Socialism in New Zealand
Part of a series on |
Socialism |
---|
New Zealand portal |
Socialism in New Zealand had little traction in early colonial New Zealand but developed as a political movement around the beginning of the 20th century. Much of socialism's early growth was found in the labour movement.
The extent to which socialism plays a part in modern
Several prominent
History of New Zealand socialism
Academic Josephine F. Milburn argues that socialist theories were introduced by immigrant workers with experience in the British labour movement. Their ideas were not widely accepted, however. The Liberal Government of New Zealand that was dominant 1891–1912 rejected socialism but it supported unions, and the government built the foundations of the country's welfare state in the 1890s and fought the large landholders.[3] Milburn argues that governmental activism cannot be attributed to the influence of the small socialist movement.[4]
Unions and workers' parties
Ideological socialism, when it arrived, mostly stemmed from Britain or other British colonies. Much of socialism's early growth was found in the labour movement, and often coincided with the growth of
The arrival of 200 British socialists called the "Clarion Settlers" led to the formation of the
In the years leading up to the
The growth of unionism eventually led to the establishment of a number of socialist-influenced parties. Originally, the working class vote was concentrated mainly with the Liberal Party, where a number of prominent left-wing politicians (such as Frederick Pirani) emerged. Later, however, there were increasing calls for an independent workers' party, particularly as the Liberals began to lose their reformist drive.[10][11]
The second organised party to gain a seat in Parliament (after the Liberal Party) was the small
Emergence of the Labour Party
Socialist Party (1901) | Independent Political Labour League (1905) | ||||||||||||||||
(independents) | Labour Party (original) (1910) | ||||||||||||||||
United Labour Party (1912) | |||||||||||||||||
Social Democratic Party (1913) | (remnants) | ||||||||||||||||
Labour Party (1916) | |||||||||||||||||
The growing drive for unity among left-wing groups resulted in a "Unity Conference" being called in 1912. This conference aimed to merge the various left-wing parties in New Zealand, including both the moderate Labour Party and the hardline Socialist Party. The Socialist Party, however, refused to attend the conference, and the new United Labour Party consisted only of the Labour Party and a number of independent campaigners.[13]
Premier William Massey's "heavy-handed" suppression of the Waihi miners' strike prompted another attempt at unity in 1913. This time, the Socialists were willing to attend. A new group, the Social Democratic Party, was formed, merging the United Labour Party and the Socialist Party. A faction of the United Labour Party refused to accept the decision, however, and continued on under the same name. Later, a decision by the Social Democrats to support a strike of dockworkers and coal miners resulted in a number of Social Democratic leaders being arrested, leaving the party in disarray in the 1914 election, the remnants of the United Labour Party actually won more seats than the "united" Social Democrats.[14]
Finally, in 1916, it was agreed that the Social Democrats and the United Labour Party remnants would all be amalgamated into a single group, the
Labour's social democracy
Despite its socialist roots, the Labour Party shifted towards a more
Two years after the Labour Party lost the 1949 election, the goal of implementing "the socialisation of the means of production, distribution, and exchange" was removed from the party's policy platform. This is sometimes seen as the end of any real claim to full socialism by the Labour Party. However, the shift away from socialism had not come about without dispute. Labour Party politician John A. Lee was harshly critical of the changes, and had eventually left to establish the Democratic Labour Party in 1940. The party was considerably more socialist than Labour, but performed poorly. Many members eventually left the party, mostly due to Lee's perceived autocratic style.[21][22]
During the 1980s, the
Rise of the Communist Party
Even before Holland's replacement, and especially after Labour's 1949 policy change, many people had come to the conclusion that the Labour Party had moved too far away from its socialist roots. Only two years after Labour's foundation, the
In 1930, however, former members of the Marxian Association (backed by members of the
Meanwhile, the CPNZ built its support from miners in the
During the 1920s, the CPNZ and the Communist front organisation NZ-USSR Society attempted to influence the New Zealand trade union movement, workers, intellectuals and the New Zealand Labour Party to promote support for the Soviet Union and socialist policies. These attempts were largely unsuccessful and the Labour Party adopted a policy excluding all members of the CPNZ and Communist front organisations. This set the stage for enmity and rivalry between communists and social democratic parties over control of the trade unions and unemployed workers' movements during the Great Depression. Both communists and social democrats however did work together during the 1930s to combat fascism.[30]
Communist offshoots
When the
The expelled members led by
In 1969, a group called the Socialist Action League (now the
After Mao's death, the CPNZ under the leadership of Richard Wolf and Harold Crook rejected the reforms introduced by
During the
Following the collapse of Albanian communism, the CPNZ adopted the
Other groups continue to promote socialism as well. In the
New Left variations
The
New Left groups championed several causes included opposition to racism, the nuclear arms race, and the Vietnam War. Key New Left organisations in New Zealand were the anti-apartheid Halt All Racist Tours (HART), the Progressive Youth Movement (PYM), Socialist Forum, and the Resistance bookshops; which were organised locally. Unlike the Australian and American New Left groups, the Socialist Forum, PYM groups, and the Resistance bookshops were not university-based organisations but largely drew their support from working-class youth. The Wellington PYM consisted of a mixture of working-class youth and university students. Like the American New Left, the various PYM groups opposed the Vietnam War, racism, and Apartheid. While the New Zealand Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) was not a New Left organisation, several New Leftists including Graham Butterworth, Jim Delahunty, and Helmut Eionhorn of Wellington Socialist Forum also participated in the CND.[42]
During the 1960s and 1970s, the New Left reached its heyday. HART, the PYM, and Resistance bookshops were joined by other groups including the Auckland University Society for the Active Prevention of Cruelty to Politically Apathetic Humans (AUSAPOCHPAH), the Auckland-based Friends of Brutus, the New Left Club at Massey University, the Victoria University Socialist Club, the Anarchist Congress in Wellington, the Radical Student's Alliance at the University of Canterbury, the Christchurch-based Anarchist Commune, the University of Otago's Progressive Left Club, and the Dunedin Anarchist Army.[38] The activist, scholar, and Green Party Member of Parliament Sue Bradford was involved in the Auckland PYM and the Auckland Resistance bookshop.[43][44]
Following the election of the Third Labour Government in 1972, the new government delivered many of the New Left's demands including withdrawing New Zealand troops from Vietnam in 1972; ending compulsory military training that same year; and terminating sporting contact with South Africa. As a result, the New Left lost much of its prominence due to the winding down of the protest movement. While New Leftists were still active in radical politics such as the Resistance bookshops, the more liberal wing of the protest movement had largely been appeased by the Third Labour Government's policies.[45]
During the early to mid 1970s, some New Left elements like the Christchurch PYM became influenced by the
Left-wing alternative media
During the early 20th century, the emergence of working-class consciousness led to the formation of several left-wing newspapers including The Maoriland Worker (1910–1924), The Weekly Herald, The Transport Worker, and The New Zealand Watersider. During the 1930s, they were joined by activist theatre companies, politically-engaged literary magazines, the Left Book Club, the Co-Operative Book Movement, and the Progressive Publishing Company. During the Great Depression, liberal-left perspectives penetrated mainstream New Zealand society through churches, women's groups, populist radio programmes, and the Labour Party.[47][48]
The Maoriland Worker later revamped itself as the New Zealand Worker (1924–1935) and as the Labour Party's affiliated newspaper The Standard (1935–1959). While it was sympathetic to the Labour Party, the Maoriland Worker was a largely radical socialist publication that was independent of the Labour Party.[48] The various Communist parties also published their own newspapers. The CPNZ's official organ was the People's Voice (1939–1991), which reached a peak of 14,000 copies in 1945. The Socialist Unity Party's newspapers were the Tribune (1966–1995), Socialist Worker (1994–2005), The Spark (1991–2013), and Socialist Review (1997–present), and The Spark's successor Fightback (2013–present). The Socialist Action League's newspaper was Socialist Action (1969–1998), which reached a peak of 8,400 copies during the 1978 general election. The Workers' Communist League's newspaper was called Unity (1978–1990).[33][49]
Several notable independent socialist magazines and newspapers in New Zealand have included the New Zealand Monthly Review (NZMR, 1960–1996), The Republican (1974–1996), Race Gender Class (1985–1992), left-wing journalist Chris Trotter's social democratic New Zealand Political Review (NZPR, 1992–2005),[50] the feminist Broadsheet (1972–1997), the Peace Movement Aotearoa's Peacelink, the queer feminist Bitches, Witches and Dykes, the anti-apartheid HART News, CARP Newsletter, Foreign Control Watchdog, and Peace Researcher. Other independent left-wing publications have included the Marxist Publishing Group's Red Papers (1976–1979), The Paper (1973–1975), and the Victoria University Socialist Club's Red Spark (1969–1970).[51]
Contemporary socialist parties, groups, and media in New Zealand
There are around twenty political parties or organizations in New Zealand which follow socialist or communist policies. It is often difficult to gain a clear picture of socialist parties in New Zealand - mergers, splits, and re-namings leave the situation confused. In 2019 only Organise Aotearoa, the International Socialist Organisation, Socialist Aotearoa, the Canterbury Socialist Society, and the Communist Party of Aotearoa hold regular public meetings and maintain regularly updated websites.
Modern parties and organizations
- New Zealand Federation of Socialist Societies - a Non Sectarian Socialist organization focused on the educational advancement of Socialism and political engagement in the long term.
- Communist League - a Trotskyist group established in 1969 as the "Socialist Action League". It has links to the Socialist Workers Party of the US. The Communist League had two candidates in the 2002 election, but neither won their respective races. The League also stood candidates in the 2010 Auckland council election.
- Communist Party of Aotearoa (2019) - a democratic socialist[52] group based in Wellington with smaller branches around the country. Operates the Workers' Star newspaper and website. The main outlets of party work are the Hospo Workers Union and the Aotearoa Community Union. Originally known as the New Communist Party of Aotearoa.[53]
- Communist Workers' Group - a Trotskyist group. It was established in 1995 as a splinter group from the Workers' Power organization. It is associated with the global Liaison Committee of Militants for a Revolutionary Communist International alliance, which itself was a split from the global alliance that Workers' Power belonged to. Their website is redrave.blogspot.co.nz.
- Fightback - formerly the Workers Party, which was previously the Anti-Capitalist Alliance. Branches in Wellington and Auckland and a monthly publication. Some members have worked as organisers for Unite Union. Fightback publishes a monthly magazine by the same name.
- International Socialist Organization - a revolutionary Trotskyist group that is particularly active in universities. It briefly attempted to merge with the remnants of the Communist Party of New Zealand, forming the Socialist Workers Organization. However, the majority of the group eventually rejected this decision and reestablished their own party but were now outside of the International Socialist Tendency. The ISO has fraternal relations with Socialist Alternative, in Australia, and the International Socialist Organisation, US. Branches in Auckland, Wellington and Dunedin. Bi-monthly magazine called Socialist Review.
- Ihumātao. The group has also organised broader mobilisations such as the 2018 protests agitating for abortion reform.[56]As of June 2019, the organisation claims a membership of 272 active members. Branches in Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington, and Dunedin.
- Permanent Revolution Group - a Trotskyist group established as a breakaway from the Spartacist League (which later became the Workers' Power organization). It is associated with the International Bolshevik Tendency.
- Socialist Aotearoa - an Auckland-based group formed in May 2008 which split from Socialist Worker (Aotearoa) over disagreement with the organization's participation in the Residents Action Movement electoral coalition. The group has an eclectic mix of Trotskyists, anarchists, ecosocialists and various other ideologies in its ranks. Members are active in Unite Union, with one member, Joe Carolan, a senior organiser in that union.
- Socialist Voice - a Trotskyist group established in 2002. It is associated with the Committee for a Workers' International, and is therefore linked to the Socialist Party of England and Wales.
- Socialist Unity Party, which was itself a split from the Communist Party of New Zealand.
- Communist Party of Aotearoa - A Marxist-Leninist party founded in 2018 in Auckaland. The party seeks to establish Socialism and create a sustainable environment.
Defunct parties and organizations
- New Zealand Socialist Party (1901-1913) - an organization established in 1901. Not to be confused with the Socialist Party of New Zealand, a completely separate organization which is now known as the World Socialist Party.
- International Socialist Organization, creating the Socialist Workers Organization. Most of the International Socialists eventually withdrew from this coalition, leaving the new Socialist Workers Organization dominated by the former Communist Party.
- World Socialist Party (1930-??) - a group based primarily around opposition to Leninism. It was originally established in 1930 simply as the "Socialist Party of New Zealand", but later added "world" to its name. It is affiliated with the World Socialist Movement.
- Socialist Unity Party (1966-1990) - a pro-Soviet party established by expelled members of the Communist Party. The Communist Party had been split between supporters of the Soviet Union and supporters of Mao Zedong's China, and the pro-Soviet faction eventually lost. The Socialist Unity party survived until relatively recently, and maintained a relatively high level of influence in the trade union movement.
- Socialist Worker (Aotearoa) (?-2012). A revolutionary socialist group aligned with the International Socialist Tendency. Formerly known as the Socialist Workers Organisation, the final conference of SW voted to dissolve itself at its conference in January 2012.
- Workers Party of New Zealand (2002-2013) - The party was founded in 2002. It was originally formed by an electoral alliance of the original Workers' Party (pro-Mao, Marxist-Leninist) and the pro-Trotsky Revolution group. it is the first, and so far only, registered hard left political party under mixed-member proportional (MMP) representation.
- Black Cat anarcho-communist group based in the city of Auckland.
- Communist Party of Aotearoa - a Maoist group that split from the Communist Party of New Zealand in 1993, condemning that organization's abandonment of Maoism and adoption of Trotskyism.[citation needed]
- Revolutionary Communist League of New Zealand founded in 1984 by students and lecturers at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch. It was a revolutionary Marxist group affiliated with the United Secretariat of the Fourth International. After a few conferences, intending to rally opposition to Rogernomics, RCLNZ organized a larger nationwide grouping called Socialist Alliance which stood a candidate in the 1987 general election. The RCLNZ was transformed into the Socialist Workers' Project in 1990, based in the ChCh Centre for Socialist Education.
- New Zealand Marxian Association - a group established in 1918. It was founded to give endorsement and support to "Marxian Revolutionist" candidates in general elections.[5]
- Organisation for Marxist Unity - a Maoistgroup.
- Marxist-Leninist Workers' Party of New Zealand and the Revolution group. A tendency within the modern Workers' Party of New Zealand.
- International Socialist Organization, although the majority of the latter group eventually withdrew from the merger. It was linked to the International Socialist Tendency. It evolved into the present-day Socialist Worker (Aotearoa)group.
- Revolutionary Workers' Leaguein 2004.
- Workers' Power - a League for a Fifth International.
Contemporary left-wing media
With the advent of the Internet during the 1990s and early 21st century, left-wing print media gave way to online alternative media, which were cheaper to produce. Notable left-wing New Zealand blogs have included the independent Marxist collective "Redline", "Against the Current", Martyn "Bomber" Bradbury's current affairs–oriented The Daily Blog (2012–present), and The Standard. Besides blogs, left wing alternative media have also utilised email newsletters, publishing software, and major social media platforms like YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter.[57][58][59]
Prominent figures in New Zealand socialism
- Martyn "Bomber" Bradbury[58]
- Sue Bradford[43]
- Peter Fraser[5]
- Harry Holland[5]
- Edward Hunter (aka "Billy Banjo")[9]
- John A. Lee[21]
- Tama Poata[46]
- Michael Joseph Savage[5]
- Bob Semple[5]
- Chris Trotter[50]
- Owen Wilkes[46]
Prominent figures in New Zealand communism
References
Citations
- ^ Wilkes 2019, p. 156.
- ^ Hope & Scott 2015, pp. 548–551.
- ^ Wilkes 2019, p. 154.
- ^ Milburn 1960, p. 62–70.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Gustafson 2003, p. 20.
- ^ Franks & McAloon 2016, pp. 55–56.
- ^ Franks & McAloon 2016, pp. 48–49, 55–56.
- ^ Richadrson, Lee (1996). "Hunter, Edward". Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
- ^ a b Richardson 2002, pp. 73–86.
- ^ Franks & McAloon 2016, pp. 47–49.
- ^ Steven, Oliver (January 2012). "Pirani, Frederick". Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
- ^ Franks & McAloon 2016, pp. 51–57.
- ^ Franks & McAloon 2016, pp. 62–64.
- ^ Franks & McAloon 2016, pp. 61–68.
- ^ Franks & McAloon 2016, pp. 69–71.
- ^ Aimer, Peter (1 June 2015). "Page 1. Origins of the Labour Party". Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
- ^ Franks & McAloon 2016, pp. 78–81, 87–95.
- ^ Aimer, Peter (1 June 2015). "Page 2. First Labour government, 1935 to 1949". Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
- ^ Franks & McAloon 2016, pp. 87–105.
- ^ Aimer, Peter (1 June 2015). "Page 2. First Labour government, 1935 to 1949". Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
- ^ a b Franks & McAloon 2016, pp. 106–114.
- ^ Aimer, Peter (1 June 2015). "Page 5. Ideology and the role of unions". Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
- ^ Aimer, Peter (1 June 2015). "Page 4. Fourth, fifth and sixth Labour governments". Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
- ^ Hope & Scott 2015, p. 547.
- ^ Murphy, Tim (1 August 2017). "What Jacinda Ardern wants". Newsroom. Archived from the original on 16 August 2017. Retrieved 15 August 2017.
- The Dominion Post. Stuff. Retrieved 15 August 2017.
- ^ Taylor, Kerry (1994). "'Our Motto, No Compromise': The Ideological Origins and Foundation of the Communist Party of New Zealand". New Zealand Journal of History. 28 (2): 160–177. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
- ^ Bennett 2004, pp. 74–75.
- ^ Newell 2004.
- ^ a b Gustafson 2004, pp. 20–21.
- ^ Bennett 2004, pp. 75–77.
- ^ Taylor 2002, pp. 103–115.
- ^ a b c d e Gustafson 2004, p. 29.
- ^ Pacey, quoted in Locke, C. (2012, p. 239). Workers in the Margins: Union Radicals in Post-war New Zealand. Wellington: Bridget Williams Books.
- ^ Pickmere, Arnold (21 January 2005). "Obituary: Bill Andersen". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
- ^ "2017 Mt Albert by-election - Official Result". Electoral Commission. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
- ^ "Communist League candidate in Mt Albert by-election". Scoop. Communist League. 14 February 2017. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
- ^ a b Boraman 2002, p. 123.
- ^ Gustafson 2004, pp. 29–30.
- ^ Boraman 2016, p. 63.
- ^ Boraman 2002, pp. 118–119.
- ^ Boraman 2002, pp. 120–122.
- ^ a b Boraman 2002, p. 125.
- ^ Hope & Scott 2015, p. 552.
- ^ Boraman 2002, p. 129.
- ^ a b c Boraman 2002, pp. 129–131.
- ^ Hope & Scott 2015, p. 546.
- ^ a b Boraman 2016, p. 41.
- ^ Boraman 2016, pp. 37, 45.
- ^ a b Boraman 2016, pp. 64–65.
- ^ Boraman 2016, pp. 36–37, 44–45.
- ^ "Communist Party of Aotearoa". Communist Party of Aotearoa. 2021. Archived from the original on 21 April 2021. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
- ^ Office, NCPA Press (2020-11-04). "The Communist Party: Forging New Tools for an Old Cause". Workers' Star. Archived from the original on 2020-11-18. Retrieved 2020-11-12.
- ^ "Organise Aotearoa to join opposition to the Weapons Expo". Scoop News. 2018-10-31. Retrieved 2019-06-24.
- ^ "Protest of Brazilian embassy in New Zealand goes viral in Brazil". The Daily BLog. 2019-01-07. Retrieved 2019-06-24.
- ^ "Interview with Organise Aotearoa". 95.bFM. 2018-12-05. Retrieved 2019-06-24.
- ^ Boraman 2016, p. 67.
- ^ a b Hope & Scott 2017, pp. 551–553.
- ^ "About". The Standard. 13 February 2007. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
- ^ a b c Gustafson 2003, p. 29.
Sources
- Bennett, James (2004). Rats and Revolutionaries:The Labour Movement in Australia and New Zealand 1890-1940. Dunedin, NZ: University of Otago Press. ISBN 978-1-877276-49-1.
- Boraman, Tom (2002). "Chapter 7: The New Left in New Zealand". In Moloney, Pat; Taylor, Kerry (eds.). On the Left: Essays on Socialism in New Zealand. ISBN 1-877276-19-7.
- Boraman, Toby (2016). "The Independent Left Press and the Rise and Fall of Mass Dissent in Aotearoa since the 1970s" (PDF). Counterfutures. 1 (1): 31–70. . Retrieved 18 September 2019.
- Franks, Peter; McAloon, Jim (2016). Labour: The New Zealand Labour Party, 1916-2016. ISBN 9781776560745. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
- Gustafson, Barry (2004). "Chapter 2: New Zealand in the Cold War World". In Trapeznik, Alexander; Fox, Aaron (eds.). Lenin's Legacy Down Under: New Zealand's Cold War. University of Otago Press. pp. 17–33. ISBN 1-877276-90-1.
- Hope, Wayne; Scott, Jane (28 May 2015). "Chapter 8.5: Left political activism". In Hayward, Janine (ed.). New Zealand Government and Politics, Sixth Edition. ISBN 9780195585254. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
- Milburn, Josephine (1960). "Socialism and Social Reform in Nineteenth-Century New Zealand". Political Science. 12 (1): 62–70. .
- Newell, Peter E. (November 2004). "Marxian Socialism in New Zealand". Socialist Standard. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
- Olssen, Erik (1976). "W.T. Mills, E.J.B. Allen, J.A. Lee, and Socialism in New Zealand". New Zealand Journal of History. 10 (2): 112–119. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
- Richardson, Len (2002). "Chapter 4: 'Billy Banjo: Coalminer, Socialist, Poet and Novelist". In Moloney, Pat; Taylor, Kerry (eds.). On the Left: Essays on Socialism in New Zealand. University of Otago Press. pp. 73–86. ISBN 1-877276-19-7.
- Taylor, Kerry (1994). "'Our Motto, No Compromise': The Ideological Origins and Foundation of the Communist Party of New Zealand". New Zealand Journal of History. 28 (2): 160–177. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
- Taylor, Kerry (2002). "Chapter 6: 'Potential Allies of the Working Class': The Communist Party of New Zealand and Maori, 1921-1952". In Moloney, Pat; Taylor, Kerry (eds.). On the Left: Essays on Socialism in New Zealand. University of Otago Press. pp. 103–115. ISBN 1-877276-19-7.
- Wilkes, Christopher (2019). Reinventing Capitalism in New Zealand: History, Structure, Practice and Social Class. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. ISBN 978-1-5275-3405-6.
External links
- Leftist Parties of New Zealand - contains links and statistics for left-wing (not necessarily socialist/communist) parties in New Zealand. Includes links to most parties mentioned above.