Ernest Corbett

The Honourable Ernest Corbett
27th Minister of Māori Affairs
In office 13 December 1949 – 26 September 1957
Prime Minister	Sidney Holland Keith Holyoake
Preceded by	Peter Fraser
Succeeded by	Keith Holyoake
Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Egmont
In office 1943 – 26 September 1957
Succeeded by	William Sheat
Personal details
Born	(1898-05-07)7 May 1898 Okato, Taranaki
Died	New Plymouth, Taranaki
Political party	National
Spouse(s)	Doris Eileen Sharp (m. 1923)
Children	Two sons

Parliament of New Zealand
Years	Term	Electorate		Party
1943–1946	27th	Egmont		National
1946–1949	28th	Egmont		National
1949–1951	29th	Egmont		National
1951–1954	30th	Egmont		National
1954–1957	31st	Egmont		National

Ernest Bowyer Corbett (7 May 1898 – 15 June 1968) was a New Zealand National Party politician.

He held the Egmont electorate from 1943 to 1957. He was Minister of Māori Affairs, Minister of Lands and Minister of Forests in the First National Government. As Māori Affairs Minister he worked closely with Māori statesman Apirana Ngata, and spent much of his time implementing "Ngata’s policies".

Corbett fell ill and, according to Wilson (1985), retired at the end of the parliamentary term on 29 October 1957, or, according to his biographer, in September 1957, shortly before his government's defeat. He died on 15 June 1968.

In April 2010 it was alleged by Muru Walters that in 1956 Corbett told the Māori All Blacks to deliberately lose to the Springboks "for the future of rugby" however several other players in the team contradict Walters accusation and state Corbett never asked them to deliberately throw the game. The Māori team lost 37–0. This was followed by Walters calling for the government to apologise for the way it treated Māori rugby players.

References

New Zealand Parliament
Preceded by Charles Wilkinson	Member of Parliament for Egmont 1943–1957	Succeeded by William Sheat
Political offices
Preceded by Peter Fraser	Minister of Māori Affairs 1949–1957	Succeeded by Keith Holyoake