Mike Moore
Mike Moore, born Michael Kenneth Moore on January 28, 1949, in Whakatane, New Zealand, was a prominent diplomat and politician known for his advocacy of free trade and globalization. He entered New Zealand's Parliament in 1972 and served as the country's thirty-fourth prime minister for a brief period in 1990. Throughout his political career, Moore held several significant positions, including Minister of External Relations and Trade, and he was actively involved in trade union activism from a young age. After his time in Parliament, he became the director-general of the World Trade Organization (WTO) from 1999 to 2002, where he navigated challenges posed by the anti-globalization movement and worked on initiatives aimed at reducing trade barriers, notably launching the Doha Development Round.
In addition to his diplomatic endeavors, Moore served as New Zealand's ambassador to the United States from 2010 until his resignation in 2015 due to health issues. He was also a prolific writer, authoring several books on political and economic topics. Moore's legacy is viewed differently, with supporters praising his efforts to enhance global trade, while critics often opposed his stance on globalization. He passed away on February 1, 2020, at the age of seventy-one, leaving behind a complex yet impactful legacy in New Zealand and international trade.
Mike Moore
- Born: January 28, 1949
- Place of Birth: Whakatane, New Zealand
- Died: February 2, 2020
Diplomat and politician
Place of birth: Whakatane, New Zealand
Place of death: Auckland, New Zealand
Significance: An advocate for free trade and globalisation, the Right Honourable Mike Moore was a member of New Zealand's parliament, the thirty-fourth prime minister of New Zealand, the director-general of the World Trade Organisation and New Zealand's ambassador to the United States.
Background
Born Michael Kenneth Moore on 28 January 1949 in Whakatane, New Zealand, Mike Moore grew up in Kawakawa. He attended Bay of Islands College and Dilworth School. Leaving school at fourteen, he worked in an array of jobs, including meat worker, construction worker, printer and social worker in a mental hospital.
Moore joined the Labour Party in his youth and became an activist for trade unions. He was the first youth representative elected to the Labour Party's New Zealand Executive. When he was seventeen, he was elected to the Auckland Trades Council. He later was elected vice president of the International Union of Socialist Youth.
Political Career
Moore entered Parliament in 1972 as the representative for Mount Eden in Auckland. He left Parliament in 1975 following the Labour Party's defeat in the general election and returned in 1978 as the representative for Christchurch North, following a move to Christchurch. He was re-elected in each successive election until 1996. After the electorate boundaries were revised, he won the 1996 election as the representative for Waimakariri.
As a member of Parliament (MP), Moore held several portfolios and leadership positions. He was the minister in charge of publicity (1984–88); minister of tourism, sport and recreation (1984–87); minister of overseas trade and marketing (1984–90); minister for the America's Cup (1988–90); and minister of external relations and trade (1988–1990). He was the chair of the Cabinet Economic Development and Employment Committee from 1984 to 1990, the deputy minister of finance from 1988 to 1990, and the foreign minister from February to November 1990.
Moore briefly served as prime minister from 4 September 1990 to 2 November 1990. A few weeks before the general election, MPs chose him to replace the caretaker prime minister, Geoffrey Palmer (August 1989–September 1990), who had replaced Prime Minister David Lange (1984–89) after he abruptly resigned due to political in-fighting. The MPs hoped that Moore could lead the Labour Party to a victory in the election, but he was unsuccessful and was succeeded by Jim Bolger of the centre-right National Party. Following the election, Moore became the leader of the Opposition and the Labour Party, holding both positions until 1993. From 1993 to 1999, he was the Opposition spokesperson on foreign affairs and overseas trade.
Moore left Parliament in 1999 when he became the director-general of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). Serving from September 1999 to August 2002, he began his three-year term just as the global organisation came under attack from members of the nascent anti-globalisation movement. In November and December 1999, the WTO held its 1999 Ministerial Conference in Seattle, Washington, which became the target of thousands of anti-globalisation demonstrators who took to the streets to protest its policies. After riots broke out, the conference was suspended. The protests brought to the forefront conflicts within the WTO and the need to reconcile member states' varying stances on multilateral trading issues. Moore spent most of his term as a negotiator addressing those issues and helping to ensure fair treatment of small, poor and developing nations. In 2001, he helped to launch the Doha Development Round, a series of negotiations between governments that began at the Fourth Ministerial Conference in Doha, Qatar, in November 2001. It was intended to lower trade barriers and come to consensus on rules for trade policies. The members agreed to work on numerous issues, which were continued at the next ministerial conference in Mexico in September 2003, after Moore left the WTO. Members were unable to come to agreement during that conference, and talks stalled thereafter. During his time with the WTO, Moore saw the accession of numerous nations, including China, Taiwan, Jordan, Oman, Moldova, Estonia, Lithuania, Croatia, Georgia and Albania, to the WTO.
After leaving the WTO, Moore was appointed to the United Nations Global Commission on International Migration. On 5 August 2010, Moore assumed the post of New Zealand ambassador to the United States. As ambassador, he continued to work on reducing barriers to trade and participated in the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade talks. In April 2015, he suffered a stroke, and in December of that year he resigned his post and returned to New Zealand, citing his poor health.
Moore was a prolific writer. His books include A Pacific Parliament (1982), Fighting for New Zealand (1993), A Brief History of the Future (1998), A World without Walls (2007) and Saving Globalisation (2009).
Impact
A controversial figure among those who oppose globalisation and free trade, Mike Moore is well regarded by those who believe that minimising the barriers to trade when possible will improve the quality of life not only for New Zealanders, but also for people around the world. In recognition of his efforts to foster closer ties with other countries, he was awarded the New Zealand Commemoration Medal in 1990 and the Order of New Zealand in 1999. He received numerous other honours from multiple countries, including the Order of Australia, the Order of Duke Branimir with Ribbon (Croatia), the Commander of the Order of the Equatorial Star (Gabon), the National Order of Cote d'Ivoire, the Order of the Golden Heart (Kenya), the Medal of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay and the Pope John Paul II Annual Medal.
Personal Life
Moore married Yvonne Moore in 1975. He died at his home in Auckland on February 1, 2020, at the age of seventy-one.
Bibliography
Galland, Sandy. "Moore's Law." Magazinestoday, www.magazinestoday.co.nz/mike-moore. Accessed 18 June 2024.
Harman, Richard. "Mike Moore: Labour's Last Working Class Hero." Stuff.co.nz, 2 Feb. 2020, www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/119231895/mike-moore-labours-last-working-class-hero. Accessed 18 June 2024.
Luxner, Larry. "New Zealand's Mike Moore: Kiwi Optimism Will Prevail." The Washington Diplomat, 22 Nov. 2010, www.washdiplomat.com/index.php?option=com‗content&view=article&id=6884:new-zealands-mike-moore-kiwi-optimism-will-prevail&catid=211:october-2010&Itemid=233. Accessed 18 June 2024.
"Mike Moore Leaving Post as New Zealand Ambassador to US." Stuff.co.nz, 21 Nov. 2015, www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/74272980/Mike-Moore-leaving-post-as-New-Zealand-ambassador-to-US. Accessed 18 June 2024.
"Mike Moore, WTO Director-General, 1999 to 2002." World Trade Organization, www.wto.org/english/thewto‗e/dg‗e/mm‗e.htm. Accessed 18 June 2024.
Robinson, James. "Our Man in Washington." Stuff.co.nz, 6 Feb. 2011, www.stuff.co.nz/sunday-star-times/features/4619280/Our-man-in-Washington. Accessed 18 June 2024.