keeper of the flame for Lange's legacy, was as the prime minister's 'chief of staff heavily engaged in Lange's global diplomacy from mid-1985. He has served us well with several short Lange reflections. His proposed major contribution is awaited, with hope.

The stand-out dissection of the quintessential Lange is in Gerald Hensley's 2006 memoir Final Approaches. It is a more companionable insight than Hensley gave...