Michael Joseph Savage Memorial Park - Auckland - New Zealand by Martyn Berry

Adjacent to Bastion Point is a memorial to New Zealand's best-loved politician, Michael Joseph Savage. Prime Minister from 1935 to 1940, Savage became a symbol of hope for war-weary and depressed New Zealanders. He wanted, in his own words, to 'let people govern themselves', to give them a 'fair deal', to get the bosses and the interest groups off their backs, and to stop people going 'bankrupt amidst plenty'.

Michael Joseph Savage (23 March 1872 – 27 March 1940) was the first Labour Prime Minister of New Zealand. He is commonly known as the architect of the welfare state and is constantly regarded as one of New Zealand's greatest and revered Prime Ministers. He was given the title New Zealander of the Century by The New Zealand Herald in 1999.