Socialism in New Zealand

The degree to which Socialism in New Zealand has been of significance in mainstream politics is debated, as varying definitions of socialism and communism make the extent of its influence difficult to measure. New Zealand has a complicated assortment of socialist causes and organizations. Some of these play a considerable role in public activism - some commentators claim that New Zealand socialists are more prominent in things such as the anti-war movement than in promoting actual socialism itself. Other groups are strongly committed to radical socialist revolution.

Table of contents

1 Present status of New Zealand socialism 2 History of New Zealand socialism 3 Socialist parties in New Zealand 3.1 Modern parties and organizations 3.2 Defunct parties and organizations 4 Prominent figures in New Zealand socialism 5 External link

Present status of New Zealand socialism

The extent to which socialism plays a part in modern New Zealand politics depends on which definitions of socialist are used, but few mainstream politicians would describe themselves using the word "socialist". The term "social democrat" is more common, but the more general "left-wing" or "centre-left" are used far more frequently.

Nevertheless, socialists of various types are still to be found in modern New Zealand politics. The governing Labour Party, the Progressive Party, and the Alliance all have some links to socialism in their history, but under a New Zealand definition, they would generally not be considered socialist today. More likely to receive this label are the numerous socialist or communist parties that exist outside the mainstream political world - examples include the Anti-Capitalist Alliance and the Communist League.

History of New Zealand socialism

The growth of socialism as an ideology in New Zealand only began to occur around the beginning of the 20th century. Some historians, however, claim that a sort of "non-ideological" socialism was born shortly after the establishment of self-government. This, they say, was mostly in the form of a "paternalistic" government which believed in the need to speed the country's economic growth, rather than in the form of an ideologically leftist government. These historians argue that because of New Zealand's small size and its focus on agriculture, the newly established government was forced to assume responsibility for many things that would otherwise be undertaken by private enterprise - railways, banking, insurance, and many other things that New Zealand's small business sector could not yet afford. Premier Julius Vogel was a notable advocate of government projects of this nature. One commentator has claimed that until the Russian Revolution, New Zealand was the most socialist country in the world, although many believe that this is overstating the case.

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 trade unions. The New Zealand Federation of Labour was influenced by socialist theories, as were many other labour organizations.

In 1901, the New Zealand Socialist Party (not to be confused with the Socialist Party of New Zealand, a distinct organization) was founded, promoting the works of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. The group, despite being relatively moderate when compared with many other socialists, met with little tangiable success, but it nevertheless had considerable impact on the development of New Zealand socialism. In particular, Edward Hunter (sometimes known under the pen name "Billy Banjo", and a member of both the Socialist Party and the Federation of Labour), was a major figure in the spread of socialist ideas to the unions. Premier William Massey's heavy-handed attempts to end the Waihi miners' strike prompted increasing calls to unify the unions.

The growth of unionism eventually led to the establishment of the New Zealand Labour Party, which was founded in 1916. An earler Labour Party had existed since 1911, but this was disorganized and ineffective, and was absorbed by the new group. A group known as the Social Democrats were also absorbed. The new Labour Party was explicitly socialist, and was based around goals of redistribution of wealth, nationalization of industry, and elimination of conscription. Labour's first leader, Harry Holland, was strongly socialist in his beliefs, having been associated with the Socialist Party and with the striking miners in Waihi. Holland believed that the militancy at Waihi was a sign of impending class warfare. While the Labour Party gained some electoral success, it continued to trail the Liberal Party and the Reform Party until the replacement of Holland with Michael Joseph Savage. Savage, although also involved in the earlier Socialist Party, was more moderate than Holland, and Labour managed to win the 1935 elections.

Even before Holland's replacement, however, 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 New Zealand Marxian Association was established. It would later clash acrimoniously with Holland, ending the early spirit of unity among left-wingers in New Zealand. The Marxian Association itself would fall prey to internal division - in 1921, a number of members who supported the Russian Revolution departed to form the Communist Party of New Zealand. The remaining Marxians, who denied that the Russian Revolution represented genuine socialism, gradually declined in influence, and the Association collapsed in 1922.

In 1930, however, former members of the Marxian Association (backed by members of the Socialist Party of Australia) established the Socialist Party of New Zealand (distinct from the earlier New Zealand Socialist Party). This group denied that the Labour Party (or even any of the parties before it, except for the Marxian Association) represented genuine socialism. The new Socialist Party still exists today, although has slightly modified its name (becoming the World Socialist Party of New Zealand).

The Communist Party, meanwhile, was active in attempting to gain support in the unions. The Auckland region's Trade Council was a significant bastion for the party in the 1940s. The party faithfully followed the official position of the Soviet Union, and therefore adopted Stalinism - this was criticised by the Socialist Party, which claimed that Stalinism was not socialism at all.

Two years after the Labour Party lost the 1949 elections, 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 in the Labour Party. The shift away from socialism had not been without dispute, however - 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.

The internal disputes within the Labour Party, however, were minor compared to the tensions existing in smaller parties. When the Sino-Soviet split occurred in the 1960s, the Communist Party was sharply divided between supporters of the Soviet Union (led by the "revisionist" Nikita Khrushchev) and supporters of China (led by the radical Mao Zedong). Eventually, the Maoists triumphed, and supporters of Khrushchev were expelled. The expelled members eventually established the Socialist Unity Party, although there is debate about to whether that group was best be considered "Khrushchevist" or Stalinist. The Socialist Unity party eventually suffererd its own split, with some members departing to found the modern Socialist Party of Aotearoa.

In 1969, a group called the Socialist Action League (now the Communist League) was established. The League has proven to be one of the more durable parties, and contested two seats in the 2002 elections. Numerous other parties have been established since then, but few have proven as stable.

After Mao's death, the Communist Party rejected the reforms introduced by Deng Xiaoping. Instead, they followed Albania, which was led by Enver Hoxha. The leadership of the party believed that Hoxha was the only communist leader to keep "real" communism, but the group's determination to follow the narrowest path available alienated many of its supporters. The party gradually declined. After the collapse of Albanian communism, the party adopted the Trotskyism it had once harshly condemned, and merged with a newer group known as the International Socialist Organization. The resultant party was called the Socialist Workers Organization. Later, however, many supporters of the International Socialist Organization withdrew from the new party, reestablishing their old group. As such, some see the Socialist Workers Organization as a continuation of the old Communist Party. The group did not submit any candidates for the most recent elections.

Other groups continue to promote socialism as well. In the 2002 elections, four candidates were put forward an umbrella group (known as the Anti-Capitalist Alliance) consisting of the Workers' Party of New Zealand, the Revolution group, and other left-wing activists. The International Socialist Organization is also active at some universities.

Socialist parties in New Zealand

Due to frequent splintering, there are around twenty political parties or organizations in New Zealand which follow socialist or communist policies, none of which have an uncontested claim to dominance. As such, it is often difficult to gain a clear picture of socialist parties in New Zealand - mergers, splits, and renamings leave the situation confused. Furthermore, many of the parties have conflicting accounts of various events.

Modern parties and organizations

• Anti-Capitalist Alliance - a far left umbrella group established in 2002 by the Workers' Party of New Zealand, the Revolution group, and a number of independent activists. It had four candidates in the 2002 elections, but failed to win any seats.
• Class War - an anarcho-communist group based in the city of Auckland.
• Communist League - a Trotskyist group established in 1969 as the "Socialist Action League". It has links to the Socialist Workers Party of the USA. The Communist League had two candidates in the 2002 elections, but neither won their respective races.
• 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 gobal alliance that Workers' Power belonged to.
• Industrial Workers of the World - an anarcho-syndicalist organization established in 2000.
• 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.
• 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. The group is linked to the global International Socialist Organization, although has considerable autonomy.
• Libertarian Communists - an anarcho-communist organization.
• Organization for Marxist Unity - a Maoist group.
• 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.
• Revolution - a far-left group originally established as the "Revolutionary Marxist Collective". In the most recent elections, it was part of the Anti-Capitalist Alliance.
• Socialist Alternative - 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 Great Britain.
• Socialist Party of Aotearoa - a Marxist-Leninist group. It was founded in 1990 as a split from the Socialist Unity Party, which was itself a split from the Communist Party of New Zealand.
• Socialist Workers Organization - a revolutionary Trotskyist party. It was established by the Communist Party of New Zealand and the International Socialist Organization, although the majority of the latter group eventually withdrew from the merger. It is linked to the International Socialist Tendency.
• Workers' Party of New Zealand - a Maoist group established in 1991. In the general election of 2002, it was a part of the Anti-Capitalist Alliance, which unsuccessfully contested four seats. It has links to the International Communist Seminar.
• Workers' Power - a Trotskyist group formed in 1981 with links to the global Workers' Power entity. It later absorbed a group called the "Communist Left". It is linked to the League for a Fifth International.
• World Socialist Party of New Zealand - 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.

Defunct parties and organizations

• Communist Party of New Zealand - an old communist group that initially gained a modest measure of success, but which later declined. The party became attached to Stalinism, and when the Sino-Soviet split occurred, the party adopted Maoism. Later, after Mao's death, it followed Enver Hoxha, leader of Albania (which they considered to be the last bastion of true communism). After the fall of Albania, the party renounced all these ideologies and adopted Trotskyism. The party then attempted a merger with the 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.
• New Zealand Marxian Association - a group established in 1918. It was founded to give endorsement and support to "Marxian Revolutionist" candidates in general elections.
• New Zealand Socialist Party - an organization established in 1901. It should not be confused with the Socialist Party of New Zealand, a completely separate organization which is now known as the World Socialist Party of New Zealand.
• Socialist Unity Party - 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.

Prominent figures in New Zealand socialism

• Edward Hunter (aka "Billy Banjo")
• John A. Lee

External link

• 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.