Bassett was born on 28 August 1938 in Auckland, the son of Clare Bassett (née Brown) and Edward Bassett, and educated at Owairaka School, Dilworth School, Mt Albert Grammar, and the University of Auckland.[1][2] He completed BA and MA degrees in history at the University of Auckland before winning a fellowship to Duke University in the United States in 1961. He completed a PhD in American history there, completing a dissertation entitled The Socialist Party of America, 1912–1919: Years of Decline.[3]
In 1964, Bassett returned to New Zealand and became a senior lecturer in history at the University of Auckland. During this time he was a member of the Princes Street Labour branch.[4]
In 1971 Bassett was elected to the Auckland City Council. In the following year, he was elected as a Labour MP for Waitemata in the 1972 election,[6] and the Labour Party became the government for the first time since 1960. Following the death of Prime Minister Norman Kirk in 1974 the party (and Bassett) were defeated in the following (1975) election.[6] In his account of the Third Labour Government, Bassett described it as one of "the most active and socially responsible governments of the twentieth century."[7] He distinguished himself as one of the better performing backbenchers in the government and during its term he assisted Henry May, the Minister of Local Government, in local body amalgamation.[5] Following his defeat, Bassett was asked about the Labour candidacy for the Nelson by-election, which took place only months afterwards, but he ruled it out saying he was not interested in Nelson and "nor would Nelson be interested in me."[8]
Bassett was elected to the Te Atatu electorate in the 1978 election,[6] holding the seat until 1990. Soon after returning to Parliament, he was appointed Shadow Minister of Internal Affairs, Local Government and Sport & Recreation.[9] In a reshuffle in March 1981 he was instead appointed Shadow Minister for Health.[10] Bassett was vocally critical of party president Jim Anderton (particularly after Anderton was ejected from the head office of Air New Zealand during an industrial dispute) and declared he would challenge him for the presidency of the party. An open conflict drew the ire of others in the party and eventually Bassett withdrew his candidacy. He was still subsequently dumped from the shadow cabinet in February 1982.[11]
When Lange's replacement as Prime Minister Geoffrey Palmer held a complete reelection of cabinet in early 1990 all members of the cabinet not contesting the next election (such as Bassett) were discouraged from standing.[15] After leaving the cabinet he was selected to represent the New Zealand government at the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association held in Zimbabwe in September 1990.[16]
When the government and party schismed over issues of economic reform, Bassett took the side of finance minister Roger Douglas, the main architect of the reforms. In 1990, Labour was defeated in another landslide election. Bassett did not contest the 1990 election, and retired from active politics.[17]
He continued occasionally to be involved at an advisory level, for example unofficially advising Don Brash during Brash's term (2003–2006) as National Party leader.[18]
An article by Bassett in The Northland Age was withdrawn by NZME in March 2021 after Bassett criticised the "bizarre craze" of New Zealand adopting Māori language words and phrases, such as using Aotearoa to refer to the country.[22]
Scholarship
In his article The Essentials of Successful Political Leadership in Twentieth Century New Zealand Politics, Bassett outlined the factors he thought were required for a Prime Minister to be successful. These factors include robust health, high energy levels, a good temperament, intelligence, a willingness to take the right, as opposed to the politically expedient, decision, a modicum of luck, a supportive spouse and charisma.[23]
Bassett is a third cousin of late Prime MinisterDavid Lange. Bassett had suggested that Lange should stand on the Labour ticket for the Auckland City Council in 1974. The council was dominated by conservative interests and the only Labour candidates elected were Jim Anderton and Catherine Tizard; Lange was "halfway down the field .... which was better than I expected".[citation needed] Lange's father, who was a doctor, had delivered Bassett. Lange wrote (presumably jokingly referring to Bassett's appointment to Cabinet and their later disagreements): "My father had delivered him, and it became plain in later days that he must have dropped him ...."[24]
^Michael E.R. Bassett, The Socialist Party of America, 1912–1919: Years of Decline. Department of History, Duke University, 1963. Available through University Microfilms International, a division of ProQuest.
^Bassett, Michael (3 April 2002). "Self Help". michaelbassett.co.nz.
^Bassett, Michael (1999). "The Essentials of Successful Political Leadership in Twentieth Century New Zealand Politics". Political Science. 52 (2): 108–119. doi:10.1177/003231879905100201.
