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Frank Holmes

1924 – 2011

New Zealand economist and government advisor

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About Frank Holmes

Lived 1924 – 2011 (aged 87). Frank Holmes was a New Zealand economist.

Sir Frank Wakefield Holmes (8 September 1924 – 23 October 2011) was a New Zealand economist and government advisor noted to have significantly influenced New Zealand's social and economic development.

Career and military service Throughout his career, Holmes advised on economic policy and foreign trade to several New Zealand governments during the 1950s and 1960s. Group of No. 30 Squadron aircrew. Frank Wakefield Holmes pictured in the middle, 1944. Holmes was an economics professor at Victoria University of Wellington from 1952 to 1967. He then remained Emeritus Professor of the Institute of Policy Studies up until his death.

Holmes served as a bomber pilot in World War II with the Royal New Zealand Air Force, No. 31 Squadron.

He was appointed a Knight Bachelor in the 1975 Queen's Birthday Honours, for services to economics and education and was also awarded, by the University of Otago in 1997, an Honorary Doctorate and in 2004, from the Victoria University of Wellington. He had been predeceased by his wife, Nola, Lady Holmes, in March that year, after 63 years of marriage.

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Important facts

Birth century
Occupation
Nationality
Employers
Victoria University of Wellington, Australian National University
Awards
Knight Bachelor; Distinguished Fellow of the New Zealand Association of Economists; Life Member of the New Zealand Association of Economists; Honorary doctor of Victoria University of Wellington
Also known as
Sir Frank Wakefield Holmes, Frank Wakefield Holmes

People in Frank Holmes's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Frank Holmes's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Frank Holmes?

New Zealand economist and government advisor (1924-2011)

When was Frank Holmes born?

Frank Holmes was born on 8 September 1924 in Oamaru.

When did Frank Holmes die?

Frank Holmes died on 23 October 2011 in Silverstream.

What was Frank Holmes's occupation?

Frank Holmes was an economist.

What nationality was Frank Holmes?

Frank Holmes was New Zealand.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Frank Holmes

· Wikidata: Q5487303

· DBpedia: Frank Holmes (economist)

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Frank Holmes. https://biography.guide/frank-holmes/

MLA: "Frank Holmes." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/frank-holmes/.

Chicago: "Frank Holmes." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/frank-holmes/.

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