Roger Kerr

My friend, Roger Kerr, died on October 28 after a year-long struggle with melanoma.

I came to know Roger partly as a result of our shared experience with cancer, but also because of my current preoccupation with the New Zealand economy. I made contact with Roger after he wrote to me, telling me where my economics was a bit weak, and advising me which books I needed to read. We arranged to meet over coffee and clearly enjoyed each other's company. And I grew to know and admire Roger's wife Catherine Isaac through our shared work as Zealandia Trustees.

Before Miang and I went to the UK we had dinner with Roger and Catherine in their Kelburn home. Roger and I corresponded by email about my project in Cambridge, but over that time his condition deteriorated. When returned to New Zealand, Roger was gravely ill.

Roger Kerr CNZM, was, until his death, CEO of the New Zealand Business Roundtable. Before that he had held senior posts in Foreign Affairs and the Treasury. He was what is known as an "economic liberal". We disagreed on economic and political philosophy, but we respected and liked each other. Last year, in supporting Rogers nomination for a New Zealand Honour, I wrote

Roger is one of New Zealand’s outstanding economic thinkers, and a person who has rendered great service to his country ...I make this recommendation even though I personally do not agree with much of Roger’s economic philosophy. But what I greatly admire and respect about Roger Kerr, professionally, is his scholarship, his keen intellect, his honesty and his dedication to New Zealand. On a personal level, he is a thoroughly decent and kind man and someone I like and trust. Most importantly Roger’s contribution has been to lift the standard of the national conversation about our economic future, avoiding cliché, shallow thinking and comfortable mythology. There is a robustness to his analysis, and a dedication to debating ideas rather than dealing in personalities or ideology, that is immensely important to our country. Roger lifts the standard of our thinking and the way in which we are able to debate important disagreements. In that sense he offers vital leadership.

Finally, I would like to pay tribute to Roger’s outstanding courage, in the face of professional criticism, and in the most remarkable manner in which he is facing his current health challenge. It is at a time like this that one often sees the true mark of an individual. He displays the finest qualities of determination, optimism, and an ability to quickly grasp the details of a new situation, while bravely facing physical and mental difficulty. In my view Roger Kerr is a truly great New Zealander, a towering intellect and thought leader, and a role model."

In a recent interview with the New Zealand Herald, Roger commented on our friendship.

Kerr reveals the two men have bonded over their fates, even though Callaghan is widely regarded as a "leftie". Kerr insists they have more in common than it might appear. "Paul has been going on about prosperity for New Zealand and I think that's terrific. I said to him a while back: 'If both of us are alive in 12 months' time, I'd be very happy to talk to you a bit more about the way you're telling the prosperity story because with a bit of tweaking I could help you to make it a better, more persuasive kind of story'." If asked, he admits, Callaghan would probably say their economic beliefs were quite different. "But I think, with more conversations, he would find that we're not that far apart."

I'll leave the last word to Roger on this.