Bill Barnard William Edward ( Bill ) Barnard ( 29 January 1886 – 12 March 1958 ) was a New Zealand lawyer , politician and parliamentary speaker . He was a member of Parliament from 1928 until 1943 , and was its Speaker from 1936 till 1943 . He was known for his association with John A . Lee , a prominent left - wing politician . Early life . Barnard was born in Carterton , a town in the Wairarapa region . He studied law at Victoria University of Wellington , and became a lawyer in 1908 . He eventually settled in Te Aroha , where he served on the Borough Council . In 1915 , he travelled to the United Kingdom and joined the Royal Army Medical Corps to serve in World War I . After serving for a time in Egypt , he became a gunner in the Royal Field Artillery , serving in Palestine . Following World War I , he returned to New Zealand and resumed practice as a lawyer . Parliamentary career . Becoming increasingly interested in left - wing politics , Barnard joined the young Labour Party in 1923 . He was a good friend of John A . Lee , one of the more radical members of the Labour Party . Barnard rose quickly , being elected to the Labour Party ' s national executive in 1924 . In the 1925 elections , he was Labour ' s candidate in the Kaipara seat — the incumbent was Gordon Coates , the Prime Minister , and Barnard was unsuccessful . In the 1928 elections , he stood in the seat of Napier , and narrowly defeated the incumbent Reform Party MP . In 1935 , he was awarded the King George V Silver Jubilee Medal . In the 1935 elections , he was returned with a comfortable majority , perhaps assisted by his work in response to the Napier earthquake . When the Labour Party won power in 1935 , many believed that he would be appointed Minister of Justice . In the end , however , this position was given to Rex Mason . Instead , Barnard was nominated as Speaker of the House . He was elected to this position in March 1936 . In the , he was challenged in the electorate by John Ormond of the National Party , but he won with a large majority . Politically , Barnard was on the left of the Labour Party , and was strongly influenced by the social credit theory of monetary reform . He was also a strong Anglican , and considered himself to be a Christian socialist . Barnard became known as one of the senior members of the left - leaning , creditist faction of the party , although his old friend John A . Lee was the faction ' s " de facto " leader . As Lee ' s relationship with the Labour Party leadership deteriorated , Barnard sided with Lee . Lee was eventually expelled , and after Peter Fraser , an opponent of Lee , was elected leader on 4 April 1940 , Barnard himself resigned from the party . Barnard then assisted Lee in the launch of the new Democratic Labour Party , becoming one of its two MPs . Despite his departure from the governing party , he retained the office of Speaker . Soon , however , Barnard became dissatisfied with Lee ' s style of leadership , considering it to be egotistical and autocratic . Rather than seek re - election as a Democratic Labour Party candidate , he opted to stand as an independent , but was defeated . Later life . Following his departure from Parliament , Barnard returned to law , setting up a legal practice in Tauranga . In 1950 , he became mayor , serving for two years . He also undertook considerable work with various non - profit organisations , including the Society for Closer Relations with Russia , the Institute of Pacific Relations ' s New Zealand branch , the New Zealand Five Million Club ( promoting population growth ) , and the New Zealand Council for the Adoption of Chinese Refugee Children . For the latter , he was awarded the Order of the Brilliant Star by the government of the Republic of China . In the 1957 New Year Honours he was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire , for political and public services . Barnard died in Auckland on 12 March 1958 .