Phoenix Party
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Phoenix Party was a short-lived left-wing political party in New Zealand.
It was founded by Gerald Williams, formerly an organiser for the Labour Party. During Norman Kirk's leadership of Labour, Williams came to disagree with a number of Labour Party policies, particularly over the policy of giving state funding to church schools. Believing that the Labour Party was becoming moribund, Williams founded the Phonenix Party. The name is an allusion to the mythical Phoenix, representing Williams' hope that the party would "rise from the ashes" of the Labour Party.
Williams was the party's only candidate, and attracted a certain number of protest votes. In the 1969 elections, he contested the Dunedin Central electorate, placing fourth (with 365 votes). He continued to criticise the Labour Party by means of satire. Williams later became a member of the Values Party, the world's first national-level environmentalist political party.
| Historic political parties in New Zealand |  |
| Advance | Animals First | Asia Pacific United | Christian Coalition | Christian Democrats | Christian Heritage | Communists | Conservative | Co-operative | Country | Democrat | Democratic Labour | Ethnic Minority | Freedom Movement | Future NZ (i) | Future NZ (ii) | Green Society | Imperial British Conservative | Independent Political Labour League | Labour (original) | Liberal (i) | Liberal (ii) | Liberal (iii) | Mana Wahine | Mauri Pacific | McGillicuddy Serious | Natural Law | New Democrats | New Zealand Party | NMP | People's Movement | Phoenix | Progressive Greens | Real Democracy | Reform | Republican (i) | Republican (ii) | Social Credit | Social Democrats | Socialists (i) | Socialists (ii) | Socialist Unity | South Island | Superannuitants and Youth | United NZ | United Labour | United (i) | United (ii) | United (iii) | Values Party | WIN Party | Women's Independence |
