New Zealand Labour Party (original)
Encyclopedia
New Zealand Labour Party
The New Zealand Labour Party is a New Zealand political party. It describes itself as centre-left and socially progressive and has been one of the two primary parties of New Zealand politics since 1935....
) was a short-lived left-wing political party in New Zealand. It is a predecessor of the modern party.
The original Labour Party was founded in 1910. It was based on the remnants of the Independent Political Labour League
Independent Political Labour League
The Independent Political Labour League was a small New Zealand political party. It was the second organised political party to win a seat in the New Zealand Parliament, and was a forerunner of the modern Labour Party....
, the first real working-class party in New Zealand, formed in 1904-05. While the IPLL had managed to elect one MP (David McLaren) to Parliament, it quickly began to collapse into disarray — internal disputes about the party's political alignment were a significant factor, as was poor organisation and coordination. The Labour Party was an attempt to relaunch the IPLL.
In the 1911 election
New Zealand general election, 1911
The New Zealand general election of 1911 was held on Thursday, 7 and 14 December in the general electorates, and on Tuesday, 19 December in the Māori electorates to elect a total of 80 MPs to the 18th session of the New Zealand Parliament...
, the Labour Party retained representation in Parliament, presumably John Robertson.
It did not, however, represent the totality of the left-wing vote — the Socialist Party
New Zealand Socialist Party
The New Zealand Socialist Party was founded in 1901, promoting the works of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. The group, despite being relatively moderate when compared with many other socialists, met with little tangible success, but it nevertheless had considerable impact on the development of New...
and various independent candidates had also attracted a certain amount of support. In 1912, a "Unity Conference" was called, aiming to unite the diverse leftist factions. The Socialists refused to attend, but a number of independent activists agreed to take part in discussions. In the end, a new party, called the United Labour Party
United Labour Party (New Zealand)
The United Labour Party of New Zealand was an early left-wing political party. Founded in 1912, it represented the more moderate wing of the labour movement. In 1916 it joined with other political groups to establish the modern Labour Party.- Origins :...
, was formed, consisting of the Labour Party and various independents such as Bill Veitch
Bill Veitch
William Andrew Veitch was a New Zealand politician. He began his career in the labour movement, but was a strong opponent of socialism, and rejected the militant views held by many of his colleagues.-Early life:...
.
Later, the majority of the United Labour Party would merge with the Socialists to form the Social Democratic Party
Social Democratic Party (New Zealand)
The Social Democratic Party of New Zealand was an early left-wing political party. It existed only a short time before being amalgamated into the new Labour Party...
. This party would then merge with those elements of the United Labour Party which had remained independent, thereby forming the Labour Party which exists today.