Frank O'Flynn

Francis Duncan O'Flynn (24 October 1918 – 17 October 2003) was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party.

Early life and family O'Flynn was born in Runanga in 1918. He was the son of Francis Edward O'Flynn and Margaret Helen Valentine Duncan. He received his education at Christchurch Normal School and Christchurch Boys' High School. He received his BA in 1940, and joined the Royal New Zealand Air Force in 1942.

He married Sylvia Elizabeth Hefford in 1942 and they had four children. He obtained his LLB in 1947 and LLM in 1948.

O'Flynn represented Brian Brooks in 1972, where Brooks successfully sued deputy prime minister Robert Muldoon for defamation for remarks Muldoon made on a 1972 television programme. O'Flynn's cross-examination of Muldoon generated much interest, and was described in his Law Society obituary as a highlight of his career. O'Flynn's attempt was not helped by an effort to seek candidates with links to Nelson as there were fears in the area that MPs who had lost their seats in 1975 would become "parachute candidates". He was the only defeated candidate to try for the nomination.

Following his attempt in Nelson, O'Flynn seriously considered standing for the Wellington mayoralty in 1977, but he withdrew in favour of Sir Frank Kitts. At the same election he stood for the Wellington City Council and was elected. Between 1980 and 1981 he was leader of the Labour caucus on the council. He was re-elected in 1980, but unexpectedly lost his seat on the council in 1983. His defeat was in the wake of him hinting that he would rethink his position on the council should he become a cabinet minister after being promoted earlier in 1983. O'Brien ran as an independent candidate and drew away many former Labour voters causing O'Flynn to come close to losing one of Labour's safest seats. He was elected narrowly by 650 votes and represented Island Bay from 1978 to 1987, when he retired due to ill health. Soon after returning to Parliament he was appointed as Shadow Minister of Health by leader Bill Rowling. He was later shifted from Health to be Shadow Minister of Justice in 1981. O'Flynn was a backer of David Lange for leader and was rewarded by being promoted to the front bench and given the role of Shadow Attorney-General. Following Labour's victory at the O'Flynn was naturally expected to in both political and legal circles to become Attorney-General, but Lange had been persuaded by his deputy Geoffrey Palmer (who had been O'Flynn's legal clerk decades earlier) to appoint him to the role instead.

During the Fourth Labour Government he was a cabinet minister and served as Minister of Defence from 1984 to 1987. He was also Minister of State, Minister in charge of War Pensions, Minister in charge of Rehabilitation, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Associate Minister of Overseas Trade and Marketing. He was instrumental in developing Labour's nuclear-free policies, which despite resulting in the breakdown of ANZUS, O'Flynn described as "by far the brightest thing [the Government] had done." His wife, Sylvia O'Flynn, died in 2012.

Honours and awards In 1977, O'Flynn was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal, and in 1990 he received the New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal.