New Zealand Reform Party

The Reform Party was a conservative party in New Zealand, which was established in 1909 and 1936, together with the United Party merged into the National Party. The full name of the party was New Zealand Political Reform League.

History

Organizations of the right political spectrum originated about 1887 with the Political Reform Association, the National Association in 1891, the Auckland Electoral League in 1902. In 1905, then the Political Reform League was founded in Christchurch, which supported William Massey in the general election of 1905. Of this group in Christchurch went from a stronger aura than had been the case of other conservative movements and followers soon found themselves in the country. At the general election in 1908, the conservative bloc has already achieved 26 seats up.

Encouraged by this election result, Massey worked harder still to be an alternative to the existing liberal government and a serious alternative to the Liberal Party, which had already since 1891 continuously in government to build. Together with EF Hemingway of Patea, considered the chief architect of the party's founding, they formed in February 1909, the Reform Party. At the election in 1911 there were already Combinations of various reform groups with the party at the local level. After the election victory in 1911, when the party with 34.6 % share of the vote and 37 seats was the strongest group and could provide Massey with her first Prime Minister, then the actually inaugural meeting of the party took place at the national level in August 1912. An attempt to the party in N.Z. Democratic League rename, suggested, however, failed.

With Massey as a leading figure in the Reform Party was a total of over thirteen years at the government. When he died, Francis Bell took over temporarily for 16 days, the Office of the Prime Minister, followed by Gordon Coates, who won the internal party election against William Nosworthy. After the death of Albert Ernest Massey organized Davy, businessman and political organizer, a campaign that brought Coates comfortable 46.5 % and 55 seats and experienced the highest level of agreement in the history of the party.

In the following three years in power, however, the party lost more and more approval, as Gordon Coates was accused of lack of vision for New Zealand and its intervention in the economy did not find acceptance among businessmen. An organized by the businessmen political conference in November 1927 heralded the descent of Coates and his party. On top of that Davy fell out with Coates and organized a campaign for the United Party.

The Reform Party, which had its political base more in the rural areas, lost there and especially the approval in the cities, and came in the next election in 1928, finally on 27 seats not get out. The government power accordingly went to the United Party, which could combine the liberal forces once again on the one hand after the dissolution of the Liberal Party and got support from the camp of the Labour Party and some independents.

Following the handover of Joseph Ward to George Forbes, who was more attributable to the right wing of the Liberal and temporarily acted as National to influential members of the Reform Party were formed into a coalition with the United Party under Forbes to the growing power of Labour for election 1931 can face. The coalition took 55.4 % of the vote and 51 seats with great approval and formed a government under Forbes. Four years later, the coalition could not prevail in the 1935 election against Labour and lost dramatically consent.

As a result of this defeat and the appearance of the New Zealand Democrat Party under Davy as organizer of the pressure created to unite, especially since both parties had already approached the content on the coalition. At the congress, which was held in Wellington from 13 to 14 May 1936 the merger was finally decided, and the National Party founded as a new party.

Swell

Raymond Miller, Party politics in New Zealand, Oxford University press, South Melbourne, Australia, 2005. ISBN 0-19-558413-9
Political Parties - Reform Party - Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand - ( accessed on 13 March 2010)

Conservatism New Zealand National Party New Zealand Liberal Party Francis Bell (New Zealand politician) George Forbes (New Zealand politician)

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