Social Democratic Party (New Zealand)

Political party in New Zealand

Social Democratic Party of New Zealand

Abbreviation| SDP
Founded| 1 July 1913
Dissolved| 1 June 1922; 103 years ago (1922-06-01) (continuing group)
Merger of| United Labour Party
New Zealand Socialist Party
Merged into| Labour Party
Ideology| Social democracy
Political position| Centre-left to left-wing

* Politics of New Zealand
* Political parties
* Elections

The Social Democratic Party of New Zealand was an early centre-left to left-wing political party. It existed only a short time before being amalgamated into the new Labour Party. During its period of existence, the party held two seats in Parliament.

## Unity Conference

[edit]

Main article: Labour Unity Conferences

Socialist
Party
(1901)| | | | Independent
Political
Labour
League
(1905)

|
|
|
|

| | | | | | | | | |
| | | (independents)| | Labour Party
(original)
(1910)
| | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | |
| | | | | United Labour
Party
(1912)
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | |
| | Social Democratic
Party
(1913)| | (remnants)
| | | | | | | | | |
| | | | |
| | | | Labour Party (1916)

The Social Democratic Party was founded in January 1913 at a so-called "Basis of Unity" Conference (often simply called the "Unity Conference"). This meeting drew together the most prominent left-wing groups in New Zealand, including both political parties and trade unions. The aim was to unite the fractious labour movement into a cohesive force. At the end of the Conference, most of the attendees agreed to merge into two new organisations – the new United Federation of Labour would co-ordinate the trade unions, while the two main political parties (the hard-line Socialist Party and the moderate United Labour Party) would merge to form the Social Democrats. Not all members of the United Labour Party accepted the plan, however, and some continued on under the same banner and continued as a Rump party.[1]

The Social Democrats were founded with the purpose of becoming "...the political embodiment of working-class ideals aspirations" in parliament.[2]

Jack McCullough was the organiser for the Lower Riccarton branch and also organised campaigns for Christchurch City Council elections.[3]

## Strike and 1914 election

[edit]

The Social Democrats gained a rapid boost when, shortly after their formation, Paddy Webb and James McCombs won by-elections and entered Parliament. They joined with John Robertson, who won a seat in the 1911 election as a Labour candidate bringing the Social Democrat caucus to three. Later the same year, however, a controversial strike broke out among groups of dockworkers and miners. Moderates in the union movement considered the strike ill-advised and dangerous, while radicals strongly supported it. The strike was heavily suppressed by the government of William Massey, and the United Federation of Labour was left broken and disorganised. The Social Democrats, still closely linked to the United Federation of Labour, were plunged into disarray, with three of the party's leaders, Harry Holland, Peter Fraser and Bob Semple, being jailed for their roles in the strike.[4]

As a result of the chaos, the Social Democrats went into the 1914 elections with little in the way of planning. Co-operation with local labour organisations was sporadic, as was co-operation with the remnants of the United Labour Party. However, union anger at the government for its "heavy-handed" response to the 1913 strikes was still strong, and the outbreak of World War I had also strengthened the labour vote. In the election, Paddy Webb and James McCombs retained their seats under the Social Democratic banner while the remnants of the United Labour Party won three seats, and a labour-aligned independent John Payne was also successful.[5]

By 1915, the Social Democrats had in its ranks 2 MPs, 2 Mayors; 17 city and borough councillors, 6 members of hospital and charitable aid boards and 2 members of harbour boards.[2]

The six labour-aligned MPs worked together in Parliament despite being from different parties, with Alfred Hindmarsh of the United Labour Party selected as the unified caucus' chairman.[6] In August 1915, when Massey formed his Liberal-Reform coalition government, he extended an invitation to Hindmarsh's caucus. The "Labour" members declined the offer and, as a result, became the official Opposition in Parliament.[4]

Group photo from the Social Democratic Party Annual Conference in Wellington, 1914.

## Formation of the Labour Party

[edit]

Two years later, in 1916, the close working relationship between the Social Democrats and the ULP remnant was formalised with a merger – the two officially came together as the Labour Party, the same organisation that survives today.[1] The organisation of the Social Democratic Party survived however, and the more militant inclined members of the newly formed Labour Party remained as an "alter-ego" of Labour still campaigning for the goal of complete socialisation until their eventual disbandment in June 1922.[7]

## List of presidents

[edit]

* Edward Tregear (1913–14)
* Hiram Hunter (1914–15)
* Frederick Cooke (1915–16)[8]
* Peter Fraser (1916–18)
* Tom Brindle (1918–22)

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ a b Brown 1966.
2. ^ a b "The History of the S.D.P." Maoriland Worker. 1 September 1915. p. 8. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
3. ^ Nolan, Melanie. "John Alexander McCullough". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 31 December 2011.
4. ^ a b Foster 1966.
5. ^ Hislop, J. (1915). The General Election, 1914. National Library. pp. 1–33. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
6. ^ Paul 1946, pp. 70.
7. ^ O'Farrell 1978, pp. 201.
8. ^ McAloon, Jim. "Frederick Riley Cooke". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 30 July 2013.

## References

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Social Democratic Party (New Zealand).

* Brown, Bruce (1966). "Labour Party". In McLintock, A. H. (ed.). An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand. Ministry for Culture and Heritage / Te Manatū Taonga. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
* Foster, Bernard John (1966). "Social Democratic Party". In McLintock, A. H. (ed.). An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand. Ministry for Culture and Heritage / Te Manatū Taonga. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
* Paul, J.T. (1946). Humanism in Politics. Wellington: NZ Working Printing & Publishing.
* O'Farrell, P.J. (1978). "Formation of the New Zealand Labour Party". Historical Studies: Australia and New Zealand. 10 (38).

* v
* t
* e

New Zealand Labour Party

Leadership

| Leaders
Names in bold served
as prime minister|

* Alfred Hindmarsh (1916–18)
* Harry Holland (1919–33)
* Michael Joseph Savage (1933–40)
* Peter Fraser (1940–50)
* Walter Nash (1950–63)
* Arnold Nordmeyer (1963–65)
* Norman Kirk (1965–74)
* Bill Rowling (1974–83)
* David Lange (1983–89)
* Geoffrey Palmer (1989–90)
* Mike Moore (1990–93)
* Helen Clark (1993–2008)
* Phil Goff (2008–11)
* David Shearer (2011–13)
* David Cunliffe (2013–14)
* Andrew Little (2014–17)
* Jacinda Ardern (2017–23)
* Chris Hipkins (2023–present)

* * *

|

Deputy leaders|

* James McCombs (1919–23)
* Michael Joseph Savage (1923–33)
* Peter Fraser (1933–40)
* Walter Nash (1940–51)
* Jerry Skinner (1951–62)
* Fred Hackett (1962–63)
* Hugh Watt (1963–74)
* Bob Tizard (1974–79)
* David Lange (1979–83)
* Geoffrey Palmer (1983–89)
* Helen Clark (1989–93)
* David Caygill (1993–96)
* Michael Cullen (1996–2008)
* Annette King (2008–11)
* Grant Robertson (2011–13)
* David Parker (2013–14)
* Annette King (2014–17)
* Jacinda Ardern (2017)
* Kelvin Davis (2017–23)
* Carmel Sepuloni (2023–present)

* * *

Leadership elections|

* 1919
* 1920
* 1921
* 1922
* 1923
* 1933
* 1940
* 1951
* 1954
* 1963
* 1965
* 1974
* 1980
* 1983
* 1988
* 1989
* 1990
* 1993
* 1996
* 2008
* 2011
* 2013
* 2014
* 2017
* 2023

Internal offices

| Party presidents|

* James McCombs (1916–17)
* Andrew Walker (1917–18)
* Tom Paul (1918–20)
* Peter Fraser (1920–21)
* Frederick Cooke (1921–22)
* Tom Brindle (1922–26)
* Bob Semple (1926–28)
* John Archer (1928–29)
* Jim Thorn (1929–31)
* Rex Mason (1931–32)
* Bill Jordan (1932–33)
* Frank Langstone (1933–34)
* Tim Armstrong (1934–35)
* Walter Nash (1935–36)
* Clyde Carr (1936–37)
* James Roberts (1937–50)
* Arnold Nordmeyer (1950–55)
* Mick Moohan (1955–60)
* Martyn Finlay (1960–64)
* Norman Kirk (1964–66)
* Norman Douglas (1966–70)
* Bill Rowling (1970–73)
* Charles Bennett (1973–76)
* Arthur Faulkner (1976–79)
* Jim Anderton (1979–84)
* Margaret Wilson (1984–87)
* Rex Jones (1987–88)
* Ruth Dyson (1988–93)
* Maryan Street (1993–95)
* Michael Hirschfeld (1995–99)
* Bob Harvey (1999–2000)
* Mike Williams (2000–09)
* Andrew Little (2009–11)
* Moira Coatsworth (2011–15)
* Nigel Haworth (2015–19)
* Claire Szabó (2019–22)
* Jill Day (2022–present)

* * *

|

General secretaries|

* John Glover (1916–19)
* Michael Joseph Savage (1919–20)
* Moses Ayrton (1920–22)
* Walter Nash (1922–32)
* Jim Thorn (1932–36)
* David Wilson (1936–40)
* Mick Moohan (1940–48)
* Allan McDonald (1948–71)
* John Wybrow (1971–85)
* Tony Timms (1985–95)
* Rob Allen (1995–2000)
* Mike Smith (2001–08)
* Chris Flatt (2008–12)
* Tim Barnett (2012–16)
* Andrew Kirton (2016–18)
* Andre Anderson (2018–20)
* Rob Salmond (2020–present)

* * *

Senior Whips|

* Andrew Walker (1916–19)
* James McCombs (1919–22)
* Dan Sullivan (1922–35)
* Bill Jordan (1935–36)
* Robert McKeen (1937–39)
* James O'Brien (1939–42)
* Arthur Shapton Richards (1942–47)
* Robert Macfarlane (1947–51)
* Phil Connolly (1951–52)
* Joe Cotterill (1952–58)
* Henry May (1958–72)
* Ron Barclay (1972–76)
* Roger Drayton (1976–78)
* Russell Marshall (1978–80)
* Jonathan Hunt (1980–84)
* Michael Cullen (1984–87)
* Margaret Austin (1987–90)
* Trevor Mallard (1990)
* Jonathan Hunt (1990–96)
* Mark Burton (1996–99)
* Rick Barker (1999–2002)
* David Benson-Pope (2002–04)
* Jill Pettis (2004–05)
* Tim Barnett (2005–08)
* Darren Hughes (2008–11)
* Rick Barker (2011)
* Chris Hipkins (2011–13)
* Sue Moroney (2013–14)
* Chris Hipkins (2014–16)
* Kris Faafoi (2016–17)
* Ruth Dyson (2017–19)
* Michael Wood (2019–20)
* Kieran McAnulty (2020–22)
* Duncan Webb (2022–23)
* Tangi Utikere (2023–25)
* Glen Bennett (2025–present)

Organisation

| Current members
of parliament
Names without
electorates are list MPs
(List of former MPs)|

* Leader: Chris Hipkins (Remutaka)
* Deputy Leader: Carmel Sepuloni (Kelston)

* Ginny Andersen
* Camilla Belich
* Glen Bennett
* Rachel Boyack (Nelson)
* Rachel Brooking (Dunedin)
* Reuben Davidson (Christchurch East)
* Barbara Edmonds (Mana)
* Shanan Halbert
* Peeni Henare
* Willie Jackson
* Ingrid Leary (Taieri)
* Jo Luxton
* Kieran McAnulty
* Tracey McLellan
* Damien O'Connor
* Greg O'Connor (Ōhāriu)
* Willow-Jean Prime
* Priyanca Radhakrishnan
* Adrian Rurawhe
* Deborah Russell
* Jenny Salesa (Panmure-Ōtāhuhu)
* Lemauga Lydia Sosene (Māngere)
* Cushla Tangaere-Manuel (Ikaroa-Rāwhiti)
* Jan Tinetti
* Phil Twyford (Te Atatū)
* Tangi Utikere (Palmerston North)
* Ayesha Verrall
* Vanushi Walters
* Duncan Webb (Christchurch Central)
* Helen White (Mount Albert)
* Arena Williams (Manurewa)
* Megan Woods (Wigram)

* * *

|

Related organisations|

* City Vision
* The People's Choice
* Princes Street Labour
* Rainbow Labour
* Rātana
* VicLabour
* Young Labour

History

| History and related topics|

* Liberal–Labour
* Labour Unity Conferences
* Lee affair
* Black Budget
* Mason Affair
* It's Time
* Citizens for Rowling
* Moyle Affair
* Fish and Chip Brigade
* Rogernomics
* Māori loan affair
* Backbone club
* Closing the Gaps
* Helengrad
* Corngate
* Foreshore and seabed controversy
* KiwiSaver

* * *

|

Labour governments|

* First (1935–49)
* Second (1957–60)
* Third (1972–75)
* Fourth (1984–90)
* Fifth (1999–2008)
* Sixth (2017–23)

* * *

Shadow cabinets|

* Kirk
* Rowling
* Lange
* Moore
* Clark
* Goff
* Shearer
* Cunliffe
* Little
* Ardern
* Hipkins

* * *

Predecessor parties|

* New Zealand Liberal Party
* New Zealand Socialist Party
* Independent Political Labour League
* New Zealand Labour Party (1910)
* United Labour Party
* Social Democratic Party

* v
* t
* e

Defunct political parties of New Zealand

MMP era registered parties (1996–present)|

* 1Law4All Party
* 99 MP
* Advance NZ (1995)
* Advance (2020)
* Animals First
* Asia Pacific United
* Ban 1080
* Bill and Ben
* Christian Coalition
* Christian Heritage
* The Civilian Party
* Conservative (1996)
* Destiny
* Direct Democracy Party
* Ethnic Minority
* Expatriate
* The Family Party
* Family Rights Protection Party
* Focus NZ
* Freedom Movement
* Future NZ (ii)
* Green Society
* Independent Coalition
* Integrity Party
* Internet
* Internet Mana
* Kiwi
* Libertarianz
* McGillicuddy Serious
* Mana
* Mana Māori
* Mauri Pacific
* Natural Law
* NMP
* One NZ
* Outdoor Recreation
* New Zealand Pacific Party
* People's Choice
* People's Party
* Progressive
* Progressive Greens
* Republican (ii)
* Residents Action Movement
* Social Credit
* South Island
* Superannuitants and Youth
* Sustainable
* TEA Party
* Te Tawharau
* United NZ
* United Future
* Workers Party of New Zealand

Unregistered and pre-1996 era parties|

* Christian Democrats
* Communist Party
* Co-operative
* Country
* Democrat
* Democratic Labour
* Democratic Progress Party
* Equal Values
* Freedom Party
* Future NZ (i)
* Hapu
* Imperial British Conservative
* Independent Political Labour League
* Join Australia Movement
* Kiwis Against Further Immigration
* Labour (1910)
* Liberal (i)
* Liberal (ii)
* Liberal (iii)
* Liberal (iv)
* Liberal (v)
* Liberal Federation
* Liberal Reform
* Mana Motuhake
* Mana Wahine
* National Socialist
* NewLabour
* New Citizen
* New Democrats
* New Economics
* New Liberal Party
* New World Order
* New Zealand Party
* Nga Iwi Morehu
* No Commercial Airport at Whenuapai
* OurNZ
* People's Movement
* Phoenix
* Pirate
* Piri Wiri Tua
* Public
* Radical Party
* Real Democracy
* Reform
* Reform New Zealand
* Representative
* Republican (i)
* Social Credit-NZ
* Social Democrats
* Socialists (i)
* Socialists (ii)
* Socialists (iii)
* Socialist Unity
* Sovereignty
* Thrive
* United Labour
* United (i)
* United (ii)
* Values Party
* WIN Party
* Workers' Party of New Zealand (1991)
* Women's
* World Socialists
* Young New Zealand

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