As Associate to Colin McLachlan, Malcolm's focus was on New Zealand Railways. He managed the transition from government department to corporation, upgraded Wellington's commuter services with Hungarian built Ganz-Marvag electric units, electrified commuter services to Paraparaumu and commenced electrification of the main trunk line.
Immigration
Malcolm became involved with Immigration as Parliamentary Under Secretary to Jim Bolger in 1977 and continued, as Minister, until 1984. Malcolm made wide use of his ministerial discretion to stop dawn raid deportations when children or other exceptional circumstances were involved, laying the foundation for many Pacifica families now well settled in New Zealand. His response to the Indo-Chinese refugee crisis was the foundation for New Zealand refugee policies that persist to the present and are still well regarded internationally. For both approaches he received criticism from the political right. Later, by issuing visas to the 1981 Springboks, he received criticism from the political left. Malcolm was highly interventionist, making many individual case decisions and instituting policies some regarded as "quirky", at the time; such as permitting restaurants to employ ethnic chefs to improve cuisine; Chinese market gardeners to employ family members to replace their own children who were moving into the professions; the entry of skilled musicians and artists; and the first "entrepreneur" policy. Malcolm's liberalism saw an increase in non-white migration, especially as "special cases", but he persisted with the Eurocentric policy of only accepting mainstream occupational migrants from "traditional source" countries. After widespread review and submissions his new Immigration Bill was to undertake its second reading the night Muldoon announced the snap election in 1984. That legislation re-emerged later as the Labour-sponsored Immigration Act of 1987.
Tobacco
As the Minister of Health during the 1981–84 National government, Malcolm features in a 1985 tobacco industry document, a report written by a Tobacco Institute of America official who had visited New Zealand. The official was accompanied by Donald Hoel, a lawyer in the US law firm Shook, Hardy & Bacon, who worked for the tobacco industry. The document described a February 1985 lunch meeting attended by Michael Thompson of the Tobacco Institute of New Zealand, people from the tobacco companyRothmans and the localBritish American Tobacco branch.
Later years
In 1984 Malcolm was involved in the KZ 7 campaign, joining the project as campaign director. The team finished second in the 1987 Louis Vuitton Cup. Malcolm later established an immigration consultancy firm, and also has investments in the tourism sector.
Family
On 27 February 1965, Malcolm married Astrid Margaret Silver, the daughter of F. B. Silver. They were to have one son and three daughters. Astrid Malcolm was elected to the Auckland City Council for the Mount Eden ward on the Citizens & Ratepayers ticket from 1989 to 1998.
