The series of labour acts for which William Pember Reeves was responsible gave New Zealand the most extensive system of labour regulations in the world at the turn of the twentieth century.
The series of labour acts for which William Pember Reeves was responsible gave New Zealand the most extensive system of labour regulations in the world at the turn of the twentieth century.
Cartoon showing Labour Prime Minister Norman Kirk as a barman kicking out the defeated Jack Marshall and his deputy, Robert Muldoon after the 1972 election
The first member of New Zealand's inaugural Parliament was elected unopposed at Russell in the Bay of Islands. It would take another two and a half months to elect the remaining 36 members of the House of Representatives.
Established at a conference in Wellington on 13-14 May 1936, the National Party was to dominate New Zealand politics in the second half of the 20th century.
The alliance between the Rātana Church and the Labour Party was cemented at an historic meeting between T.W. Rātana and Prime Minister M.J. Savage on 22 April 1936.
Although only 55% of electors took part in a referendum, an overwhelming 85% voted to change their electoral system. In the second part of the poll, 70% favoured mixed member proportional representation (MMP). As Labour leader Mike Moore put it: 'The people didn't speak on Saturday. They screamed.'
