NationMaster - Encyclopedia: New Zealand National Party

The New Zealand National Party ("National" or "the Nats") currently forms the second-largest (in terms of parliamentary seats) political party represented in the New Zealand Parliament, and thus functions as the core of the parliamentary Opposition. "National" has become the largest (in terms of membership) centre-right conservative political party in New Zealand. 2006 is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Political Parties redirects here. ... The New Zealand Parliament is the legislative body of the New Zealand government. ... Parliamentary Opposition is a form of political opposition to a designated government, particularly in a Westminster-based parliamentary system. ... â€œRight wingâ€ redirects here. ... Conservatism is a term used to describe political philosophies that favor tradition and gradual change, where tradition refers to religious, cultural, or nationally defined beliefs and customs. ...

Policies

The National Party presently advocates policies of reducing taxes, reducing social welfare payments, promoting free trade, restoring or maintaining New Zealand's traditional (Western) defence and security alliances and promoting one standard of citizenship for all New Zealanders ("One law for all"). The party's policy-documents contain commitments to doubling New Zealand's economic growth, to giving welfare payments only to "those in genuine need" and to "speedy, full and final settlements to historic Waitangi Treaty claims".^{[citation needed]} 2007 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... â€œTaxesâ€ redirects here. ... ... Free trade is an economic concept referring to the selling of products between countries without tariffs or other trade barriers. ... Look up commitment in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... One of the few extant copies of the Treaty of Waitangi The Treaty of Waitangi (MÄori: Tiriti o Waitangi) is a treaty signed on February 6, 1840 by representatives of the British Crown, and MÄori chiefs from the North Island of New Zealand. ...

Support

Starting historically as a balanced urban/rural movement, National has seemed to appeal more consistently to country voters. At the 2005 election, the Party narrowly won more votes than the New Zealand Labour Party in Auckland, New Zealand's largest city, and in the northern cities of Hamilton and Tauranga. It also won almost all of the rural and provincial electoral seats. However, the rival Labour Party won considerably more votes in the cities of Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin. Wikinews has news related to: Results of the 2005 New Zealand General Election The 2005 New Zealand general election took place on 17 September 2005 and determined the composition of the 48th New Zealand Parliament. ... The New Zealand Labour Party is a New Zealand political party. ... For other uses, see Auckland (disambiguation). ... Hamilton (Kirikiriroa in MÄori) is the centre of New Zealands fourth largest urban area, and is the countrys seventh largest city. ... Tauranga (population 109,100 â€” 2006 census) is the largest city of the Bay of Plenty region of the North Island of New Zealand. ... For the first Duke of Wellington, see Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington. ... For other uses, see Christchurch (disambiguation). ... Dunedin (ÅŒtepoti in Maori) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the region of Otago. ...

Organisation

National features both regional and electorate-level organisational structures. In light of the 2002 election result, a review of the party organisation resulted in decisions to weaken the regional structure and to implement a more centralised structure. The Party President (currently Judy Kirk) heads the administration outside of National's current sitting MPs. 2006 is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A caucus is most generally defined as being a meeting of supporters or members of a political party or movement. ...

Historically, the Party's youth wing, the Young Nationals, commonly known as the "Young Nats", has provided much political impetus as a ginger group: it gained a reputation as "the" social organisation in rural New Zealand and in some urban circles. ^{[citation needed]} The New Zealand Young Nationals are the youth wing of the New Zealand National Party a centre-right political party in New Zealand. ... A ginger group is a formal or informal grouping of people within a larger organisation that actively works for more radical change to the policies, practices or office-holders of the organisation, while still supporting the goals of the organisation. ...

A group called the Bluegreens exists within National and advises on environmental policy.

History

Formation

The National Party was officially formed in May 1936, but its roots go considerably further back. The party came about as the result of a merger between the United Party (known as the Liberal Party until 1927, except for a short period between 1925 and 1927 when it used the name "National Party") and the Reform Party. The United Party gained its main support from the cities, and drew upon businesses for money and upon middle class electors for votes, while the Reform Party had a rural base and received substantial support from farmers, who then formed a substantial proportion of the population. 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... This article is about the party created in 1927 from a faction of the Liberal Party. ... This article is about the original New Zealand Liberal Party. ... The Reform Party was New Zealands second major political party, having been founded as a conservative response to the original Liberal Party. ... In economics, a business is a legally-recognized organizational entity existing within an economically free country designed to sell goods and/or services to consumers, usually in an effort to generate profit. ... The middle class (or middle classes) comprises a social group once defined by exception as an intermediate social class between the nobility and the peasantry. ... 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. ... For other uses, see Farmer (disambiguation). ...

Historically, the Liberal and Reform parties had competed against each other, but from 1931 until 1935 a coalition between the United and Reform parties held power in New Zealand. The coalition went into the 1935 election under the title of the "National Political Federation", a name adopted to indicate that the grouping intended to represent New Zealanders from all backgrounds (in contrast to the previous situation, where United served city-dwellers and Reform served farmers). However, because of the effects of the Great Depression and a perception that the existing coalition government had handled the situation poorly, the National Political Federation lost heavily in 1935 to the Labour Party, the rise of which had originally prompted the alliance. 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 New Zealand Labour Party is a New Zealand political party. ...

A new party, called the New Zealand National Party, formed at a meeting held in Wellington on May 13 and 14, 1936. Erstwhile members of the United and Reform parties made up the bulk of the new party. George Forbes, Prime Minister from 1930 until 1935 and United Party Leader, opened the conference; he served as Leader of the Opposition and leader of the New Zealand National Party (largely as a stop-gap measure pending the election of a new leader) from May until November, when the party elected Adam Hamilton as its leader. Hamilton led the Party into its first election in 1938. He got the top job primarily due to a compromise between George Forbes (former leader of United) and Gordon Coates (former leader of Reform), neither of whom wished to serve under the other. Hamilton, however, failed to counter Labour's popular Prime Minister, Michael Joseph Savage effectively. This, along with perceptions that he remained too much under the control of Coates and that he lacked real support from his party colleagues, saw Hamilton fail to prevent Labour's re-election in 1938. Alternative meanings at Wellington (disambiguation) A view of Wellington from the top of Mount Victoria. ... is the 133rd day of the year (134th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... May 14 is the 134th day of the year (135th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... George William Forbes (12 March 1869 - 17 May 1947) served as Prime Minister of New Zealand from 1930 to 1935. ... Look up Leader in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Adam Hamilton (20 August 1880 - 29 April 1952) was a New Zealand politician. ... George William Forbes (12 March 1869 - 17 May 1947) served as Prime Minister of New Zealand from 1930 to 1935. ... This article is about the New Zealand prime minister. ... 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. ... Michael Joseph Savage (March 23, 1872 - March 27, 1940) was a New Zealand politician and the first Labour Prime Minister of New Zealand. ... The 1938 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliaments 26th term. ...

In 1940 Sidney Holland replaced Hamilton. William Polson "acted effectively as Holland's deputy" (Gustafson). Year 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full 1940 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Sir Sidney George Holland, GCMG, CH, (October 18, 1893-August 5, 1961) was Prime Minister of New Zealand from December 13, 1949 to September 20, 1957. ... Sir William John Polson (1875 - 1960) was a New Zealand politician, first as an Independent and then in the National Party. ...

The 1943 election saw Labour's majority reduced, but it remained in power. In the 1946 elections, National also failed to unseat Labour. However, in the 1949 elections, thirteen years after the party's foundation, National finally won power, and Holland became Prime Minister. The 1943 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliaments 27th term. ... Much of the recent sociological debate on power revolves around the issue of the constraining and/or enabling nature of power. ... 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. ...

The First National Government

In 1949 National had campaigned on "the private ownership of production, distribution and exchange". Once in power the new Holland Government proved decidedly administratively conservative, retaining, for instance, the welfare state set up by the previous Labour Government; though National gained, and has largely kept, a reputation for showing more favour to farmers and to business than did the Labour Party. The First National Government of New Zealand was the government of New Zealand from 1949 to 1957. ... There are three main interpretations of the idea of a welfare state: the provision of welfare services by the state. ... In economics, a business is a legally-recognized organizational entity existing within an economically free country designed to sell goods and/or services to consumers, usually in an effort to generate profit. ...

In 1951 the Waterfront Dispute broke out, lasting 151 days. The National government stepped into the conflict, acting in opposition to the maritime unions. Holland also used this opportunity to call the 1951 snap election. Campaigning on an anti-Communist platform and exploiting the Labour Opposition's apparent indecisiveness, National returned with an increased majority, gaining 54 parliamentary seats out of 80. The 1951 New Zealand waterfront dispute is the largest and most widespread industrial dispute in New Zealand history. ... A trade union or labor union is an organization of workers. ... The 1951 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliaments 30th term. ... Ideologies Communist internationals Prominent communists Related subjects Anti-communism refers to opposition to communism. ...

In the 1954 elections, National again won, though losing some of its seats, and Holland became Prime Minister for a third term. Towards the end of his third term, however, Holland became increasingly ill, and stepped down from the leadership shortly before the general election in 1957. Keith Holyoake, the party's long-standing deputy leader, took Holland's place. Holyoake, however, had insufficient time to establish himself in then public mind as Prime Minister, and lost in the election later that year to Labour, then led by Walter Nash. The 1954 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliaments 31st term. ... Year 1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1957 Gregorian calendar). ... The Right Honorable Sir Keith Jacka Holyoake, KG, GCMG, CH, QSO was a New Zealand politician. ... The 1957 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliaments 32nd term. ... Sir Walter Nash, GCMG, CH (12 February 1882â€“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. ...

Second National Government

Nash's government became very unpopular. Labour quickly acquired a reputation for poor economic management,^{[citation needed]} and much of the public saw its 1958 Budget, known since as the "Black Budget", as miserly and puritanical. After only one term in office, Labour suffered defeat at the hands of Holyoake and the National Party in the elections of 1960. Keith Holyoake was Prime Minister for almost all of the Second National Governments term in office. ... In New Zealand, the term Black Budget refers to the government budget of 26 June 1958 in which Finance Minister Arnold Nordmeyer increased taxes on beer, tobacco, cars and petrol. ... The 1960 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliaments 33rd term. ...

Holyoake's government lasted twelve years, the Party gaining re-election three times (in 1963, 1966, and 1969). However, this period also saw the rise of Social Credit, which broke the National/Labour duopoly in parliament, winning former National seats from 1966. Holyoake retired from the Prime Ministership and from the Party leadership at the beginning of 1972, and his deputy, Jack Marshall, replaced him. The 1963 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliaments 34th term. ... The 1966 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliaments 35th term. ... The final results of the New Zealand General Election 1969 were 45 seats won by the National Party, and 39 seats won by the Labour Party, with no minor parties winning any seats. ... One of the several logos used during the history of the Social Credit Party The New Zealand Social Credit Party (sometimes called Socred) was a political party which served as the countrys third party from the 1950s through into the 1980s. ... Year 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Right Honourable Sir John Ross Marshall GBE (March 5, 1912 â€“ August 30, 1988), generally known as Jack Marshall, was a New Zealand politician. ...

Marshall suffered the same fate as Holyoake. Having succeeded an experienced leader in an election-year, he failed to establish himself in time. Marshall had an added disadvantage; he had to compete against the much more popular and charismatic Norman Kirk, then leader of the Labour Party, and lost the ensuing election. Norman Eric Kirk served as Prime Minister of New Zealand from 1972 until his sudden death in 1974 and led the New Zealand Labour Party from 1965 to 1972. ... The final results of the New Zealand General Election 1972 were 55 seats won by the Labour party (led by Norman Kirk) and 32 seats won by the National Party, with no minor parties winning any seats. ...

Third National Government

Within two years the Party removed Marshall as its parliamentary leader and replaced him with Robert Muldoon, who had previously served as Minister of Finance. An intense contest between Kirk and Muldoon followed. In a stroke of luck for Muldoon, Kirk became ill and died in office (1974); his successor, Bill Rowling, proved no match for Muldoon, and in the 1975 elections, National under Muldoon returned comfortably to power. The Third National Government of New Zealand was the government of New Zealand from 1975 to 1984. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... For the fictional character in Jurassic Park, see List of characters in Jurassic Park. ... The Minister of Finance is a senior figure within the government of New Zealand. ... Sir Wallace Edward Rowling KCMG, (15 November 1927 - 31 October 1995), often known as Bill Rowling, was a Prime Minister of New Zealand. ... The 1975 New Zealand general election was the first election in New Zealand where all permanent residents of New Zealand were eligible to vote, although only citizens were able to be elected. ...

The Muldoon administration, which favoured interventionist economic policies, arouses mixed opinions amongst the majority free-market adherents of the modern National. Bill Birch's "Think Big" initiatives, designed to invest public money in major projects, stand in contrast to the Party's contemporary views. Muldoon's interventionist economics, increasingly unpopular with both the public and the Party, caused an attempted leadership change in 1980. Led by ministers Derek Quigley, Jim McLay, and Jim Bolger, the challenge (dubbed the "colonels' coup") against Muldoon aimed to replace him with Brian Talboys, his deputy. However, the plan collapsed as the result of Talboys' unwillingness, and Muldoon kept his position. Economic interventionism is a term used to describe activity undertaken by a central government to affect a countrys economy in an attempt to increase economic growth and/or standards of living. ... A free market is an idealized market, where all economic decisions and actions by individuals regarding transfer of money, goods, and services are voluntary, and are therefore devoid of coercion and theft (some definitions of coercion are inclusive of theft). Colloquially and loosely, a free market economy is an economy... Bill Birch The Rt. ... The New Zealand Prime Minister Robert Muldoon (Prime Minister: 1975 - 1984; Sir Robert from 1983) and his New Zealand National Party government in the early 1980s sponsored Think Big as an interventionist state economic strategy. ... 2007 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar). ... Derek Francis Quigley (born 31 January 1932) is a former New Zealand politician. ... James Kenneth McLay (born 21 February 1945), generally known as Jim McLay, is a former New Zealand politician. ... The Right Honourable James Brendan Jim Bolger (born 31 May 1935) was Prime Minister of New Zealand from 1990 to 1997. ... The Right Honourable Sir Brian Edward Talboys AC, CH, KCB, (7 June 1921-) was a New Zealand politician. ...

Under Muldoon, National won elections in 1978 and 1981. However, public dissatisfaction with Government policies grew, and Muldoon's controlling and belligerent style of leadership became less and less appealing. In the 1981 election, National gained fewer votes than the Labour opposition, but could command a small majority in Parliament because of the then-used First Past the Post electoral system. A former logo of the New Zealand National Party. ... A former logo of the New Zealand National Party. ... The 1978 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to elect the 39th New Zealand Parliament. ... The 1981 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament. ... Leader redirects here. ... The plurality voting system, also known as first past the post, is a voting system used to elect a single winner in a given election. ...

Dissent within the National Party continued to grow, however. Rebel National MPs Marilyn Waring and Mike Minogue caused particular concern to the leadership, threatening National's thin majority in parliament. When, in 1984, Marilyn Waring refused to support Muldoon's policies on visits by nuclear-powered and nuclear-armed ships, Muldoon called a snap election. Muldoon made the television announcement of this election while visibly inebriated, and some believe^{[citation needed]} that he later regretted the decision to "go to the country". National resoundingly lost the election to Labour under David Lange. Marilyn Waring (born 1952) is a renowned New Zealand feminist, an activist for female human rights, an author and an academic. ... Mike Minogue was a New Zealand politician and lawyer. ... This article is about the year. ... The 1984 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament. ... The Drunkenness of Noah by Giovanni Bellini Drunkenness is the state of being intoxicated by consumption of alcohol to a degree that mental and physical facilities are noticeably impaired. ... David Russell Lange (who pronounced his name long-ee IPA: lÉ”Å‹i) CH, ONZ (4 August 1942 â€” 13 August 2005), served as Prime Minister of New Zealand from 1984 to 1989. ...

Fourth National Government

Shortly after this loss, the Party removed Muldoon from the leadership. Jim McLay, who had replaced Brian Talboys as deputy leader shortly before the election, became the new leader. McLay, however, failed to restore the party's fortunes, partly because a bitter Muldoon undermined McLay's position. In 1986 Jim Bolger took over the leadership. The Fourth National Government of New Zealand was the government of New Zealand from 2 November 1990 to 27 November 1999. ... James Kenneth McLay (born 21 February 1945), generally known as Jim McLay, is a former New Zealand politician. ...

In the 1990 elections National defeated Labour in an electoral landslide and formed a new government under Bolger. However, the Party lost support when it continued the economic reforms which had damaged the previous Labour government — these policies, started by Labour Party Finance Minister Roger Douglas and popularly known as Rogernomics, centred on the privatization of state assets and on the removal of tariffs and subsidies. These policies alienated traditional Labour supporters, who saw them as a betrayal of the party's left-wing character, but did not entirely appease the right-wing National party either. Many more conservative National supporters preferred Muldoon's more authoritarian and interventionist policies over the free-market liberalism promoted by Douglas. However, the new National Party Finance Minister, Ruth Richardson, strongly supported Rogernomics, actually believing that Douglas had not gone far enough. (See Ruthanasia.) Her policies encouraged two National MPs to leave the National Party and form the New Zealand Liberal Party (1992). Richardson's views also met with considerable opposition within the National Party Parliamentary Caucus and caused damage to the party's membership base. The 1990 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliaments 43rd term. ... Sir Roger Douglas is a former New Zealand politician and senior Cabinet minister, best known for his leading role in the radical economic restructuring undertaken by the New Zealand Labour Party government in the 1980s. ... The term Rogernomics, a portmanteau of Roger and economics, was created by analogy with Reaganomics to describe the economic policies followed by New Zealand Finance Minister Roger Douglas from his appointment in 1984. ... This article does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... A tariff is a tax placed on imported and/or exported goods, sometimes called a customs duty. ... In economics, a subsidy is generally a monetary grant given by a government to lower the price faced by producers or consumers of a good, generally because it is considered to be in the public interest. ... Ruth Richardson (born December 13, 1950) served as New Zealands Minister of Finance from 1990 to 1993, and is known for her strong pursuit of radical economic reforms (sometimes known as Ruthanasia). Early life Richardson was born in southern Taranaki on 13 December 1950. ... Ruthanasia, a portmanteau of Ruth and euthanasia, is the pejorative name given to the period of free-market economic reform conducted under the auspices of the National Party government of New Zealand between 1990 and 1993. ... The New Zealand Liberal Party founded in 1992 (not to be confused with the original Liberal Party) was a splinter group of the National Party. ...

Nevertheless, National retained office (albeit barely) in 1993, due partly to a strongly recovering economy. At the same time as the 1993 election, however, a referendum took place which established the MMP electoral system for future use in New Zealand general elections. This would have a significant impact on New Zealand politics. Some National Party MPs defected to a new grouping, United New Zealand in mid-1995. And as a result of the new electoral mechanics, the New Zealand First Party, led by former National MP and former Cabinet minister Winston Peters, held the balance of power after the 1996 elections. After a prolonged period of negotiation, in which New Zealand First played National and Labour off against each other (both parties negotiated complete coalition agreements), New Zealand First entered into a coalition with National. Year 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar). ... The 1993 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament. ... The Additional Member System (AMS) is a voting system where some representatives are elected from geographic constituencies and others are elected under proportional representation from party lists. ... United New Zealand logo This article is about the party founded in 1995. ... New Zealand First functions as a political party in New Zealand. ... Winston Raymond Peters, PC, (born April 11, 1945) is a New Zealand politician and the current Minister of Foreign Affairs, outside cabinet. ... The 1996 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament. ...

Under the coalition agreement, Peters became Deputy Prime Minister and had the post of Treasurer especially invented for him. New Zealand First extracted a number of other concessions from National in exchange for its support. The influence of New Zealand First angered many National MPs, particularly Jenny Shipley. When, in 1997, Shipley toppled Bolger to become National's new leader, relations between National and its coalition partner deteriorated. After Shipley sacked Peters from Cabinet in 1998, the New Zealand First party split into two groups - half the MPs followed Peters out of the coalition, but the remainder broke away, establishing themselves as independents or as members of new parties. From the latter group National gained enough support to continue in government. The visibly damaged National Government managed to survive the parliamentary term, but lost the election to Labour's Helen Clark and the Alliance's Jim Anderton, who formed a coalition government. The Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand is second most senior officer in the Government of New Zealand, although this seniority does not necessarily translate into power. ... Look up Treasurer in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Jenny Shipley, DCNZM, (b. ... For the band, see 1997 (band). ... This article is about the governmental body. ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... The 1999 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the 46th session of the New Zealand Parliament. ... For other persons named Helen Clark, see Helen Clark (disambiguation). ... Current Alliance logo The Alliance, when referring to New Zealand politics, refers to a left-wing political party. ... James Patrick Anderton, almost always referred to as Jim Anderton, is leader of the Progressive Party, a political party in the New Zealand Parliament. ...

The contemporary Party

Shipley continued to lead the National Party until 2001, when Bill English replaced her. English, however, proved unable to gain traction against Clark, and National suffered its worst-ever electoral defeat in the 2002 elections, gaining only 27 of 120 seats. Many hoped that English would succeed in rebuilding the party, given time, but a year later polling showed the party performing only slightly better than in the election. In October 2003 English gave way as leader to Don Brash, a former governor of the Reserve Bank who had joined the National Parliamentary caucus in the 2002 election. Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 2001 Gregorian calendar). ... Simon William Bill English is a New Zealand politician, and former leader of the National Party from October 2001 to October 2003. ... The 2002 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the 47th New Zealand Parliament. ... Dr Donald Thomas Brash (born 24 September 1940), New Zealand politician, served as the Leader of the Opposition and parliamentary leader of the National Party, the countrys main Opposition party from 28 October 2003 to 27 November 2006. ... The Reserve Bank of New Zealand is the central bank of New Zealand. ...

Under Dr Brash, the National Party's overall popularity with voters improved markedly. Mostly, however, the party achieved this by "reclaiming" support from electors who voted for other centre-right parties in 2002. National's campaigning on race relations, amid claims of preferential treatment of Māori, and amid their opposition to Labour Party policy during the foreshore-and-seabed controversy, generated considerable publicity and much controversy. Strong campaigning on a tax-cuts theme in the lead-up to the 2005 elections, together with a consolidation of centre-right support, may have contributed to the National Party's winning 48 out of 121 seats in Parliament. National, however, remained the second-largest party in Parliament (marginally behind Labour, which gained 50 seats), and had fewer options for forming a coalition government. With the formation of a new Labour-dominated Government, National remained the major Opposition party. This article is about the MÄori people of New Zealand. ... The New Zealand foreshore and seabed controversy is a debate in the politics of New Zealand. ... The 2005 New Zealand general election will be a nation-wide election for the New Zealand Parliament, and is to be held on 17 September 2005. ...

After the 2005 election defeat Don Brash's leadership of National came under scrutiny from the media, and political watchers speculated on the prospect of a leadership-challenge before the next general election due in 2008. Don Brash resigned on November 23, 2006, immediately before the release of Nicky Hager's book The Hollow Men, which contained damaging revelations obtained from private emails. John Key became the leader of the National caucus on 27 November 2006. Key has attempted to create a more "centrist" image, discussing issues such as child poverty. The next New Zealand general election is expected to take place in late 2008, and must be held no later than 15 November 2008. ... is the 327th day of the year (328th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Nicky Hager is an author and investigative journalist who lives in Wellington, New Zealand. ... The Hollow Men in a 2006 book written by Nicky Hager. ... For the American politician, see John A. Key. ... is the 331st day of the year (332nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Parliamentary leaders

Forbes served as Prime Minister from 1930 to 1935, prior to the formation of New Zealand National Party. George William Forbes (12 March 1869 - 17 May 1947) served as Prime Minister of New Zealand from 1930 to 1935. ... Adam Hamilton (20 August 1880 - 29 April 1952) was a New Zealand politician. ... Sir Sidney George Holland, GCMG, CH, (October 18, 1893-August 5, 1961) was Prime Minister of New Zealand from December 13, 1949 to September 20, 1957. ... The Right Honorable Sir Keith Jacka Holyoake, KG, GCMG, CH, QSO was a New Zealand politician. ... Right Honourable Sir John Ross Marshall GBE (March 5, 1912 â€“ August 30, 1988), generally known as Jack Marshall, was a New Zealand politician. ... For the fictional character in Jurassic Park, see List of characters in Jurassic Park. ... James Kenneth McLay (born 21 February 1945), generally known as Jim McLay, is a former New Zealand politician. ... The Right Honourable James Brendan Jim Bolger (born 31 May 1935) was Prime Minister of New Zealand from 1990 to 1997. ... Jenny Shipley, DCNZM, (b. ... Simon William Bill English is a New Zealand politician, and former leader of the National Party from October 2001 to October 2003. ... Dr Donald Thomas Brash (born 24 September 1940), New Zealand politician, served as the Leader of the Opposition and parliamentary leader of the National Party, the countrys main Opposition party from 28 October 2003 to 27 November 2006. ... For the American politician, see John A. Key. ...

Party Presidents

Short biographies of all Presidents up to Sue Wood appear in Barry Gustafson's The First Fifty Years. Suzanne Mary (Sue) Wood, born in Onehunga in 1948, was the president of the National Party from 1982 to 1986, the first woman to hold the post. ... John Collinge was the president of the New Zealand National Party from 1989 to 1994. ... William Lindsay Tisch is a New Zealand politician. ... Geoffrey William Fleetwood (Geoff) Thompson (born 1940) was a New Zealand politician of the National Party. ...

Contents

Policies

Support

Organisation

History

Formation

The First National Government

Second National Government

Third National Government

Fourth National Government

The contemporary Party

Parliamentary leaders

Party Presidents

See also

Reference

External links

Contents

Policies GA_googleFillSlot("encyclopedia_square");

Support

Organisation

History

Formation

The First National Government

Second National Government

Third National Government

Fourth National Government

The contemporary Party

Parliamentary leaders

Party Presidents

See also

Reference

External links

Policies