Holland, Sidney George (1893-1961)

New Zealand National Party right-of-centre politician, prime minister 1949-57. He removed wartime controls, abolished the Legislative Council (the upper house of parliament), pursued a market-centred economic strategy, and participated in conferences on the Suez Crisis in 1956. He was knighted in 1957, but, with his health deteriorating, retired in September 1957 and was replaced as prime minister and party leader by Keith Holyoake.

Born in Greendale, Canterbury, he trained as an engineer and was managing director of an engineering company, before being elected to parliament in 1935, as a member of the conservative National Party. He became leader of the National Party and the opposition in 1940, before succeeding Peter Fraser as prime minister in December 1949. His government's attack on trade-union power provoked a 23-week-long dock workers' strike in 1951, after which Holland called and won a snap general election in July 1951.