Harry Lake

The Honourable Harry Lake
31st Minister of Finance
In office 12 December 1960 – 21 February 1967
Prime Minister	Keith Holyoake
Preceded by	Arnold Nordmeyer
Succeeded by	Robert Muldoon
Personal details
Born	29 September 1911 Christchurch, New Zealand
Died	21 February 1967 Wellington, New Zealand
Political party	National

Harry Robson Lake (29 September 1911 – 21 February 1967), a New Zealand politician, served as Minister of Finance for six years in the second National government, in the 1960s. He died of a heart attack when only 55 years old.

Lake was born in Christchurch. Lake was father to two children, Richard Hartley Robson Lake and Mary-Rose Lake and grandfather to three Oliver Harry Kent Lake, Benjamin Hartley Lake & Helen Ansell. He was educated at the University of Canterbury, gaining a degree in commerce. He established an accountancy practice in 1943.

After holding a number of roles within the National Party's administration, he stood as the party's candidate for the Riccarton seat in the 1949 election. Riccarton was regarded as a "safe" Labour Party seat, and Lake was unsuccessful. In the 1951 election, however, Lake won the seat of Lyttelton, which had been held by Labour for nearly forty years. While Lake held his seat in the 1954 election, he lost it in the 1957 election to Norman Kirk (who later became Prime Minister).

In the 1960 election, which National won, Lake returned to Parliament as the MP for Fendalton (a safe National seat). He was immediately elevated to Cabinet by Prime Minister Keith Holyoake, becoming minister of finance. As Lake possessed no ministerial experience before this point, his immediate appointment to one of the most powerful ministerial posts was remarkable. In recognition of his lack of experience, however, Lake was officially ranked sixth in Cabinet, a lower position than a minister of finance would normally expect.

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