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David Lange Quotes (1942-2005)
About David Lange
David Lange (4 August 1942 – 13 August 2005) served as Prime Minister of New Zealand from 1984 to 1989. He headed New Zealand's fourth Labour Government, one of the most reforming administrations in his country's history, alongside Roger Douglas and Richard Prebble. Lange was renowned for a cutting wit and eloquence. His government implemented far-reaching free market reforms, some of which he later came to oppose and regret. Perhaps his most lasting legacy is New Zealand's Nuclear Free Legislation, which for many symbolised a moral, independent, powerful identity for New Zealand.
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Explore our curated collection of the most famous and impactful David Lange quotes.
“...a sordid act of international state-backed terrorism.”
“An itinerant masseur, massaging the politically erogenous zones.”
“My back is so scar-tissued that you couldn't find a place to slip a knife.”
“On seeing a machine labelled "media steriliser", Lange quipped: "Have that sent to my office immediately."”
“Our military forces are an arm of government, just like the Department of Social Welfare, although probably less able to inflict widespread harm.”
“After that, whenever I drove past Mangakahia, I would empty my ashtray — and I was a heavy smoker in those days — on the road outside the hall.”
“Bassett was a member of parliament and a cousin on my father's side of the family. My father delivered him and it became plain in later days that he must have dropped him.”
“To US Ambassador H. Monroe Browne, who owned a racehorse called Lacka Reason: "You are the only ambassador in the world to race a horse named after your country's foreign policy."”
David Lange Quotes by Topic
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David Lange on 1980s
“I often write about the period and I do so with wistfulness rather than triumph. It is a period which was absolutely significant in New Zealand's history. It was a period which was calling out for the government we had in 1984 to 1987 and it was a chance where the social richness of New Zealand could have been enhanced because of its economic wealth and where instead the obsession for money overran any form of political, social, human sense.”
What David Lange Said About Others
Discover personal opinions David Lange shared regarding contemporaries.
David Lange on Robert Muldoon 2 quotes
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David Lange on François Mitterrand
“We are an enemy of the nuclear threat and we are an enemy of testing nuclear weapons in the South Pacific. New Zealand did not buy into this fight. France put agents into New Zealand. France put spies into New Zealand. France lets off bombs in the Pacific. France puts its President in the Pacific to crow about it.”
About David Lange
David Lange (4 August 1942 – 13 August 2005) served as Prime Minister of New Zealand from 1984 to 1989. He headed New Zealand's fourth Labour Government, one of the most reforming administrations in his country's history, alongside Roger Douglas and Richard Prebble. Lange was renowned for a cutting wit and eloquence. His government implemented far-reaching free market reforms, some of which he later came to oppose and regret. Perhaps his most lasting legacy is New Zealand's Nuclear Free Legislation, which for many symbolised a moral, independent, powerful identity for New Zealand.