Robert Muldoon, Accountant, Prime Minister

Abstract

Robert Muldoon was Prime Minister of New Zealand for nine years from 1975, including those made turbulent by high inflation in the late 1970s. He was, by profession, an accountant. This study considers aspects of Muldoon's career and the accounting firm in which he worked, aspects of his life only sparsely otherwise documented, and reviews the extent to which he promoted the particular interests of the New Zealand Society of Accountants for legislative reform, and support for inflation accounting. His formative years as an accountant are reflected during his premiership in his vision for economic development. This study offers a more favourable understanding of his accounting background and its influence on his contribution as Prime Minister than other biographies and historical analysis since the end of his premiership in 1984.

Keywords: Muldoon, NZSA, New Zealand Prime Minister

JEL Classification: M40, B30