Warren Wilfred Freer QSO (27 December 1920 – 29 March 2013) was a New Zealand politician and member of the Labour Party.

During the early days of the Great Depression he was embarrassed to be the only one of his class not bare-footed, so used to take off his shoes and socks on the way to school and replace them before getting home.

On his 13th birthday, Freer received a present from Savage, a copy of Edward Bellamy's novel Looking Backward, which he "devoured and cherished".

[1] He initially worked as a shop assistant at Milne and Choice, a large Queen Street department store, but moved to journalism.

[3] On 9 May 1941, Freer married Sylvia Prudence Squire at the Epsom Methodist Church in Auckland, and the couple went on to have two children.

Freer was only 26[1] when he entered Parliament following the death of Arthur Richards, and was relatively unknown to Labour executive members, but local supporter Dick Barter convinced Peter Fraser that his work in Eden was adequate apprenticeship.

[9] In 1955 he was the first Western politician to visit the People's Republic of China, against the wishes of Labour leader Walter Nash but with the encouragement of National Prime Minister Sidney Holland.

Freer cast his own vote in the next ballot for the 66 year old Anderton, thinking that at 36 he had plenty of time to make it in to cabinet.

[18] He stood as a candidate for the deputy leadership of the New Zealand Labour Party in 1974 after Kirk's death only to prevent Arthur Faulkner winning on the first ballot, hoping that either Bob Tizard or Colin Moyle would win the subsequent ballot(s).

[19] In 1975 the government passed the Commerce Act that consolidated the laws on commercial competition, price controls, monopolies and takeovers.

[22] Freer was replaced in the safe Mount Albert seat by Helen Clark who beat six other contenders including electorate chairman Keith Elliot, former MP Malcolm Douglas and future MP Jack Elder for the nomination.