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Story: Cabinet government

Collective responsibility: undermined

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Collective responsibility: undermined

During the Labour government of 1984–90, Prime Minister David Lange came into increasing conflict with Minister of Finance Roger Douglas. This cartoon depicts the tension between them when Douglas pushed for more radical economic reforms after the stock market crash of 1987. Douglas departed from cabinet in 1988, but was re-elected by his caucus colleagues in 1989, prompting Lange to resign.

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Alexander Turnbull Library

Reference: A-312-4-019

by Tom Scott

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

Chris Eichbaum, Cabinet government – Collective responsibility, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/cartoon/34360/collective-responsibility-undermined (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Chris Eichbaum, published 23 March 2012.