sizes standardised. Howard was succeeded by Norman Kirk, who in 1969 shifted from the Lyttelton electorate to the safer Labour electorate of Sydenham. During his representation of Sydenham, he became Prime Minister. He died in office on 31 August 1974. John Kirk succeeded his father in a 1974 by-election. Kirk Jr. held the electorate for ten years until 1984. In July 1983, John Kirk announced that he would not seek the Labour Party's nomination for Sydenham in the . In his place Labour selected Jim Anderton, the party president, whereupon Kirk (a strong David Lange supporter) declared that he would stand against the official Labour candidate as an independent. His continuing opposition to Anderton's selection resulted in the Labour Party's New Zealand Council suspending him from membership of the Labour Party. Kirk served out the remainder of his parliamentary career as an Independent MP. John Kirk left New Zealand in 1984 while still an MP for Sydenham, as he owed more than $280,000. He was arrested in the US and imprisoned, and then extradited to New Zealand, where he was charged under the Insolvency Act 1985. He was sentenced to four months' periodic detention. Anderton was successful in Sydenham in 1969 and started his long parliamentary career. He held the seat until the abolition of the electorate in 1996 then transferring to , and from 29 April 2009 until his retirement at the he was Father of the House. While holding Sydenham, Anderton defected from the Labour Party to found the NewLabour Party in 1989, and was re-elected in the electorate in 1990. In 1991, NewLabour and several other parties formed the Alliance, a broad left-wing coalition. Anderton was elected for the Alliance in 1993. Sydenham was abolished in 1996 and replaced by the Wigram electorate. Members of Parliament Key 1 John Kirk became an independent in 1983. 2 Jim Anderton defected to New Labour in 1989, and co-founded the Alliance in 1991. Election results 1993 election 1990 election 1987 election 1984 election 1981 election 1978 election 1975 election 1974 by-election 1972 election 1969 election 1966 election 1963 election 1960 election 1957 election 1954 election 1951 election 1949 election 1946 election 1887 election 1886 by-election 1884 election 1881 election Notes References 1881 establishments in New Zealand 1996 disestablishments in New Zealand Historical electorates of New Zealand Politics of Christchurch History of Christchurch 1946 establishments in New Zealand 1887 disestablishments in