Researchers are calling for New Zealand policy makers to consider implementing mechanisms which would allow ill or infirm New Zealand prime ministers to be removed from office when their decision-making abilities become impaired.
In an article published in the New Zealand Medical Journal today, University of Otago (Wellington) public health researcher Prof Nick Wilson and independent researcher Dr John Horrocks said the performance of at least four former New Zealand prime ministers had been impaired — in three cases by poor health, and in another, by heavy drinking.
He said the research was inspired by the last-minute withdrawal of United States President Joe Biden as the Democratic candidate for the November 2024 US election.
"Although our case study just looks at four particular New Zealand examples, internationally this is an area of increasing concern.
"There was a study of 37 US presidents and there was evidence that nearly half of them had a psychiatric disorder — either depression, alcohol misuse or even bipolar disorder.
"And we saw recently with president Joe Biden’s infirmity, revealed in his presidential debate.
"So there is concern that leaders who can make major decisions like taking a country to war, it really is important to have some mechanisms in place.
"We have very intensive medical assessments of airline pilots, and yet New Zealand could have a leader that could potentially run the government and could commit the country to a war.
"We have no mechanism for a leader becoming demented or having a severe illness and that being covered up by his or her associates."
Of the four New Zealand prime ministers studied, Michael Joseph Savage (who served from 1935-40) and Norman Kirk (1972-74) died in office, Joseph Ward (1928-30) died shortly after resigning his position, and the leadership of Robert Muldoon (1975-84) was impacted by bouts of heavy drinking at critical times.
"There was many millions of dollars moving out of the country because of that crisis. It was a very significant event."
Kirk died in office aged 51, after 15 years of ill health from diabetes, blood clots, and likely a number of transient ischaemic attacks (TIAs).
He is thought to have had a TIA in his hotel room while on a visit to India in 1973, which left him temporarily paralysed on one side of his body and unable to speak.
All four leaders were reluctant to accept limitations to their authority, and were, at times, protected by political associates, who helped hide the degree to which their ability to govern was impaired.
There was a culture of secrecy and denial surrounding the illnesses of Savage, Kirk and Ward, he said.
"Requiring independent medical assessments both before and during office, could reduce the chances of having political leaders with diminished understanding of their own limitations.
"These type of commissions or panels that would assess leaders’ health, would need to have built-in privacy issues dealt with, and they’d need to conduct their business in a very proper way so that there was no sort of prurient discussion of minor illnesses and they were just focused on serious conditions that would affect the leaders’ performance.
"You wouldn’t want to see it used as a political tool. It would have to be very well designed to be above any hint of party politics."
Prof Wilson said other options for New Zealand that were used in other countries could include two-term limits for prime ministerships, and "recall systems" where voters could petition for a politician to be recalled.
"Maintaining a more well-supported fourth estate and the media doing good investigative journalism, to identify where leaders’ performance is dropping off and where enablers are blocking evidence of the leaders’ impairment would also help."
