1949, Howard Kippenberger: Foresight and cool judgement

Major General Howard Kippenberger fought battles abroad and at home. (NZ Herald Archives)

Howard Kippenberger was a man who combined moral courage with the great physical courage of a soldier.

He saw action at the Somme in World War I and in Greece, Crete, North Africa and Italy in World War II.

By the end of his military career he held the rank of Major General.

The Herald praised him as a man of foresight and cool judgment but also for being "forthright in opinion and steadfast in principle".

And it is for his moral courage and steadfast principle that we choose him as New Zealander of the Year for making a stand against the exclusion of Maori players in the All Black team to tour of South Africa in 1949.

Kippenberger reasoned that if Maori were good enough to fight for New Zealand on the world's battlefields, they should be allowed to represent their country on the playing fields of South Africa.

His comments provoked a storm of controversy.

Historian Glyn Harper, writing in the DNZB, said although he received much support, the tone of letters opposing him were extremely hostile and aggressive.

"I say it with some bitterness," Kippenberger wrote to a friend, "Rugby is King and the dead are only bones."

But his stand has long since been vindicated and he is our New Zealander of the Year for fighting the good fight.

Further reading:
Biography of Howard Kippenberger, Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand