Early Life
Bolger was born in 1935 in Opunake, Taranaki. He was one of five children born to Daniel Bolger and Cecilia Bolger (née Doyle) who emigrated together from Gorey, County Wexford, Ireland in 1930. He left Opunake High School at age 15 to work on the family farm.
In 1963 he married Joan Riddell, and they moved to their own sheep and beef farm in Te Kuiti two years later. During this time Bolger became involved in local farmer politics. In the late 1960s he was asked to accompany the then Minister of Finance Robert Muldoon to see for himself the difficulties faced by farmers in the area. As Bolger travelled around the district, he became experienced with Muldoon's adversarial style.
Read more about this topic: Jim Bolger
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