On 8th August 1989 David Lange resigned his post as Prime Minister, handing the position over to Geoffrey Palmer. Lange was leader of the fourth Labour government and Prime Minister of New Zealand from 1984–1989. He was New Zealand’s youngest prime minister during the 20th century and the first Labour leader since the 1940s to achieve a second term as Prime Minister.

In 1977 Lange entered Parliament as the Labour MP for Mangere. In 1979 he was elected Deputy Leader of the Opposition, and in 1983 became Leader of the Opposition following the resignation of Bill Rowling. Lange was Prime Minister of New Zealand from 1984 to 1989, presiding over one of the most dramatic periods of political change in New Zealand's history. However he was unsettled by the mounting social effects of Finance Minister Roger Douglas’s neo-liberal economic policies of the late 80s, and in turn destabilised his own government by taking unilateral positions on tax and on foreign affairs. After losing control of Cabinet, he resigned in August 1989. Following his resignation, Lange held the positions of Attorney-General, Minister in Charge of the Serious Fraud Office, and Minister of State, from 1989 to 1990. This record is the acceptance letter of the Governor-General, Paul Reeves, of Lange's resignation as Prime Minister. It comes from a series of political papers on a variety of subjects spanning David Lange's political career. Archives reference: AAWW 7112 W4640 47/ For further enquiries please email Research.Archives@dia.govt.nz

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