page_title: Matthew Oram
section_title: Political career
hierarchical_section_title: Matthew Oram / Political career
caption_attribution_description: English: Original caption from the New Zealand Free Lance, 5/7/1950, reads: "New Zealand's 29th Parliament was opened last week by commission in the Legislative council chamber, Parliament Buildings, Wellington. Sittings of both the House of Representatives and the Legislative Council followed, and M H Oram, M P for Manawatu, was elected Speaker of the House of Representatives. On the second day, the ceremonial opening by His Excellency the Governor-General, Sir Bernard Freyberg, V C, took place...Returning to Parliament Buildings after presenting himself at Government House for His Excellency's approbation: the new Speaker of the House, Hon M H Oram, preceded by the Serjeant-at-Arms, Group Captain A J Manson, M C (with mace), and followed by the Clerk of the House, H N Dollimore."
context_page_description: Sir Matthew Henry Oram MBE was a New Zealand politician of the National Party. He was the 13th Speaker of the House of Representatives, from 1950 to 1957.
context_section_description: Oram was on the Palmerston North Borough Council (1920–1927). In the 1935 election, he was a candidate of the anti-Labour Democrat Party in the Manawatu electorate.  The Democrats stood 50 candidates in the 1935 election, but none of them were successful. Their main effect was to split the vote on the right, resulting in several electorates going to Labour. This may well have happened in Manawatu, where Labour's Lorrie Hunter unseated Reform's Joseph Linklater by a margin of just 30 votes (2,962 votes versus 2,932), with Oram coming fourth (673 votes). In 1936, the Democrats merged with other parties to form the National Party, contributing the most conservative perspective.
  Oram did not stand in the 1938 election.
  When John Cobbe retired from Parliament in 1943, Oram won National's nomination for the Manawatu electorate. He beat Labour's candidate, Corporal W. H. Oliver, by a considerable margin (6,194 votes versus 3,883), with an Independent coming a distant third. Oram held the Manawatu electorate until his retirement in 1957. During his first two parliamentary terms, when the Labour Party was in government, Oram was a frequent debater and advocated for better education.
  When National came to power in the 1949 election, many expected Oram to become Minister of Education.  However, the portfolio was given to Ronald Algie, who held it until 1957. Oram had a strained relationship with Sidney Holland, the Prime Minister, was considered too conservative and together with a sometimes difficult personality, these factors may not have worked in his favour.
  When Parliament first assembled after the election in June 1950, Oram was elected Speaker of the House. He held the role of Speaker until his retirement from Parliament on 29 October 1957. He executed the role in a fair and effective way. In the 1952 Queen's Birthday Honours, during his time as Speaker, he was appointed a Knight Bachelor.
caption: Opening of 29th Parliament, with Oram as newly elected Speaker walking behind the Serjeant-at-Arms (with mace)
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