The First Labour Government of New Zealand was the government of New Zealand from 1935 to 1949. It set the tone of New Zealand's economic and welfare policies until the 1980s, establishing a welfare state, a system of Keynesian economic management, and high levels of state intervention. The government came to power towards the end of, and as a result of, the Great Depression of the 1930s, and also governed the country throughout World War II. The Governments of New Zealand are based on the Westminster system of responsible government. ... There are three main interpretations of the idea of a welfare state: the provision of welfare services by the state. ... Keynesian economics, or Keynesianism, is an economic theory based on the ideas of John Maynard Keynes, as put forward in his book The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money, published in 1936 in response to the Great Depression of the 1930s. ... For other uses, see The Great Depression (disambiguation). ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...

Significant policies

Industrial

• Enacted compulsory unionism.
• Introduced the 40 hour working week.

Unionism is a movement based on the ideal of syndicalism and support for the trade union movement, but which exists within the framework of an open capitalist society as an independent participatory private entity. ...

Foreign affairs and military

In the 1930s, Labour was a supporter of the League of Nations (a forerunner to the United Nations), seeing the League as the best way to prevent another major war. However the League proved to be ineffectual, and was unable to prevent the Japanese invasion of Manchuria or the Italian invasion of Abbyssinia. Under Labour, the New Zealand representative in the League spoke strongly against appeasement of aggressors, particularly the Italian invasion of Abbyssinia and the German occupation of Czechoslovakia. When World War II broke out, New Zealand immediately declared war on Germany, with Savage saying that 'where Britain goes, we go'. During the war, conscription was introduced. This led some to accuse Labour of hypocrisy, as it had strongly opposed conscription in World War I. The government argued that while the First World War had been an unnecessary imperialist scuffle, the Second World War was a just war against fascist aggressors. Following the war, Fraser became involved in the setting up of the United Nations, and was especially concerned that small countries not be marginalised by the great powers. The League of Nations was an international organization founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference in 1919–1920. ... UN and U.N. redirect here. ... Combatants National Revolutionary Army, Republic of China Imperial Japanese Army, Empire of Japan Commanders Zhang Xueliang, Ma Zhanshan, Feng Zhanhai, Ting Chao Shigeru Honjo, Jiro Tamon, Senjuro Hayashi Strength 160,000 men 30,000 - 60,450 men Casualties  ?  ? The Japanese invasion of Manchuria began on September 19, 1931, one day... The Abyssinia Crisis was a pre-WW2 diplomatic crisis originating in the conflict between Italy and Ethiopia (then called Abyssinia by the British). ... Appeasement is a policy of accepting the imposed conditions of an aggressor in lieu of armed resistance, usually at the sacrifice of principles. ... The Abyssinia Crisis was a pre-WW2 diplomatic crisis originating in the conflict between Italy and Ethiopia (then called Abyssinia by the British). ... The Munich Agreement and the first Vienna Award After the Austrian Anschluss, Czechoslovakia was to become Hitlers next target. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... “The Great War ” redirects here. ...

Economic

• Increased government spending in an effort to stimulate the economy.
• Introduced wide-ranging tariffs and other import controls.

A tariff is a tax placed on imported and/or exported goods, sometimes called a customs duty. ...

Welfare

• Introduced welfare benefits for invalids and the unemployed.
• Removed most fees for healthcare and secondary education.

Constitutional

• Passed the Statute of Westminster Adoption Act 1947, to adopt the Statute of Westminster 1931. This Act was a significant step to the Independence of New Zealand, technically New Zealand ceased to be the Dominion of New Zealand and became the Realm of New Zealand, and was fully able to direct its own foreign affairs and military. It also legally separated the British Crown from a New Zealand Crown, meaning that the New Zealand monarchy became legally independent of the British monarchy, and thus the King became King of New Zealand (the first monarch to be declared as such was Queen Elizabeth II in 1952).
• Abolished the country quota so that rural and urban electorates contained the same number of voters.

The Statute of Westminster Adoption Act 1947 was a constitutional Act of the New Zealand New Zealand Parliament that formally granted New Zealand full external autonomy. ... This article is about the Statute of Westminster relating to the British Empire and its dominions. ... The independence of New Zealand occurred gradually over the 20th century by a series of Royal proclamations, Imperial Conferences and Acts of the British and New Zealand Parliaments. ... For alternative meanings, see New Zealand (disambiguation). ... The Realm of New Zealand is the territory in which the Queen in right of New Zealand is head of state. ... New Zealand is a constitutional monarchy and a Commonwealth Realm, with Queen Elizabeth II as its reigning monarch, since February 6, 1952. ... This article is about the monarchy of the United Kingdom, one of sixteen that share a common monarch; for information about this constitutional relationship, see Commonwealth realm; for information on the reigning monarch, see Elizabeth II. For information about other Commonwealth realm monarchies, as well as other relevant articles, see... Elizabeth II in an official portrait as Queen of Canada (on the occasion of her Golden Jubilee in 2002, wearing the Sovereigns badges of the Order of Canada and the Order of Military Merit) Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary) (born 21 April 1926), styled HM The... The country quota was a part of the New Zealand electoral system from 1881 until 1945. ... Sign in a rural area in Dalarna, Sweden Qichun, a rural town in Hubei province, China Rural areas (also referred to as the country, countryside) are settled places outside towns and cities. ... Cities with at least a million inhabitants in 2006 An urban area is an area with an increased density of human-created structures in comparison to the areas surrounding it. ...

Treaty and Māori

• Replaced the term 'Native' with 'Maori' in official usage, including the Minister of Māori Affairs.

The Minister of Māori Affairs is an official of the New Zealand government who has broad responsibility for government policy towards Māori, the first inhabitants of New Zealand. ...

Formation

Main article: New Zealand general election 1935

The immediate context of the 1935 election was the Great Depression which had started in 1929 and affected New Zealand as badly as most other Western countries. Following the 1931 election the Reform and United (also known as Liberal) parties had formed a coalition to deal with it. The Labour Party formed the opposition, arguing that the only way out of the depression was socialism. The coalition government instead supported the economic orthodoxy which was that a balanced budget was of paramount importance and that state spending had to be cut in order to offset the decline in taxation revenue. They also believed that to provide the unemployed with money without making them work was morally wrong, and so put thousands of unemployed to work on often-pointless 'relief work'. Labour argued that the government needed to increase spending and create real jobs. By 1935 - after the election had been delayed a year because of the depression - many voters who would not otherwise have trusted Labour were disillusioned with the economic orthodoxy and prepared to try something new. Labour was helped by a change of leadership in 1933, after leader Harry Holland died and was replaced by Michael Joseph Savage, who did not seem to be a frightening communist but rather a kindly uncle figure. Labour achieved an overwhelming victory, taking 53 out of 80 seats. A further two were won by the Māori Ratana movement, which formed an alliance with Labour. Despite the size of its victory, Labour won only 46.1% of the popular vote; the government vote was split between Reform and United, and both parties lost votes on the right to the Democrats and the Country Party. The 1935 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliaments 25th term. ... For other uses, see The Great Depression (disambiguation). ... The 1931 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliaments 24th term. ... The Reform Party was New Zealands second major political party, having been founded as a conservative response to the original Liberal Party. ... This article discusses the party which originated in 1927 from a faction of the Liberal Party. ... This article is about the original New Zealand Liberal Party. ... The New Zealand Labour Party is a New Zealand political party. ... Socialism is a broad array of ideologies and political movements with the goal of a socio-economic system in which property and the distribution of wealth are subject to control by the community for the purposes of increasing social and economic equality and cooperation. ... From a Keynesian point of view, a balanced budget in the public sector is achieved when the government has enough fiscal discipline to be able to equate the revenues with expenditure over the business cycles. ... Henry Edmund (Harry) Holland (10 June 1868 - 8 October 1933) was a New Zealand politician and unionist. ... Michael Joseph Savage (March 23, 1872 - March 27, 1940) was a New Zealand politician and the first Labour Prime Minister of New Zealand. ... This article is about the Māori people of New Zealand. ... Both a religion and a pan-tribal political force, the Ratana movement was founded by Tahupotiki Wiremu Ratana (1873 - 1939) in early 20th century New Zealand. ... In politics, right-wing, the political right, or simply the right, are terms which refer, with no particular precision, to the segment of the political spectrum in opposition to left-wing politics. ... This article is about the pro-business party founded in 1934. ... The Country Party of New Zealand was a political party which based itself around rural voters. ...

The 1938 election

Main article: New Zealand general election 1938

The government increased in popularity during its first term, as people felt the benefits of its policies and of economic recovery. It cannot realisticly be credited with ending the Depression in New Zealand, as most economic indicators were showing signs of improvement before the 1935 election. However government policies such as an increase in pay for relief workers, job creation and generous education policies did bring major benefits to many. Labour's share of the popular vote increased by nearly 10%, but it did not gain any new seats. While in 1935 the anti-Labour vote had been split between two major and two minor parties, by 1938 the United and Reform parties had merged into the New Zealand National Party, which was able to achieve 40.3% of the popular vote and win 25 seats. The Country and Democrat parties' share of the vote collapsed, with the Country Party losing both its seats. From this point on, New Zealand politics would be dominated by the Labour and National parties. The 1938 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliaments 26th term. ... This article discusses the party which originated in 1927 from a faction of the Liberal Party. ... The Reform Party was New Zealands second major political party, having been founded as a conservative response to the original Liberal Party. ... The New Zealand National Party (National or the Nats) currently forms the second-largest (in terms of seats) political party represented in the New Zealand Parliament, and thus functions as the core of the parliamentary Opposition. ... The Country Party of New Zealand was a political party which based itself around rural voters. ... This article is about the pro-business party founded in 1934. ...

The 1943 election

Main article: New Zealand general election 1943

The 1943 election was held during World War II, and had been postponed by about two years due to the war. Conscription was a minor issue in the election; although both major parties supported it, some saw Labour as hypocrites as they had strongly opposed conscription during World War I. The issue may have lost Labour some support on the left, to the Democratic Labour Party, which had been formed by dissident Labour MP John A. Lee following his expulsion from the Labour Party. However the new party received only 4.3% of the vote and won no seats. Labour was given significant help by the votes of New Zealand soldiers overseas, who turned an apparent election-night victory for National into one for Labour. The election was also notable for the defeat of Māori statesman Apirana Ngata, by the Labour-Ratana candidate Tiaka Omana. Labour was to hold the four Māori seats until 1996. The 1943 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliaments 27th term. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... “The Great War ” redirects here. ... The Democratic Labour Party was a political party in New Zealand. ... John Alfred Alexander Lee (31 October 1891 - 13 June 1982) was a New Zealand politician and writer. ... This article is about the Māori people of New Zealand. ... Sir Apirana Ngata Sir Apirana Turupa Ngata (3 July 1874 - 14 July 1950) was a prominent New Zealand politician and lawyer. ... Both a religion and a pan-tribal political force, the Ratana movement was founded by Tahupotiki Wiremu Ratana (1873 - 1939) in early 20th century New Zealand. ... Tiaki Omana , also known as John or Jack Ormond is a former New Zealand politician who captured the Ratana Movements fourth Maori seat of Eastern Maori in 1943 from Apirana Ngata who had held it since 1905. ... Māori Seats giving positions for Māori in the New Zealand Parliament were not created until 1867 even though Westminster-style Parliamentary Government was established in New Zealand in 1852. ... The 1996 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament. ...

The 1946 election

Main article: New Zealand general election 1946

By 1946 the National Party had gained in strength and credibility. However its support was strongest in rural areas, and in previous elections it had benefited from the country quota, which organised New Zealand electorates so that rural electorates had fewer voters, and therefore rural votes were worth more. In 1945 the government had abolished the quota, which may have cost National the election. Labour gained nearly 4% of the popular vote, but lost three seats, reducing its majority to four. Since the seats it held included the four Māori seats, the government was said by its opponents to rely on a 'Māori mandate'. It was insinuated that Labour would need to pass unwise pro-Māori policies in order to stay in power. The 1946 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliaments 28th term. ... The country quota was a part of the New Zealand electoral system from 1881 until 1945. ... In New Zealand, an electorate is a voting district for Parliamentary elections. ... Sign in a rural area in Dalarna, Sweden Qichun, a rural town in Hubei province, China Rural areas (also referred to as the country, countryside) are settled places outside towns and cities. ... Māori Seats giving positions for Māori in the New Zealand Parliament were not created until 1867 even though Westminster-style Parliamentary Government was established in New Zealand in 1852. ...

Defeat

Main article: New Zealand general election 1949

By 1949 the government had been in power for 14 years, five of them in wartime. It seemed increasingly worn out and uncertain. The three referendums held in 1949 (in addition to the usual referendum on alcohol licensing, which was held in conjunction with every election), were symptomatic of this. Meanwhile, National had announced that it would not repeal any of Labour's welfare state policies, which endeared it to many who had supported and benefitted from these policies but were tired of the government. National won 51.9% of the popular vote and 46 of out the 80 seats in parliament. Labour would be out of power for another eight years, and would not be in government for more than a single term until the 1980s. The 1949 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliaments 29th term. ... A referendum (plural: referendums or referenda) or plebiscite is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. ...

Electoral results

The 1935 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliaments 25th term. ... The 25th New Zealand Parliament was a term of the Parliament of New Zealand. ... The 1938 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliaments 26th term. ... The 1943 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliaments 27th term. ... The 1946 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliaments 28th term. ... The 1949 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliaments 29th term. ...

Prime Ministers

The government was led by Michael Joseph Savage until his death in 1940. He was succeeded by Peter Fraser, who was Prime Minister for the rest of the government's term. Michael Joseph Savage (March 23, 1872 - March 27, 1940) was a New Zealand politician and the first Labour Prime Minister of New Zealand. ... A statue of Fraser outside the Government Buildings Historic Reserve in Wellington The Right Honourable Peter Fraser (1884 - 1950) served as Prime Minister of New Zealand from 27 March 1940 until 13 December 1949. ... The Prime Minister of New Zealand is New Zealands head of government and is the leader of the party or coalition with majority support in the Parliament of New Zealand. ...

Cabinet Ministers

The Attorney-General is an political office in New Zealand. ... Henry Greathead Rex Mason (3 June 1885 - 2 April 1975) was a New Zealand politician. ... The Minister of Defence is a minister in the government of New Zealand with responsibility for the New Zealand military and the Ministry of Defence. ... Frederick McKinley Jones (May 17, 1892 - February 21, 1961) was an African-American inventor who patented several products in the field of refrigeration. ... The Minister of Finance is a senior figure within the government of New Zealand. ... Sir Walter Nash, GCMG, CH (12 February 1882–4 June 1968) served as Prime Minister of New Zealand from 1957 to 1960 and was also highly influential in his role as Minister of Finance. ... The Minister of Foreign Affairs is a major portfolio in the Cabinet of New Zealand. ... Michael Joseph Savage (March 23, 1872 - March 27, 1940) was a New Zealand politician and the first Labour Prime Minister of New Zealand. ... Frank Langstone (c1882 – 1969) was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party, and a cabinet minister. ... A statue of Fraser outside the Government Buildings Historic Reserve in Wellington The Right Honourable Peter Fraser (1884 - 1950) served as Prime Minister of New Zealand from 27 March 1940 until 13 December 1949. ... The Minister of Health is a minister in the government of New Zealand with responsibility for the New Zealand Ministry of Health and the District Health Boards. ... A statue of Fraser outside the Government Buildings Historic Reserve in Wellington The Right Honourable Peter Fraser (1884 - 1950) served as Prime Minister of New Zealand from 27 March 1940 until 13 December 1949. ... Hubert Thomas (Tim) Armstrong; (1875 – 8 November 1942) was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party. ... The Honourable Sir Heinrich Arnold Nordmeyer, ONZ, KCMG, (1901 - 1989), often later known as Arnold Henry Nordmeyer, was a New Zealand politician. ... Mabel Howard (18 April 1894 – 23 June 1972) had the full name Mabel Bowden Howard. ... The Minister of Justice is a minister in the government of New Zealand. ... Henry Greathead Rex Mason (3 June 1885 - 2 April 1975) was a New Zealand politician. ... The Minister of Māori Affairs is an official of the New Zealand government who has broad responsibility for government policy towards Māori, the first inhabitants of New Zealand. ... Michael Joseph Savage (March 23, 1872 - March 27, 1940) was a New Zealand politician and the first Labour Prime Minister of New Zealand. ... Frank Langstone (c1882 – 1969) was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party, and a cabinet minister. ... Henry Greathead Rex Mason (3 June 1885 - 2 April 1975) was a New Zealand politician. ... A statue of Fraser outside the Government Buildings Historic Reserve in Wellington The Right Honourable Peter Fraser (1884 - 1950) served as Prime Minister of New Zealand from 27 March 1940 until 13 December 1949. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Daniel Giles Sullivan (1882 – 8 April 1947) was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party, and a cabinet minister. ... Robert Semple (commonly known as Bob Semple, 1873 - 1955) was a union leader and later Minister of Public Works for the first Labour Government of New Zealand. ... Mark Anthony Fagan (17 November 1873 – 31 December 1947) was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party and a union secretary. ...

References

See also

• Governments of New Zealand
• New Zealand Labour Party