Motions — Obituaries—Sir Brian Lochore

I seek leave to move a motion without notice to mark the passing of Sir Brian Lochore.

💬 SPEAKER: Is there any objection to that course of action? There appears to be none.

I move, That this House mourn the passing of Sir Brian Lochore, a member of the Order of New Zealand, a Knight Companion of The New Zealand Order of Merit, and an Officer of the Order of the British Empire, and acknowledge his enormous contribution to New Zealand rugby and to the wider community.

Sir Brian is one of the most admired figures in New Zealand and world rugby, having achieved fame and respect as a player, captain, and, later, as a coach, manager, and selector. He first became a star lock for Masterton and Wairarapa, and his legacy and commitment to grassroots provincial rugby lives on in the Heartland Championship’s Lochore Cup.

It was in his 68 games for the All Blacks—46 of them as captain—where he cemented his place in international rugby history and folklore. Sir Brian led the All Blacks to a 4-0 home series defeat of the Lions in 1966. Under his leadership the following year, they were undefeated in 24 games on a tour of Great Britain, France, and Canada, including tests against England, Wales, Scotland, and France.

Among his many well-deserved honours was becoming an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for services to rugby football on the Queen’s Birthday Honours List 1970, upon his retirement from the All Blacks. Sir Brian’s involvement in our national game did not end with his playing days. He coached Masterton and Wairarapa Bush before guiding the All Blacks to win the inaugural Rugby World Cup in New Zealand in 1987. He was also our campaign manager at the 1995 World Cup and a selector when we won the cup for a second time in 2011.

However, what’s most impressive is how far his reach extended beyond rugby. The many national and community roles he held include former chairman of the Hillary Commission for Sport. He was made a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to sport and the community on the Queen’s Birthday Honours List in 1999. Many have commented on how, despite his extraordinary achievements, he remained a very humble man who was proud of his farming and rural upbringing. He was also well known for offering a helping hand to many people and community groups in need both on and off the rugby field. He was, fittingly, appointed to the Order of New Zealand, our country’s highest honour, in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the institution of the order, on 6 February 2007. He was the quintessential New Zealand sportsman and he will be dearly missed, and it is fitting that his funeral will be held at his beloved home ground in Masterton on Thursday.

To Sir Brian’s family—especially to Pam—his friends, his community, we acknowledge your loss and we celebrate the life of a great, great man.

On Saturday, New Zealand lost one of our most highly respected sporting legends. It was Brian Lochore, who was a valued former All Blacks captain and number eight who played 25 tests in number and another 43 games for a national side, captaining the side in 46 matches of those 68 matches in total, and leading the way through a golden period of All Blacks rugby I know many New Zealanders and their families will have fond memories of watching Sir Brian play and do us proud on the international sporting stage.

On the field he was known for his strategic mind, maintaining combinations throughout competitions. He had the respect of his teammates and was a tremendous motivator. He was a tough man but he was also very fair. He demanded the best from himself and expected others to follow. His proud service to rugby of course, as the Prime Minister has just said, wasn’t limited to the field. After coaching his beloved Wairarapa Bush as they quickly climbed up to the first division within the space of a couple of years of him taking over the reins, he became an All Blacks selector in 1983 and was appointed coach in 1985, guiding his team through one of the most tumultuous periods in the game’s history in New Zealand during his three years in charge but culminating in Rugby World Cup triumph in the inaugural 1987 tournament. In 1995, he was appointed as the squad’s captain and campaign manager for the World Cup in South Africa, and later worked as an adviser at the 2007 tournament in France.

As the Prime Minister has noted, his service to our country was recognised in both the knighthood and in 2007 he rightly received our highest honour, the Order of New Zealand. On Saturday, Sir Brian lost his battle with cancer. Losing a great New Zealander like this reminds us that rugby is more than just a game; it’s part of our values and identity as a nation. Sir Brian forged that link between rugby and this nation in so many ways, be it in his work at the grassroots of rugby, his lasting support and contribution to organisations such as the land conservation group, the Queen Elizabeth the Second National Trust, and for his decades of dedicated service in Wairarapa and Masterton. A loss such as this should bring us together to celebrate Sir Brian Lochore’s legacy and be thankful we live in a country that produces such world-class athletes and inspirational legends such as him.

Tēnā koutou. I am so proud and honoured to be able to stand up and mihi to Sir Brian Lochore and all of his family and all of the communities and people whose lives he has touched through being one of the greatest players to wear the All Black jersey. I was asking my whānau this morning about particular memories, as a rugby-mad family, that they had of Sir Brian, and my brother reminded me about the first 1987 Rugby World Cup—I think it was hosted by Australia and New Zealand—and then I remembered watching that team. That was when I fell in love with our All Blacks team right back then, and to remember that it was under Sir Brian’s leadership, it is a pleasure to be able to speak on this today.

I wanted to spend some time acknowledging him as a kaitiaki, as a conservation leader, going back to his Wairarapa farm; I was really so pleased to look at some of the quotes that he used to have around making sure that the way that he was doing farming was going to protect land in perpetuity for biodiversity.

There was a quote here where he mentioned that he wanted to get in touch with people. He said “push them my way when you hear about [farmers] if they’re a bit reluctant to yield up that half acre of Kahikatea”, and he was able to lead and hold discussions on a leading way of being able to farm land, soil, and water to protect our conservation heritage and hold dear everything that New Zealanders are proud of. So I wanted to make sure we acknowledged him not just for his being a rugby great and a giant in rugby but a giant in conservation and a giant in being a kind man that people remember fondly.

I leave with acknowledging Pam, their children, and also his eight grandchildren, because I know how special the bond is for mokopuna and grandparents. Kia ora.

Motion agreed to.