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Story: Premiers and prime ministers

Norman 'Big Norm' Kirk

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‘Norm is the fairy on our Christmas tree/handing out presents to the elderly’ were lines from the tongue-in-cheek tune ‘Big Norm’ that Wellington pop duo Ebony took to number four in the charts. The song stuck in people’s minds and featured on this tribute album released after the charismatic prime minister’s unexpected death in 1974.

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Gavin McLean, Premiers and prime ministers – Towards modern leadership, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/music/33196/norman-big-norm-kirk (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Gavin McLean, published 7 May 2012, updated 1 December 2016.