Ernest Corbett

Who was Ernest Corbett?

Ernest Bowyer Corbett 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, 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.