New Zealand Labour Party

New Zealand Labour Party Rōpū Reipa o Aotearoa
President	Nigel Haworth[1]
General Secretary	Andrew Kirton[1]
Leader	Jacinda Ardern
Deputy Leader	Kelvin Davis
Founded	7 July 1916 (7 July 1916)
Merger of	United Labour Party, Social Democratic Party
Headquarters	Fraser House, 160–162 Willis St, Wellington
Youth wing	Young Labour
Ideology	Social democracy[2][3]
Political position	Centre-left[4][5]
International affiliation	Progressive Alliance[6]
Colours	Red
Slogan	Let's Do This[7]
MPs in the House of Representatives	31 / 121
Website
www.labour.org.nz
Politics of New Zealand Political parties Elections

The New Zealand Labour Party (Māori: Rōpū Reipa o Aotearoa),^[8] or simply Labour (Reipa), is a centre-left political party in New Zealand.^[4] With its historic rival, the New Zealand National Party, Labour has been in government 5 times since the 1930s.^[9] The party's platform programme describes its founding principle as democratic socialism,^[10] while observers describe Labour as social-democratic and pragmatic in practice.^[2][3] It is a participant of the international Progressive Alliance.^[6]

The New Zealand Labour Party was formed in 1916 by various socialist parties and trade unions. It is thus the country's oldest political party still in existence.^[11] There have been five periods of Labour government. The party was first in power from 1935 to 1949, when it established New Zealand's welfare state. It governed from 1957 to 1960, and again from 1972 to 1975, but only stayed in for one term each. In government from 1984 to 1990, Labour privatised state assets and reduced the role of the state in the economy. It governed most recently from 1999 to 2008, with Helen Clark as party leader and Prime Minister.

Since the party's defeat in the 2008 general election, Labour has comprised the second-largest caucus represented in the New Zealand Parliament, and functions as the core of the Official Opposition. On 1 August 2017, Jacinda Ardern was confirmed as the new Labour leader.^[12]

Principles

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Labour's 1916 policy objectives called for "the socialisation of the means of production, distribution and exchange", including state ownership of major parts of the economy.^[3] Up to the 1980s Labour remained a party that believed in a strong role for governments in economic and social matters. However, it had been transformed from a trade union-dominated, socialist-oriented movement to a moderate social-democratic party.^[2][13] The Labour Government of the 1980s deviated sharply from a social-democratic path. In a series of economic reforms dubbed "Rogernomics" (after Finance Minister Roger Douglas), the Government removed a swathe of regulations and subsidies, privatised state assets and introduced corporate practices to state services.^[14]

From the 1990s Labour has again aimed to use the power of the state to try to achieve a fairer and more equal society, based on a mixed economy in which both the state and private enterprise play a part. According to its 2014 constitution, the party accepts "democratic socialist" principles, including:^[15]

• The management of New Zealand's natural resources for the benefit of all, including future generations.
• Equal access to all social, economic, cultural, political and legal spheres, regardless of wealth or social position.
• Co-operation as the main governing factor in economic relations, to ensure a just distribution of wealth.
• Universal rights to dignity, self-respect and the opportunity to work.
• The right to wealth and property, subject to the provisos of regarding people as always more important than property and the obligations of the state to ensure a just distribution of wealth.
• The Treaty of Waitangi as the founding document of New Zealand, and its honouring in the Party, government, society and the whānau.
• The promotion of peace and social justice throughout the world by international co-operation.
• Equality in human rights regardless of race, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, religious faith, political belief or disability.

History

The New Zealand Labour Party was established on 7 July 1916 in Wellington,^[11] bringing together socialist groups advocating proportional representation, the abolition of the country quota, the "recall" of Members of Parliament, as well as the nationalisation of production and of exchange.^[16] Despite its Wellington origins, the West Coast town of Blackball is often regarded as the birthplace of the party,^[17] as it was the location of the founding of one of the main political organisations which became part of the nascent Labour Party. The party was created by, and has always been influenced by, the trade unions, and in practice Labour Party politicians regard themselves as part of a broader labour movement and tradition.^[18]

Formation

The New Zealand Labour Party was an amalgamation of a number of early groups, the oldest of which was founded in 1901. The process of unifying these diverse groups into a single party was difficult, with tensions between different factions running strong.^[19]

At the turn of the century, the radical side of New Zealand working class politics was represented by the Socialist Party, founded in 1901. The more moderate leftists were generally supporters of the Liberal Party.^[20] In 1905, a group of working class politicians who were dissatisfied with the Liberal approach established the Independent Political Labour League,^[21] which managed to win a seat in Parliament in the 1908 election.^[22][23] This established the basic dividing line in New Zealand's left-wing politics – the Socialists tended to be revolutionary and militant, while the moderates focused instead on progressive reform.^[24]

In 1910, the Independent Political Labour League was relaunched as an organisation called the Labour Party, distinct from the modern party. Soon, however, the leaders of the new organisation decided additional effort was needed to promote left-wing cooperation, and organised a "Unity Conference". The Socialists refused to attend, but several independent labour activists agreed. The United Labour Party was born.^[24]

Soon afterwards, the labour movement was hit by the Waihi miners' strike, a major industrial disturbance prompted by radicals in the union movement.^[25] The movement was split between supporting and opposing the radicals, and in the end, the conservative government of William Massey suppressed the strike by force. In the strike's aftermath, there was a major drive to end the divisions in the movement and establish a united front – another Unity Conference was called, and this time the Socialists attended..^[25] The resulting group was named the Social Democratic Party.

Not all members of the United Labour Party accepted the new organisation, however, and some continued on under their own banner. Gradually, however, the differences between the Social Democrats and the ULP Remnant broke down, and in 1915 they formed a unified caucus both to better oppose Reform and to differentiate themselves from the Liberals.^[26] A year later yet another gathering was held. This time, all major factions of the labour movement agreed to unite, establishing the modern Labour Party.^[27]

Electoral record of constituent parties pre-1916 NZLP

Term		Electorate		Party	Elected MPs
1908–1910	17th	Wellington East		Ind. Labour League	David McLaren
1910–1911	Changed allegiance to:			Labour
1911–1912	18th	Wellington South		Labour	Alfred Hindmarsh
1912–1914	Changed allegiance to:			United Labour
1914–1916	19th	Wellington South		United Labour
1911–1914	18th	Grey Lynn		Labour	John Payne
1914–1916	19th	Grey Lynn		Independent Labour
1916	Changed allegiance to:			Independent
1911–1913	18th	Otaki		Labour	John Robertson
1913–1914	Changed allegiance to:			Social Democrat
1911–1912	18th	Wanganui		Independent Labour	Bill Veitch
1912–1914	Changed allegiance to:			United Labour
1914–1916	19th	Wanganui		United Labour
1916	Changed allegiance to:			Independent
1913–1914	18th	Grey		Social Democrat	Paddy Webb
1914–1916	19th	Grey		Social Democrat
1913–1914	18th	Lyttelton		Social Democrat	James McCombs
1914–1916	19th	Lyttelton		Social Democrat
1914–1916	19th	Dunedin North		United Labour	Andrew Walker

Early days

Almost immediately, the new Labour Party became involved in the acrimonious debate about conscription, which arose during World War I – the Labour Party strongly opposed conscription,^[28] several leaders were jailed and expelled from Parliament for their stand against the war: Peter Fraser, Harry Holland, Bob Semple and Paddy Webb.^[29] The loss of leadership threatened to seriously destabilise the party, but the party survived. Fraser, Semple and Webb later supported conscription in World War II.^[29]

In its first real electoral test as a united party, the 1919 election, Labour won eight seats – the party's quick success shocked many conservatives.^[30] This compared with 47 for the governing Reform Party and 21 for the Liberal Party.^[31]

Although Labour had split with its more militant faction, (who went on to form various socialist parties) it maintained what were at the time radical socialist policies. Labour's 'Usehold' policy on land was in essence the replacement of freehold tenure by a system of perpetual lease from the state, with all land transfer conducted through the state (the full nationalisation of farmland). This policy was unpopular with voters and was dropped by Labour, along with other more radical policies, throughout the 1920s.^[24]

In the 1922 election, Labour more than doubled its number of seats, winning seventeen. In the 1925 election, it declined somewhat, but had the consolation of soon overtaking the Liberals as the second largest party. Harry Holland became the official Leader of the Opposition on 16 June 1926, after the Eden by-election on 15 April elected Rex Mason (Labour) to replace James Parr (Reform) who had resigned. After the 1928 election, however, the party was left in an advantageous position – the Reform Party and the new United Party (a revival of the Liberals) were tied on 27 seats each, and neither could govern without Labour support. Labour chose to back United, the party closest to its own views – this put an end to five terms of Reform Party government.^[32]

The rigours of the Great Depression brought Labour considerable popularity, but also caused tension between Labour and the United Party. In 1931, United passed a number of economic measures which Labour deemed hostile to workers, and the agreement between the two parties collapsed. United then formed a coalition government with Reform, making Labour the Opposition. The coalition retained power in the 1931 election, but gradually, the public became highly dissatisfied with its failure to resolve the country's economic problems. In the 1935 election, the Labour Party won a massive victory, gaining 53 seats to the coalition's 19.

Several of the early Labour Party stalwarts were Australian-born: Alfred Hindmarsh, Harry Holland, Michael Joseph Savage, Bob Semple, Paddy Webb, Bill Parry and later Jerry Skinner, Mabel Howard and Hugh Watt.

First Labour Government (1935–1949)

Michael Joseph Savage, leader of the Labour Party, became Prime Minister on 6 December 1935, marking the beginning of Labour's first term in office. The new government quickly set about implementing a number of significant reforms, including a reorganisation of the social welfare system and the creation of the state housing scheme.^[33] Workers also benefited from the introduction of the forty hour week, and legislation making it easier for unions to negotiate on their behalf.^[34] Savage himself was highly popular with the working classes, and his portrait could be found on the walls of many houses around the country.^[35] At this time the Labour Party pursued an alliance with the Māori Rātana movement.^[36]

The opposition, meanwhile, attacked the Labour Party's more left-wing policies, and accused it of undermining free enterprise and hard work. The year after Labour's first win, the Reform Party and the United Party took their coalition to the next step, agreeing to merge with each other. The combined organisation was named the National Party, and would be Labour's main rival in future years.^[37]

Labour also faced opposition from within its ranks. While the Labour Party had been explicitly socialist at its inception, it had been gradually drifting away from its earlier radicalism. The death of the party's former leader, the "doctrinaire" Harry Holland, had marked a significant turning point in the party's history. Some within the party, however, were displeased about the changing focus of the party, most notably John A. Lee. Lee, whose views were a mixture of socialism and social credit theory, emerged as a vocal critic of the party's leadership, accusing it of behaving autocratically and of betraying the party's rank and file. After a long and bitter dispute, Lee was expelled from the party, establishing his own breakaway Democratic Labour Party.^[38]

Savage died in 1940, and was replaced by Peter Fraser, who became Labour's longest-serving Prime Minister. Fraser is best known as New Zealand's leader for most of World War II. In the post-war period, however, ongoing shortages and industrial problems cost Labour considerable popularity, and the National Party, under Sidney Holland, gained ground although Labour was able to win the 1943 and 1946 elections. Finally, in the 1949 elections, Labour was defeated.^[39]

Fraser died shortly afterwards, and was replaced by Walter Nash, the long-serving Minister of Finance.^[40] It was to be some time before Labour would return to power, however – Nash lacked the charisma of his predecessors, and National won considerable support for opposing the "industrial anarchy" of the 1951 waterfront dispute. In the 1957 election, however, Labour won the narrowest of victories, and returned to office.

Second Labour Government (1957–1960)

Nash, Labour's third prime minister, took office in late 1957. Upon coming to power, Labour decided that drastic measures were needed to address balance of payments concerns.^[41] This resulted in the (in)famous "Black Budget" of Arnold Nordmeyer, the new Minister of Finance. The budget raised taxes, particularly on alcohol and cigarettes, and was highly unpopular.^[42] It is widely thought to have doomed the party to defeat despite the economy having rejuvenated less than 1 year after the black budget.^[42] In the 1960 election, the National Party was indeed victorious.

The elderly Nash retired in 1963, suffering from ill health.^[43] He was replaced by Nordmeyer, but the taint of the "Black Budget" ensured that Nordmeyer did not have any appreciable success in reversing the party's fortunes. In 1965, the leadership was assumed by the younger Norman Kirk, who many believed would revitalise the party. Labour was defeated again in the next two elections, but in the 1972 election, the party gained a significant victory.

Third Labour Government (1972–1975)

Kirk proved to be an energetic Prime Minister, and introduced a number of new policies. Particularly noteworthy were his foreign policy stances, which included strong criticism of nuclear weapons testing and of South Africa's apartheid system. Kirk's health was poor, however, and was worsened by his refusal to slow the pace of his work. In 1974, Kirk was taken ill and died. He was replaced by Bill Rowling, who did not have the same charismatic appeal – in the 1975 election, Labour was defeated by National, which was led by Robert Muldoon.^[44]

Rowling remained leader of the Labour Party for some time after his defeat. In the 1978 election and the 1981 election, Labour won a larger share of the vote than National, but failed to win an equivalent number of seats. Rowling himself was compared unfavourably to Muldoon, and did not cope well with Muldoon's aggressive style. Rowling was eventually replaced by David Lange, who was seen as more able to counter Muldoon's attacks. In the 1984 election, Labour was victorious.

Fourth Labour Government (1984–1990)

When the fourth Labour government came into power it uncovered a fiscal crisis that had been largely hidden by the outgoing Third National Government.^[45] Government debt was skyrocketing, due largely to the costs of borrowing to maintain a fixed exchange rate. When the result of the election became clear Lange asked Muldoon to devalue the dollar, which he refused to do, resulting in a constitutional crisis and precipitating some of the changes in the Constitution Act 1986.^[46]

Throughout the first term of the fourth Labour government, the cabinet remained largely unified behind the radical financial, economic and policy reforms that were enacted.^[47] In 1987 Labour won a first-past-the-post election for the last time (the Mixed Member Proportional system was introduced in 1996). It was not until this second term, which increased Labour's majority and was won mostly on the back of its anti-nuclear stance, that considerable divisions over economic policy began to arise within the cabinet.^[48] The Minister of Finance, Roger Douglas, was a supporter of free market theories, and sought to implement sweeping reforms ("Rogernomics") to the economy and tax system. Others within the party, however, saw this as a betrayal of the party's left-wing roots. The party was also criticised by the Council of Trade Unions.

Opposition to Douglas's reforms remained strong – eventually, a Labour MP, Jim Anderton, left to establish the NewLabour Party,^[48] eventually forming the basis of the left-wing Alliance. At the same time, Douglas was pressing onwards, proposing a flat tax rate. Finally, David Lange forced Douglas to resign, and shortly afterwards resigned himself.

Lange was replaced by Geoffrey Palmer. Palmer, however, was unable to counter widespread discontent among Labour's traditional supporters, and a few months before the 1990 election, Palmer was replaced by Mike Moore. The Labour Party suffered its worst defeat since it first took office in 1935.

Moore was eventually replaced by Helen Clark, who led the party in opposition to the National Party government of Jim Bolger. During the period in opposition, the party made a measured repudiation of Rogernomics, although it has never returned to its original strong left-wing stance (its contemporary position is left-of-centre).^[4] When the 1996 election, the first conducted under the MMP electoral system, gave the balance of power to the centrist New Zealand First party, many believed that Labour would return to power, but in the end New Zealand First allied itself with the National Party. This coalition was unstable, however, and eventually collapsed, leaving the National Party to govern as a minority government.

Major pieces of legislation:

• Treaty of Waitangi Amendment Act 1985 – extended the scope of the Waitangi Tribunal to retrospective claims dating back to the Treaty
• Constitution Act 1986 – codified important constitutional conventions
• Homosexual Law Reform Act 1986 – legalised homosexual relations
• Immigration Act 1986 – liberalised immigration, particularly skilled migration, into NZ
• Māori Language Act 1987 – established Te Reo Māori as an official language
• State-Owned Enterprises Act 1986 – established the first SOEs
• State Sector Act 1988 – made the civil service more business-like with Chief Executives instead of Permanent Secretaries
• Public Finance Act 1989 – changed the reporting and accountability for government expenditure
• Reserve Bank Act 1989 – enabled the Reserve Bank to autonomously pursue an inflation target
• New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990 – enumerated civil, political and criminal procedure rights

Other initiatives include:

• Establishment of the Royal Commission on the Electoral System
• Declaring New Zealand to be a nuclear-free zone.^[49]

Fifth Labour Government (1999–2008)

After the 1999 election, a coalition government of Labour and the Alliance took power, with Helen Clark becoming New Zealand's second female Prime Minister.^[50] This government, while undertaking a number of reforms, was not particularly radical when compared to previous Labour governments, and maintained a high level of popularity. The Alliance, however, fell in popularity and split internally, the latter factor being one of the reasons cited by Clark for her calling the 2002 election several months early, which Labour comfortably won.

Policies of the Fifth Labour Government include the KiwiSaver scheme,^[51] the Working for Families package, increasing the minimum wage 5% a year, interest-free student loans, creation of District Health Boards, the introduction of a number of tax credits, overhauling the secondary school qualifications by introducing NCEA, and the introduction of fourteen weeks’ parental leave.^[52] Labour also supported the Civil Union Act 2004, which legalised civil unions for same-sex and opposite-sex couples.^[53]

In early 2004, Labour came under attack for its policies on the foreshore and seabed controversy.^[54] There were significant internal tensions within the party, eventually culminating in the resignation of junior minister Tariana Turia and her establishment of the new Māori Party.^[55]

Following the 2005 general election, Labour formed a coalition with the Progressive Party (a faction of the old Alliance), and entered into complex confidence and supply agreements with the centrist United Future and New Zealand First parties, which gave both parties' leaders a Ministerial portfolio, while remaining outside the Cabinet. A limited support agreement was also made with the Green Party, whereby certain policy concessions were to be made to the Greens in return for abstention on confidence and supply votes. Labour lost power when it was defeated by the National Party in the 2008 general election.

Opposition (2008–present)

Following the loss to the National Party in the 8 November 2008 election, Helen Clark stood down as leader of the party.^[56] She was succeeded by Phil Goff (2008–2011).^[57]

Labour has had a relatively high turnover of four leaders during this term in opposition, attributed in part to changes within public media and the political environment.^[58] Goff led Labour into a second electoral defeat in 2011 and was succeeded by David Shearer (2011–2013).^[59] Shearer resigned after losing the confidence of caucus. David Cunliffe (2013–2014) was elected in the subsequent leadership election.^[60] Cunliffe was disliked by some factions within the Labour caucus but had strong support from the party membership. In the leadership contest he won first-preference votes from only one-third of Labour MPs.^[61] Cunliffe resigned following a further election loss in 2014. He was replaced by Andrew Little (2014–2017). Little resigned in 2017 following new polling showing the party sinking to a record low result.^[12] He was replaced by Jacinda Ardern (2017-Present), who is the current Leader of the Opposition.^[12][62]

Organisation

Party structure

General and special branches

Party membership is tied into geographically-based branches in each parliamentary electorate. General branches must consist of 10 members aged 15 or over.^[63] Members may also form special branches where they have a special community of interest (such as university students and academics, young people, women, Māori people, Pacific Islanders and industrial workers).^[63] Influential branches include Princes Street Labour (this university branch is described as the "ideological powerhouse of the party",^[64] and has contributed many prominent Labour politicians) and Vic Labour (the Victoria University of Wellington branch).^[65]

Labour Party membership, 1917–2002^[66]

Full (non-affiliate) membership peaked at 55,000 in 1976. During the 1980s and 1990s party membership plummeted to levels not seen since before the First Labour Government. This decline might be attributed to disillusionment on the part of some members with the economics policies of the Fourth Labour Government ("Rogernomics"). Membership figures began to recover under Helen Clark's leadership, with 14,000 members recorded in 2002.^[67]

Conference, councils and committees

Delegates from all branches in the electorate, together with delegates from affiliated unions, make up the Labour Electorate Committee (LEC). The LEC is responsible for party organisation in the electorate.^[63] The party is divided into six regional areas, which each year convene a Regional Conference.^[68] Policy and other matters are debated and passed onto the Annual Conference.^[63]

The Annual Conference is the supreme governing body of the party when it is in session. All constituent bodies of the Party are entitled to send delegates to Annual Conference.^[63]

The New Zealand Council is the Labour Party's governing executive.^[68] It ensures that the party is governed effectively according to its constitution. The NZ Council consists of the President, two Senior Vice Presidents (one of which must be a Māori), three Vice Presidents (representing Women, Affiliates and Pacific Islands), seven Regional Reps, one Policy Council Rep, three Caucus Reps and the General Secretary.^[63]

The Policy Council, responsible for the development of the policy platform and election manifesto,^[10] is elected for a three year term following each general election. The party structure also provides for Special Interest Group Councils: representing the affiliates, women's issues, Māori issues, Pacific Islands, primary industries, local government and youth.^[63]

Caucus and parliamentary leadership

The elected members representing the Labour Party in the House of Representatives meet as the Parliamentary Labour Party, generally known as the Caucus. The current parliamentary leader is Jacinda Ardern. A leadership election is triggered upon the vacancy of the position of leader or a motion of no confidence. Candidates are nominated from within the Caucus. Under Labour Party rules, party members have 40% of the votes, MPs have another 40% of the votes, and affiliated unions have 20% of the votes.^[63] Some observers have criticised the influence of the unions in leadership elections.^[69]

Affiliated trade unions

In the first decades of the 20th century, industries grew strongly in New Zealand's main cities and union membership also increased. The Labour Party was formed in this period as the political wing of the labour movement, and was financed by trade unions. Since then, the unions have retained close institutional links with the party. There are currently six unions that are directly affiliated to the party and pay affiliation fees as well as receiving a percentage of the vote in party leadership elections.^[69] These unions are:

• E tū – created through the merger of the Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union and the Service & Food Workers Union in 2015.^[70]
• Maritime Union of New Zealand (MUNZ)
• New Zealand Dairy Workers Union (DWU)
• New Zealand Meat & Related Trades Workers Union (MWU)
• Rail and Maritime Transport Union (RMTU)
• Central Amalgamated Workers' Union (CAWU)

In addition, the president of the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions continues to speak at the Labour Party Annual Conference.^[71]

Young Labour

Young Labour is the party's youth wing. It exists to organise young members (under 26)^[72] and encourage wider involvement of young New Zealanders in centre-left politics. Young Labour is the most active sector in the Labour Party and plays a significant role in policy development and campaign efforts. It is endearingly called the "conscience of the party".^[73]

Local government

Labour has many prominent local councillors who ran under the banner of the Labour Party or a local umbrella organisation. In Auckland there is Alf Filipaina of the Manukau ward and Richard Northey (a former MP), formerly of the Maungakiekie-Tamaki ward. Phil Goff, former leader of the Labour Party is the current Mayor of Auckland.^[74] Former Mayor Len Brown, despite having a lifelong membership to Labour, ran as an independent in the 2010 and 2013 elections. In Hamilton, former MP for Hamilton West Martin Gallagher was elected to council in 2010.

In New Plymouth former MP Harry Duynhoven served as mayor from 2010–2013 where upon he was voted out of office. Lianne Dalziel was elected to be Mayor of Christchurch in the 2013 local body elections succeeding Sir Bob Parker, and former Rotorua electorate then list MP Steve Chadwick, was elected as Mayor of Rotorua in the 2013 elections, Both Dalziel and Chadwick ran however as independents.

In Christchurch Labour maintains an umbrella including community independents called The People's Choice (formerly Christchurch 2021). Labour candidates stand as 'The People's Choice (Labour)' and currently hold a number of community board seats, seven council seats, and several community board chairmanships.

Wellington has three Labour Party councillors: Paul Eagle – Southern Ward councillor (also deputy mayor), Brian Dawson – Lambton Ward councillor and Peter Gilberd – Northern Ward Councillor. Justin Lester is the current Mayor of Wellington who ran on a Labour Party ticket. There are many more local and regional councillors who are Labour Party members, but do not run as endorsed candidates of the party.

While the Labour Party has not contested the local body elections in Dunedin, the city councillor and former Labour MP David Benson-Pope announced on 26 February 2016 that he would be contesting the Dunedin local elections in October under the "Local Labour" ticket. While still a Labour Party member, Benson Pope had stood in the 2013 local elections as an independent candidate. This report coincided with the dissolution of the city's main local body ticket, the Greater Dunedin group.^[75] On 20 April, it was reported that the Labour Party had dropped its plan to field a bloc of candidates in the 2016 Dunedin elections. However, the Party has not ruled out endorsing other candidates.^[76]

There are many others councillors in almost all areas of New Zealand that are members or have previously had connections with the Labour Party, but have instead contested local elections as independents.

Electoral results

Parliamentary

Election	# of party votes	% of party vote	# of seats won	Government/opposition?
1919	131,402	24.2	8 / 80	Opposition
1922	150,448	23.70	17 / 80
1925	184,650	27.20	12 / 80
1928	198,092	26.19	19 / 80	Coalition with United
1931	244,881	34.27	24 / 80	Opposition
1935	434,368	46.17	53 / 80	Government
Two-party era
1938	528,290	55.82	53 / 80	Government
1943	522,189	47.6	45 / 80
1946	536,994	51.28	42 / 80
1949	506,073	47.16	34 / 80	Opposition
1951	473,146	42.7	30 / 80
1954	481,631	44.25	35 / 80
1957	531,740	52.45	41 / 80	Government
1960	420,084	41.82	34 / 80	Opposition
1963	383,205	38.71	35 / 80
1966	382,756	38.53	35 / 80
1969	464,346	43.16	39 / 84
1972	677,669	48.37	55 / 87	Government
1975	634,453	39.56	32 / 87	Opposition
1978	691,076	40.41	40 / 92
1981	702,630	39.01	43 / 91
1984	829,154	42.98	56 / 95	Government
1987	878,448	47.96	57 / 97
1990	640,915	35.14	29 / 97	Opposition
1993	666,759	34.68	45 / 99
Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) era
1996	584,159	28.19	37 / 120	Opposition
1999	800,199	38.74	49 / 120	Government (coalition)
2002	838,219	41.26	52 / 120
2005	935,319	41.10	50 / 121
2008	796,880	33.99	43 / 122	Opposition
2011	614,936	27.48	34 / 121
2014	604,534	25.13	32 / 121

Labour did not stand candidates in every electorate until 1946, when it stood candidates in all 80 electorates. According to the National Executive reports,^[77] the number of official candidates in 1919 is uncertain (53 or possibly 46). The number of candidates was 41, 1922; 56, 1925; 55, 1928; 53, 1931; 70, 1935; 78, 1938 and 77, 1943. Labour did not run against independent candidates who voted with Labour; Harry Atmore in Nelson and David McDougall in Mataura, Southland. Labour did not run candidates against the two Country Party candidates in 1935; but did in 1938, when both candidates were defeated.

Auckland local government

Election	Candidates nominated				Seats won
	Local Board Candidates	Council Candidates	Health Board Candidates	Licensing trust Candidates	Local Board Seats	Council Seats	Health Board Seats	Licensing trust Seats
2010	17/149	3/20	0/21	6/41	12 / 149	2 / 20	0 / 21	6 / 41
2013	27/149	4/20	2/21	8/35	20 / 149	2 / 20	1 / 21	7 / 35
2016	46/149	7/20	9/21	9/35	26 / 149	3 / 20	2 / 21	9 / 35

Leaders

The Labour Party has had sixteen leaders – nine of whom have served as Prime Minister. Helen Clark is the longest serving leader of the Labour Party. While some dispute exists as to when Harry Holland officially became leader, by 26 October 2008 Clark had passed his longest possible leadership term.^[78]

List of leaders

The following is a complete list of Labour Party leaders in the House of Representatives:

Key:
  Labour   Reform   United   National
PM: Prime Minister
LO: Leader of the Opposition
†: Died in office

No.		Leader	Portrait	Term of Office		Position	Prime Minister
	1	Alfred Hindmarsh		7 July 1916	13 November 1918†	—		Massey
	2	Harry Holland		27 August 1919	8 October 1933†	—
								Bell
						LO 1926–1928		Coates
						Junior coalition partner 1928–1931		Ward
						LO 1931–1933		Forbes
	3	Michael Joseph Savage		12 October 1933	27 March 1940†	LO 1933–1935
						PM 1935–1940		Savage
	4	Peter Fraser		1 April 1940	12 December 1950†	PM 1940–1949		Fraser
						LO 1949–1950		Holland
	5	Walter Nash		December 1950	31 March 1963	LO 1951–1957
								Holyoake
						PM 1957–1960		Nash
						LO 1960–1963		Holyoake
	6	Arnold Nordmeyer		1 April 1963	16 December 1965	LO 1963–1965
	7	Norman Kirk		16 December 1965	31 August 1974†	LO 1965–1972
								Marshall
						PM 1972–1974		Kirk
	8	Bill Rowling		6 September 1974	3 February 1983	PM 1974–1975		Rowling
						LO 1975–1983		Muldoon
	9	David Lange		3 February 1983	8 August 1989	LO 1983–1984
						PM 1984–1989		Lange
	10	Geoffrey Palmer		8 August 1989	4 September 1990	PM 1989–1990		Palmer
	11	Mike Moore		4 September 1990	1 December 1993	PM 1990		Moore
						LO 1990–1993		Bolger
	12	Helen Clark		1 December 1993	19 November 2008	LO 1993–1999
								Shipley
						PM 1999–2008		Clark
	13	Phil Goff		19 November 2008	13 December 2011	LO 2008–2011		Key
	14	David Shearer		13 December 2011	15 September 2013	LO 2011–2013
	15	David Cunliffe		15 September 2013	30 September 2014	LO 2013–2014
	16	Andrew Little		18 November 2014	1 August 2017	LO 2014–2017
								English
	17	Jacinda Ardern		1 August 2017	Incumbent	LO 2017–present

List of deputy leaders

The following is a complete list of Labour Party deputy leaders:

No.	Deputy leader	Term
1	James McCombs	1919–1923
2	Michael Joseph Savage	1923–1933
3	Peter Fraser	1933–1940
4	Walter Nash	1940–1950
5	Jerry Skinner	1951–1962
6	Fred Hackett	1962–1963
7	Hugh Watt	1963–1974
8	Bob Tizard	1974–1979
9	David Lange	1979–1983
10	Geoffrey Palmer	1983–1989
11	Helen Clark	1989–1993
12	David Caygill	1993–1996
13	Michael Cullen	1996–2008
14	Annette King	2008–2011
15	Grant Robertson	2011–2013
16	David Parker	2013–2014
14	Annette King	2014–2017
17	Jacinda Ardern	2017
18	Kelvin Davis	2017–present

List of presidents

The following is a complete list of Labour Party presidents:^[79]

No.	President	Term
1	James McCombs	1916–1917[80]
2	Andrew Walker	1917–1918 [81]
3	Tom Paul	1918–1920[82]
4	Peter Fraser	1920–1921
5	Frederick Cooke	1921–1922
6	Tom Brindle	1922–1926
7	Bob Semple	1926–1928
8	John Archer	1928–1929
9	Jim Thorn	1929–1931[83]
10	Rex Mason	1931–1932
11	Bill Jordan	1932–1933
12	Frank Langstone	1933–1934
13	Tim Armstrong	1934–1935
14	Walter Nash	1935–1936
15	Clyde Carr	1936–1937
16	James Roberts	1937–1950[84]
17	Arnold Nordmeyer	1950–1955
18	Michael Moohan	1955–1960
19	Martyn Finlay	1960–1964
20	Norman Kirk	1964–1966
21	Norman Douglas	1966–1970
22	Bill Rowling	1970–1972
23	Charles Bennett	1972–1976[85]
24	Arthur Faulkner	1976–1978
25	Jim Anderton	1979–1984
26	Margaret Wilson	1984–1987
27	Rex Jones	1987–1988[86]
28	Ruth Dyson	1988–1993
29	Maryan Street	1993–1995
30	Michael Hirschfeld	1995–1999
31	Bob Harvey	1999–2000
32	Mike Williams	2000–2009
33	Andrew Little	2009–2011
34	Moira Coatsworth	2011–2015
35	Nigel Haworth	2015–present

See also

• List of New Zealand Labour Party MPs
• City Vision, a prominent Auckland City political ticket composed of NZ Labour, Green Party and Alliance members.
• List of New Zealand ministries (governments)
• Politics of New Zealand
• List of Labour parties

Notes

References

• Franks, Peter; McAloon, Jim (2016). Labour: The New Zealand Labour Party 1916–2016. Wellington: Victoria University Press. ISBN 978-1-77656-074-5. 
• Bassett, Michael (1976). The Third Labour Government: A Personal History. Dunmore Press. 
• Brown, Bruce (1962). The Rise of New Zealand Labour: A history of the New Zealand Labour Party. Wellington: Price Milburn. 
• Gustafson, Barry (1980). Labour's path to political independence: The Origins and Establishment of the New Zealand Labour Party, 1900–19. Auckland, New Zealand: Auckland University Press. ISBN 0-19-647986-X. 
• Gustafson, Barry (1986). From the Cradle to the Grave: A biography of Michael Joseph Savage. Auckland: Reed Methuen. ISBN 0-474-00138-5.  (with Biographical appendix)
• Holland, Martin; Boston, Jonathan, eds. (1988). The Fourth Labour Government: Politics and Policy in New Zealand. Oxford University Press. 
• Lipson, Leslie (2011) [1948]. The Politics of Equality: New Zealand’s Adventures in Democracy. Wellington: Victoria University Press. ISBN 978-0-86473-646-8. 
• Miller, Raymond (2005). Party Politics in New Zealand. Australia: Oxford University Press. 
• Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First published in 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103. 

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to New Zealand Labour Party.

• Official website
• Official web site for City Vision – the Auckland Local Government Group that includes Labour candidates