Obituaries — Sir Wilson James Whineray KNZM, OBE

I seek leave to move a motion without notice to acknowledge the death of Sir Wilson Whineray.

💬 Mr SPEAKER: Is there any objection to that course of action being followed? There is no objection.

I move, That this House express its sadness at the passing of All Black great Sir Wilson Whineray in Auckland on 22 October, aged 77. Sir Wilson Whineray was New Zealand’s longest-serving captain of the All Blacks and a leading businessman. It was with much sadness and deep regret that I learnt of his death yesterday afternoon. I knew Sir Wilson and, like many other New Zealanders, respected him immensely.

Sir Wilson played 77 All Blacks matches between 1957 and 1965, including 32 tests. He captained the side 67 times; a remarkable feat given the All Blacks played only two or three test matches a year at that time. He may well have been the greatest All Blacks captain we have ever had. Sir Wilson was named New Zealand Sportsman of the Year in 1965 and was knighted in 1998 for services to sport and business management.

Regarded as one of the great All Blacks legends, Sir Wilson made significant contributions to the community through his work with sport, charities, and business. His business acumen was hugely respected. He made his mark at APN, the New Zealand Wool Marketing Corporation, National Bank, and Auckland International Airport, although most of us remember his time at the helm of Carter Holt Harvey. It is fitting that the only biography of Sir Wilson was titled A Perfect Gentleman. He was the rare breed of man whose modesty and humility gave no hint of the greatness he had achieved. He lived life to the full, and one of his favourite lines was that he did not regret a single day in his life. This is a loss all of New Zealand will feel.

Sir Wilson is survived by his wife, Lady Elisabeth; his son, James; two daughters, Kristen and Susan; and five grandchildren. Our thoughts are with them at this sad time. On behalf of this House, I also extend my deep sympathy and condolences to the friends, former team mates, and colleagues of Sir Wilson. May he rest in peace.

Today we remember a great New Zealander Sir Wilson Whineray. He was a Kiwi icon who led from the front in everything he did—whether it was rugby, business, or serving our community. He was a fine man, a true leader, a great friend to many, and dearly loved by his family. I would also like to express my sincere regret at his passing, and extend my sympathy to his wife, Lady Elisabeth, his children, his grandchildren, his friends, and his team-mates.

Sir Wilson touched the lives of many New Zealanders through his sporting achievements and his outstanding leadership qualities. He touched my life in a very personal way. When I was 8 years old and a rugby fanatic, I wrote to Wilson Whineray asking him for his autograph, and I enclosed a self-addressed, stamped envelope in the hope that I would hear back from him. I was so excited when I received the envelope back in the mail with a little note in it from Wilson Whineray, saying that he was pleased to give me his autograph to add to my collection. The fact that he took time to send a note to an 8-year-old is testament to who he was and the way that he lived his life.

Sir Wilson was not just an All Black great but also a captain of business. When he retired from rugby, he carved out a new career for himself, gaining an MBA at Harvard University, and then went on to work for Alex Harvey Industries, which was later to become Carter Holt Harvey. He rose through the ranks to become chairman, and held many other positions of responsibility at the National Bank, Auckland International Airport, and APN News and Media.

Of course, he will always be remembered most by New Zealanders for being one of our greatest All Black captains and a hero on the rugby field. He thoroughly deserved his induction into the International Rugby Board Hall of Fame, as recognition for the way he led the All Blacks in 67 tests as captain. He is also respected for the contribution he continued to make to sport even after his retirement from rugby, including as chair of the Hillary Commission. His knighthood in 1998 for services to sport and business management was fitting recognition for his contribution to New Zealand.

I would like to finish by passing on Labour’s sincere condolences to Sir Wilson’s family and friends. I heard him say he hoped he would leave the world a better place for his being here. He achieved that goal with distinction. He will be missed by us all, but his legacy on and off the field will never be forgotten. May he rest in peace.

On behalf of the Greens, I stand to support the motion. Sir Wilson Whineray donned the All Black jersey 77 times, and led the All Blacks when the pay rate was about $1 a day for a sportsman. But that was not an issue for him; sport was about more than money in those times. He was a man who loved his family, his country, and his rugby. He did not seem to be a man who courted controversy, but he did find himself in one when he captained the 1960 All Blacks tour of South Africa. That tour raised the issue of racism here in New Zealand, and led to an increasing awareness of racism both here in Aotearoa and overseas. Aotearoa has moved on from those times, and, indeed, Sir Wilson expressed different views over the 1981 tour.

As well as Sir Wilson’s great feats as an All Black, I think it is worth remembering the good work he did as the chair of the Hillary Commission in the 1990s. He came from an era when people wanted to play sport for the love of it, and in his work at the Hillary Commission he set about making certain that young New Zealanders got involved in sport. He realised that for a sports-mad country like Aotearoa to continue to achieve success at the elite level, it was important for all New Zealanders to be involved in sport. Fair play, coaching, administrative support for sports bodies at all levels, and programmes for all ages were areas that were greatly developed during Sir Wilson’s time. To Sir Wilson, one of the most satisfying aspects of his time at the Hillary Commission was the continuing development in children’s sports: “It is the most rewarding and stimulating part of what we do.”, he said.

Sir Wilson should be remembered, therefore, not only as a great All Black but as a man who gave back to the community and encouraged all New Zealanders to get out there and participate. On behalf of the Green Party, we send our sincere condolences to his family and to his friends. Thank you.

New Zealand First expresses our condolences on this great loss to Sir Wilson Whineray’s family—his wife, Lady Elisabeth, his son, two daughters, and many grandchildren. New Zealand has lost a great man. The words “iconic” and “legend” are often overused. However, in the case of Sir Wilson Whineray, these two words are very apt. Sir Wilson was distinguished both on and off the field. Despite his numerous achievements, he remained a humble man and a strong hero for generations of New Zealanders to aspire to. Sir Wilson Whineray was a truly great New Zealander.

Kia ora tātau katoa. Kai te tū ake hei waha kōrero mō te Pāti Māori ki te whakanui i tēnei tangata kua ngaro atu i te tirohanga kanohi. Ko ia tērā kua whai atu i wētahi i te tau kua hipa ake o roto i te motu. E kī ana te kōrero i roto i Te Ao Māori “Kua hinga te tōtara nui o te wao nui ā Tāne”, ā, ko ia tērā. He tōtara. Ēhara i te mea he tōtara ā-nui, ā-tangata nei, kāo, ēngari, he tōtara nā runga i te āhuatanga o tāna ngākaunui ki Aotearoa, otirā, ki wana hoa, ki ngā mahi i mahia mai ai e ia. Ko te wāhi ki a au, he tautoko i ngā kōrero kua kōrerohia ki tērā o ngā tōtara, haere e koro ki a rātau e tatari mai nā ki a koe. E moe, e moe koutou.

I puta te pātai i waenganui i a mātau te tokotoru i te ata nei, mā wai te tangata e kōrero, anā, ka toro mai te ringa ki a au kia tū atu i te mea, e ai ki tā te tokorua nei ko au te mea e mōhio ana ki tēnei mea o te whutupōro, ā, tēra kōrero tērā ēngari, ko te āhuatanga o te tangata nei ēhara i te mea ko te whutupōro i tōna kotahi. Kua eke ia ki roto i ngā mahi nui o roto i te whare wānanga, arā, kua kōrerohia te āhuatanga o te Hillary Commission, arā noa atu, arā noa atu, arā noa atu. Waiho ērā kōrero ki reira, kua ea tērā o ngā kōrero.

Hoi anō, ka hoki ōku whakaaro ki te wā i a au e tamariki ana, ki tōku whakatipuranga, e whaiwhai nei i te āhuatanga o tēnei mea o te whutupōro. Arā noa noa ngā ingoa i puta mai ki ngā taringa. Anā, ko te āhuatanga ki a Tremain—anei te uri kai roto i te Whare nei—ki a Nathan, ki a McLeod, ki a Meads, ki a Laidlaw, ki a Herewini, ki a Rangi. Arā noa ngā ingoa o tōku whakatipuranga i rongo i ngā ingoa nei. Ka hoki ngā mahara ki te wā i noho nei, i whakamahana nei i te tuarā o tōku papa, me te whakarongo ki te reo irirangi. Ki taku mōhio ko te Bob Irvine te tangata i kōrero i ngā kēmu o te tīma nei e haere ana i te mata whenua.

Nō reira, ka hoki ngā mahara, anā kua mau kōhatu anō hoki te ingoa o te tangata nei o Whineray, ki roto i tōku ngākau, i tōku hinengaro nā te aha? Nā te nui o ngā mahi, nā te mana o te tangata i a ia e takatū ana i te mata o te whenua. E waimāria ana ahau i te wā i a au i te whare wānanga, otirā, e tākaro whutupōro ana mō te tīma o Tāmaki, te tūtaki i te tangata nei. E tika ana te kōrero, inā kē tana nui, ā, ka whakaaro ake, auē, mēnā ka tūtaki atu i tērā tangata i te whīra, ka tino raruraru.

Ēngari, koi nā te nui o te tangata. E tika ana te kōrero, ngāwari te tangata, humārie te tangata, ā, kua eke ki te taumata o te hunga kua ngaro, pai kē te kī, e koro, e moe, haere atu rā. Ā, huri noa i tō tātau Whare, ko tā tātau ko te whakanui i te āhuatanga o te tangata nei i a ia e takatū ana i te mata o te whenua, ka mutu, ka rere ngā whakaaro ki tōna hoa rangatira me ngā tamariki, kia kaha, kia māia ki a rātau. Kia kaha, kia māia ki a tātau katoa. Kia ora tātau.

[Greetings to us all. I stand to speak on behalf of the Māori Party and to pay a tribute to this man who will no longer be seen. That is, he who follows those throughout the country who have passed on in the year past. There is a saying in Māoridom “The big tōtara of the great forest of Tāne has fallen”, and that is he, a tōtara. It is not as though he was a great tōtara physically—no! He was a great one because of his commitment to New Zealand, his friends, and the things that he did. For me, personally, I wish to endorse the sentiments expressed about this of all tōtara. Depart, oh ancient one, to those who await you. To you, the dead, rest and sleep there.

The question arose amongst the three of us this morning as to who should make the eulogy to this man, and I was beckoned to stand because, according to the other two, I am the one who knows about this thing called rugby. However, that is another story. But this man was not about rugby alone; he achieved much in leading roles he held in university. Indeed, his involvement with the Hillary Commission has been extolled, and so on and so on. Leave those sentiments there as a tribute to what he has achieved.

My thoughts go back now to the times when I was a child, to when my generation would pursue anything to do with this thing called rugby. There were many, many names that we heard about, like Tremain—his kin is here in this House—Nathan, McLeod, Meads, Laidlaw, Herewini, and Rangi. There were many other names that my generation kept hearing about. I recall the times when I used to sit and warm my dad’s back as we listened to the wireless. As far as I can recall, Bob Irvine was the commentator who called all the games of this team as it toured about the world.

And so, thoughts go back to the name of this man, Whineray, immortalised in my heart and my mind, and why? This man’s many deeds and integrity as he went about the country. I was lucky to meet this person in my time at university and while I was playing for the Auckland team at the same time. What they have said about him is true inasmuch as he was so big that I was prompted to think, by God, if I was ever to meet that man on the paddock, I would be in real trouble.

But that aside, that man’s reputation was enormous. What is said about him is true. He was an easygoing and humble person and he has reached the benchmark set by those who have gone. It is more apt to say farewell and rest, oh ancient one. To everyone in the house, the part for us now is to extol aspects of this man’s life as he bounded about on the world’s stage. Furthermore, my thoughts go out to his wife and children. They need to be strong and courageous. To us all, I say be strong, be brave, and thank you.]

Hoi nō, he tū poto tēnei. Ki a tātou anō rā e te Whare, e tautoko kaha ana mātou katoa i ngā mihi atu ki te rangatira o te Kapa o Pango kua ngaro atu ki tēnā atu o te ārai. Te rangatira ki te papa tākaro, te rangatira ki te ao hurihuri nei, nō reira, haere te rangatira, haere, haere atu rā. Hoi nō, e tika ana kia poroporoaki rā ki tētahi atu. He rangatira anō ki roto i tōna ao, tōna tīma, tōna iwi, arā, ko te iwi taketake puta noa te ao. Nō reira e te rangatira, e Russell Means, haere, haere. Hoki atu ki tōu ūkaipō kia rere atu tōu wairua ki te ringa o tō matua nui i te Rangi. Nō reira, e taku hoa, e te toa, e te rangatira, haere, haere, oti atu e.

[This is only a short call. To us once again, the House, we totally and strongly endorse the tributes to the former captain of the All Blacks who has passed beyond the veil. He was revered on the field of play and in this evolving world, so continue and journey on, the leader. However, it is appropriate to bid farewell to another who was revered as well in his world, his team, and his indigenous people there throughout the world. Hence to the leader Russell Means, depart, farewell. Return to the place of your origin so that your spirit will fly to the hand of your great father in Heaven. Continue and journey on for good, my friend, warrior, champion, and revered one.]

I rise to support the Prime Minister’s motion. In every generation we see a handful of truly outstanding role models. They come from everywhere on the compass and from all walks of life. We admire their actions and their deeds and we hold them up as representatives of everything good about the spirit of our country and the value of our citizens. Sir Wilson James Whineray is one of our legends. He was a good man in the finest traditions of someone truly great.

Although well-known for his outstanding contribution as an All Black captain, he was much bigger than the game of rugby. He was an extraordinary individual. Very few New Zealanders would not have heard of Sir Wilson Whineray, and that is a tribute to all of his endeavours in sport, business, and in the wider community. In 1993 I worked with him in his role as chairman of the Hillary Commission. His single most significant contribution to that organisation was his commitment to reviving secondary school sport and participation at all levels.

He was, of course, a great achiever, but, for all of that, a quiet achiever. Public life never held a lot of interest for this private person, yet I cannot help but reflect on what a superb Governor-General he could have been. Over the years he never hesitated to give anyone a helping hand, and he was always there as a beacon of doing things right and doing the right thing. I had the opportunity to talk to him quite a lot over the years. On a one-to-one basis he always left you with a single and significant piece of sage advice. Former American President John Quincy Adams once said: “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, you are a leader.” Sir Wilson Whineray was a leader of our people, and New Zealand’s stadium of 4 million has greatly benefited from the endeavours of one man. Today our thoughts turn to his gracious wife and wonderful family.

I want to join with others in paying tribute to the late Sir Wilson Whineray, acknowledging his tremendous contribution to sport, to commerce, and to public life in New Zealand generally over the last generation or so. For many of us who grew up in the 1960s, he was an inspirational figure. He was the All Blacks captain at a time when the All Blacks had an even higher standing in the public consciousness than they do today. After the 1963-64 tour of the British Isles he was noted by the British rugby writers—hardly uncritical commentators on New Zealand sporting prowess—as the greatest gentleman in sport. When he retired after the final test in 1965, I can vividly recall, even though the television images were grainy, seeing him carried aloft by his team-mates from the field of play to the grandstand for the after-match event.

But it was not the end of his career at that point. He went on, as has been noted, to have a considerable career in commerce and a range of public activities. I want to recall an incident from the mid-1990s, in which I was involved, where all of the skills that made him such a great player, such a great businessman, and such a great captain came to bear. We in this city were having one of these great stoushes that from time to time divide us—this time, the battle between the Porirua, Hutt, and Wellington factions over where our new multi-purpose sports stadium should be sited. There were those, like the Wellington City Council, arguing for the site down on the waterfront, which eventually triumphed. Others wanted it to be out at Aotea. To try to bridge the gap between the different sporting codes, the local authorities, and the various interests, an external review panel was commissioned, chaired by the then Mr—now, of course, remembered as Sir—Wilson Whineray. I remember going to a couple of the meetings, where tensions were high and passions were being expressed with considerable vigour. This wise figure sat at the end of the table very quietly, nodding at every point that was made, and, in an almost quietly inaudible way, summing up and reaching a decision that everyone felt comfortable with. The consequence was that the stadium was built in what turned out to be the right place. I could imagine from that the team talk, the words of encouragement on the field, and the words of encouragement around the board table from this wise man whose very demeanour and style of presentation gave you a sense of confidence that he knew what he was doing and that he was probably right.

He said—just in tributes that have been referred to in recent times—that he wanted to leave New Zealand a better place than he found it. His presence here alone ensured that that change occurred. We look to our heroes, and we look to people like Sir Wilson Whineray, who with quiet dignity, determination, and passion achieved not only on the sports field but in the business community. The fact that we are now paying tribute to his memory in this Parliament acknowledges, I think, the regard in which the vast majority of New Zealanders would hold him. Our sympathy is with Sir Wilson’s family. Our best wishes and thoughts go with them at this particularly sad time. But we all celebrate the memory of one of our finest New Zealanders.

Motion agreed to.