Henry George Lang

Henry George Lang (3 March 1919 – 17 April 1997) was a New Zealand public servant, economist, university professor and company director. He was born in Vienna, Austria on 3 March 1919 and later became the step-son of the architect Ernst Plischke.

Early years Lang was born Heinrich Lang, in 1919 in Vienna, to Anna Schwitzer, a landscape designer, and Robert Lang a hardware manufacturer. His parents later divorced, and in 1935, Anna Schwitzer remarried, marrying architect Ernest Plischke.

Lang's family arrived in New Zealand in May 1939, and settled in Wellington. Lang changed his name to Henry George Lang. thumb

Lang served as Secretary of the Treasury from 1968 to 1977, serving under three ministers of finance – Robert Muldoon, Wallace (Bill) Rowling, and Robert Tizard. Lang's tenure was a turbulent time for the New Zealand economy, with the most notable event being the 1973 oil crisis, while heavily impacted New Zealand as a country with no significant native oil or gas resources.

In 1983, Lang founded the Wellington Sculpture Trust together with Dr. Ian Prior, where Lang served as chairman.

Personal life Lang married Octavia Gwendolin (Tup) Turton in 12 December 1942.

He died in Wellington, New Zealand, on 17 April 1997, survived by his wife and four children.