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Social Credit Party (New Zealand)
Encyclopedia
The New Zealand Social Credit Party (sometimes called "Socred") was a political party which served as the country's "third party" from the 1950s through into the 1980s. The party held a number of seats in the New Zealand Parliament, although never more than two at a time. It has since renamed itself the New Zealand Democratic Party, and was for a time part of the Alliance
.
The party was based around the ideas of Social Credit
, an economic theory established by C. H. Douglas
. Social Credit movements also existed in Australia
(see: Douglas Credit Party
& Australian League of Rights
), Canada
(see: Canadian social credit movement
), and the United Kingdom
(see: UK Social Credit Party
) although the relationship between those movements and the New Zealand movement was not always good.
and New Zealand Labour Party
, where they attempted to influence policy. Roly Marks
stood as a monetary reform candidate for Wanganui
in the 1943 general election
, and was later made a life member of the League.
Social Credit claimed that the first Labour government
, which was elected at the 1935 election
, pulled New Zealand out of the Great Depression
by adopting certain Social Credit policies. Several followers of Social Credit policies eventually left the Labour Party, where their proposals (for example, those of John A. Lee
for housing) were strongly opposed by the "orthodox" Minister of Finance
, Walter Nash
and other prominent Labour Party members.
In 1940 Lee, who had by then been expelled from the Labour party, and Bill Barnard
formed the Democratic Labour Party
. However the new party got only 4.3% of the vote in the 1943 general election, with both Lee and Barnard losing their seats.
The party's first leader was Wilfrid Owen
, a businessman. Much of the early activity in the party involved formulating policy and promoting Social Credit theories to the public.
, the party won 11.13% of the vote. The party failed to win seats in parliament under the first past the post electoral system. The party's quick rise did, however, prompt discussion of the party's policies. In 1960 P. H. Matthews replaced Owen as leader.
It was not until the 1966 elections
, however, that the party won its first representation in Parliament. Vernon Cracknell
, an accountant, won the Hobson
electorate in Northland, a region that had been a stronghold of the Country Party. Cracknell narrowly defeated the National Party
's Logan Sloane
, the incumbent, after having placed second in the previous two elections.
Cracknell did not prove to be a good performer in Parliament itself, however, and did not succeed in advancing the Social Credit manifesto. Partly due to this, and partly due to an exceptionally poor campaign, Cracknell was not re-elected in the 1969 elections
, returning Sloane to parliament and depriving Social Credit of its only seat.
The following year, a leadership contest between Cracknell and another prominent Social Credit member, John O'Brien, ended in disaster, with brawling between supporters of each candidate. The damage done to the party's image was considerable. O'Brien was eventually victorious, but his blunt and confrontational style caused him to lose his position after only a short time in office. He split from Social Credit to found his own New Democratic Party
.
, who would become the most well known Social Credit leader. Beetham took over in time for the 1972 elections
. Despite a relatively strong showing, Social Credit failed to win any seats, a fact that some blamed on the rise of the new Values Party
. While the Values Party did not win any seats, many supporters of Social Credit believed that it drew voters away from the older party.
In the 1978 by-election in Rangitikei
, caused by the death of National Party MP Roy Jack
, Beetham managed to defeat National's replacement candidate and win the seat. Beetham was more successful in parliament than Cracknell had been, and gained Social Credit considerable attention. He also put forward a New Zealand Credit and Currency Bill, intended to implement many Social Credit policies. The Bill was criticised by some of the more extreme Social Credit supporters, who claimed that it was too weak, but was nevertheless strongly promoted in parliament by Beetham. The Bill quickly failed, although this was not particularly unexpected - it had been put forward primarily for the purpose of drawing attention, not because Beetham believed it would succeed.
Beetham retained his seat in the 1978 general election
. He was later joined by Gary Knapp
, who defeated National Party candidate Don Brash
in the 1980 by-election in East Coast Bays
(caused by the resignation of the sitting National MP). Knapp, like Beetham, was highly active in parliament.
Led by Beetham and Knapp, Social Credit became a popular alternative to the two major parties. Political scientists debate how much of this was due to Social Credit policies and how much was merely a "protest vote" against the established parties, but one poll recorded Social Credit with as much as 30% of the vote.
By the 1981 elections
, the party's support had subsided somewhat, and Social Credit only gained 20.55% of the vote. As expected, the electoral system did not translate this into seats in parliament, but Social Credit did retain the two seats it already held. A year later, it officially dropped "Political League" from its official name, becoming merely the Social Credit Party.
During that parliamentary term, Social Credit's support was damaged by a deal between Beetham and National Party Prime Minister
Robert Muldoon
. In exchange for Social Credit support for a controversial construction project, Muldoon undertook to back Social Credit in certain matters. This did considerable harm to Social Credit's popularity, as Muldoon's government (and the construction project itself) was opposed by most Social Credit members. To make matters worse, Muldoon did not deliver on many of his pledges, depriving Social Credit of any significant victories with which to mitigate its earlier setback.
In 1983, Beetham suffered a minor heart attack, causing him to lose some of his earlier energy. He also became, according to many Social Credit supporters, more demanding and intolerant. This reduced Social Credit's appeal to voters.
In the 1984 elections
, Beetham lost his Rangitikei seat to a National Party challenger, Denis Marshall
. Knapp retained his East Coast Bays
seat, and another Social Credit candidate, Neil Morrison
, won Pakuranga
. Despite still holding the same number of seats, Social Credit won only 7.6% of the total vote in 1984, a substantial drop. Some commentators attributed this to the New Zealand Party
, a right-wing liberal party that opposed Muldoon's government. The New Zealand Party may have taken some of the protest votes that Social Credit once received. It was from this election that the term "Crimplene
Suit and Skoda Brigade" was coined for Social Credit (by defeated National Party Pakuranga MP Pat Hunt
).
. Although several Democrats were elected to parliament as part of the Alliance in the 1990s, the Democratic Party has not had independent representation in parliament since 1987.
The Social Credit name did not vanish immediately, however. In 1986, the year after the party was renamed, Bruce Beetham was removed from the leadership of the Democrats and replaced by Neil Morrison. Beetham was extremely bitter about his dismissal, and led a short-lived splinter group which readopted the Social Credit label. It failed to win any seats, however, and quickly vanished.
Before the 2005 election the Democrats renamed themselves to the New Zealand Democratic Party for Social Credit, reincorporating the Social Credit name.
, it is far from certain the New Zealand movement displayed this aspect in any significant numbers or for any significant period of time.
The history of anti-Semitism and the New Zealand Social Credit political movement was unique to the history of the country. Anti-Semitism has largely been absent in New Zealand, even in the Victorian period, as evidenced by the election without comment of a Jewish prime minister in the 1870s. The early Social Credit movement diverged from its international brethren. In New Zealand, Social Credit concentrated solely on the economic theories of the international movement without its attendant racial theories.
In a twist of history, the New Zealand faction of the League of Rights, unlike similar organisations in Australia and the United Kingdom, was structurally and historically unrelated to Social Credit. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, it began to infiltrate Social Credit in order to have a wider platform for their views. This attempt was curtailed when it became identified and those members of the party were purged by Beetham.
In further twist of history, after the purge, politicians with League connections were to be found not in Social Credit but in the National Party, notably cabinet ministers George Gair
and Ben Couch
in the Muldoon administration. Even these connections with the League were transient, Gair indeed abhorred anti-Semitism and had not realised this undercurrent of the League when he first associated with it.
Indeed the autonomous existence of the League of Rights in New Zealand only occurred because anti-Semitism was not afforded a position within Social Credit.
Alliance (New Zealand political party)
The Alliance is a left-wing political party in New Zealand. It was formed in 1991, and was influential in the 1990s, but has since declined and has no representation in parliament. It suffered a major setback after Jim Anderton, the party's leader, left the party in 2002, taking several of the...
.
The party was based around the ideas of Social Credit
Social Credit
Social Credit is an economic philosophy developed by C. H. Douglas , a British engineer, who wrote a book by that name in 1924. Social Credit is described by Douglas as "the policy of a philosophy"; he called his philosophy "practical Christianity"...
, an economic theory established by C. H. Douglas
C. H. Douglas
Major C. H. Douglas MIMechE, MIEE, , was a British engineer and pioneer of the Social Credit economic reform movement.-Education and engineering career:...
. Social Credit movements also existed in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
(see: Douglas Credit Party
Douglas Credit Party
The Douglas Credit Party was an Australian political party based around the social credit theory of monetary reform, first set out by C. H. Douglas. It gained its strongest result in Queensland in 1935, when it gained 7.02% of first preferences. The party's strongest federal result was at the 1934...
& Australian League of Rights
Australian League of Rights
The Australian League of Rights is a long-lived far right and anti-semitic political organisation in Australia founded by Eric Butler with its basis in the economic theory of Social Credit expounded by C. H. Douglas. It describes itself as upholding the virtues of freedom...
), Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
(see: Canadian social credit movement
Canadian social credit movement
The Canadian social credit movement was a Canadian political movement originally based on the Social Credit theory of Major C. H. Douglas. Its supporters were colloquially known as Socreds...
), and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
(see: UK Social Credit Party
Social Credit Party of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
The Social Credit Party of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was a political party in the United Kingdom. It grew out of the Kibbo Kift, which was established in 1920 as a more craft-based alternative for youth to the Boy Scouts....
) although the relationship between those movements and the New Zealand movement was not always good.
The Social Credit Association
Before the founding of the Social Credit party in 1953, there was the Social Credit Association. The Association focused most of its efforts on the Country PartyCountry Party (New Zealand)
The Country Party of New Zealand was a political party which based itself around rural voters. It was represented in Parliament from 1928 to 1938. Its policies were a mixture of rural advocacy and social credit theory....
and New Zealand Labour Party
New Zealand Labour Party
The New Zealand Labour Party is a New Zealand political party. It describes itself as centre-left and socially progressive and has been one of the two primary parties of New Zealand politics since 1935....
, where they attempted to influence policy. Roly Marks
Roly Marks
Rowland Oswald Colin Marks was born in Auckland, New Zealand and was a pioneer of the social credit movement in New Zealand....
stood as a monetary reform candidate for Wanganui
Whanganui (New Zealand electorate)
Whanganui is a New Zealand parliamentary electorate. It was first established in 1855 for the 2nd Parliament and has existed continuously since then.It is currently held by Chester Borrows MP.-Population centres:...
in the 1943 general election
New Zealand general election, 1943
The 1943 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament's 27th term. With the onset of World War II, elections were initially postponed, but it was eventually decided to hold a general election in September 1943, around two years after it...
, and was later made a life member of the League.
Social Credit claimed that the first Labour government
First Labour Government of New Zealand
The First Labour Government of New Zealand was the government of New Zealand from 1935 to 1949. It set the tone of New Zealand's economic and welfare policies until the 1980s, establishing a welfare state, a system of Keynesian economic management, and high levels of state intervention...
, which was elected at the 1935 election
New Zealand general election, 1935
The 1935 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament's 25th term. It resulted in the Labour Party's first electoral victory, with Michael Joseph Savage becoming the first Labour Prime Minister...
, pulled New Zealand out of the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
by adopting certain Social Credit policies. Several followers of Social Credit policies eventually left the Labour Party, where their proposals (for example, those of John A. Lee
John A. Lee
John Alfred Alexander Lee DCM was a New Zealand politician and writer. He is one of the more prominent avowed socialists in New Zealand's political history.-Early life:...
for housing) were strongly opposed by the "orthodox" Minister of Finance
Minister of Finance (New Zealand)
The Minister of Finance is a senior figure within the government of New Zealand. The position is often considered to be the most important Cabinet role after that of the Prime Minister....
, Walter Nash
Walter Nash
Sir Walter Nash, GCMG, CH served as the 27th Prime Minister of New Zealand in the Second Labour Government from 1957 to 1960, and was also highly influential in his role as Minister of Finance...
and other prominent Labour Party members.
In 1940 Lee, who had by then been expelled from the Labour party, and Bill Barnard
Bill Barnard
William Edward Barnard CBE was a New Zealand politician. He was a member of Parliament from 1928 until 1943, and was its Speaker from 1936 till 1943. He was known for his association with John A. Lee, a prominent left-wing politician.-Early life:Barnard was born in Carterton, a town in the...
formed the Democratic Labour Party
Democratic Labour Party (New Zealand)
The Democratic Labour Party was a left-wing political party in New Zealand in the 1940s. It was a splinter from the larger Labour Party, and was led by the prominent socialist John A. Lee.-Party history:...
. However the new party got only 4.3% of the vote in the 1943 general election, with both Lee and Barnard losing their seats.
Foundation
The Social Credit Party was originally established as the Social Credit Political League. It was founded on 10 January 1953, and grew out of the earlier Social Credit Association.The party's first leader was Wilfrid Owen
Wilfrid Owen
Wilfrid Barry Owen was a New Zealand politician and the first leader of New Zealand's Social Credit Party....
, a businessman. Much of the early activity in the party involved formulating policy and promoting Social Credit theories to the public.
Early history (1953–1972)
Social Credit gained support quickly, and in the 1954 electionsNew Zealand general election, 1954
The 1954 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament's 31st term. It saw the governing National Party remain in office, but with a slightly reduced majority...
, the party won 11.13% of the vote. The party failed to win seats in parliament under the first past the post electoral system. The party's quick rise did, however, prompt discussion of the party's policies. In 1960 P. H. Matthews replaced Owen as leader.
It was not until the 1966 elections
New Zealand general election, 1966
The 1966 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament's 35th term. It saw the governing National Party win a third consecutive term in office...
, however, that the party won its first representation in Parliament. Vernon Cracknell
Vernon Cracknell
Vernon Francis Cracknell was a New Zealand politician. Initially working as an accountant, he became involved in politics through the Social Credit Party, a group dedicated to the social credit theory of monetary reform...
, an accountant, won the Hobson
Hobson (New Zealand electorate)
-Population Centres:The electorate is in the Northland Region, and includes the following population centres:-History:The Hobson electorate existed from 1946 , to 1978 when the name reverted back to Bay of Islands...
electorate in Northland, a region that had been a stronghold of the Country Party. Cracknell narrowly defeated the National Party
New Zealand National Party
The New Zealand National Party is the largest party in the New Zealand House of Representatives and in November 2008 formed a minority government with support from three minor parties.-Policies:...
's Logan Sloane
Logan Sloane
Logan Francis Sloane was a New Zealand politician of the National Party.He represented the seat of Hobson in Northland from 1960 to 1966, and from 1969 to 1975, when he retired....
, the incumbent, after having placed second in the previous two elections.
Cracknell did not prove to be a good performer in Parliament itself, however, and did not succeed in advancing the Social Credit manifesto. Partly due to this, and partly due to an exceptionally poor campaign, Cracknell was not re-elected in the 1969 elections
New Zealand general election, 1969
The 1969 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament's 36th term. It saw the governing National Party win a fourth consecutive term, under Prime Minister Keith Holyoake.-The Election:...
, returning Sloane to parliament and depriving Social Credit of its only seat.
The following year, a leadership contest between Cracknell and another prominent Social Credit member, John O'Brien, ended in disaster, with brawling between supporters of each candidate. The damage done to the party's image was considerable. O'Brien was eventually victorious, but his blunt and confrontational style caused him to lose his position after only a short time in office. He split from Social Credit to found his own New Democratic Party
New Democratic Party (New Zealand)
The New Democratic Party of New Zealand was a small political party established in 1972. It was a splinter group from the better-known Social Credit Party, having been founded by former Social Credit leader John O'Brien. O'Brien was considered a powerful and energetic orator, but had a...
.
Later history (1972–1985)
O'Brien's replacement was Bruce BeethamBruce Beetham
Bruce Craig Beetham was an academic and politician from New Zealand, whose career spanned the 1970s and early 1980s.A lecturer at Hamilton's University of Waikato and at the Hamilton Teacher's Training College, he was elected leader of the Social Credit Party in 1972, at a time when the party was...
, who would become the most well known Social Credit leader. Beetham took over in time for the 1972 elections
New Zealand general election, 1972
The New Zealand general election of 1972 was held to elect MPs to the 37th session of the New Zealand Parliament. The Labour Party, led by Norman Kirk, defeated the governing National Party.-Background:...
. Despite a relatively strong showing, Social Credit failed to win any seats, a fact that some blamed on the rise of the new Values Party
Values Party
The Values Party, considered the world's first national-level environmentalist party that pre-dated any fashionable Green terminology, was established in 1972 at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, one of its initial leaders being Tony Brunt...
. While the Values Party did not win any seats, many supporters of Social Credit believed that it drew voters away from the older party.
In the 1978 by-election in Rangitikei
Rangitikei by-election 1978
The Rangitikei by-election of 1978 was a by-election in the New Zealand electorate of Rangitikei, a predominantly rural district in the middle of New Zealand's North Island...
, caused by the death of National Party MP Roy Jack
Roy Jack
Sir Roy Emile Jack was a New Zealand politician of the National Party. He was Speaker of the House of Representatives from 1967 to 1972 and 1976 to 1977, and a cabinet minister....
, Beetham managed to defeat National's replacement candidate and win the seat. Beetham was more successful in parliament than Cracknell had been, and gained Social Credit considerable attention. He also put forward a New Zealand Credit and Currency Bill, intended to implement many Social Credit policies. The Bill was criticised by some of the more extreme Social Credit supporters, who claimed that it was too weak, but was nevertheless strongly promoted in parliament by Beetham. The Bill quickly failed, although this was not particularly unexpected - it had been put forward primarily for the purpose of drawing attention, not because Beetham believed it would succeed.
Beetham retained his seat in the 1978 general election
New Zealand general election, 1978
The 1978 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to elect the 39th New Zealand Parliament. It saw the governing National Party, led by Robert Muldoon, retain office, although the opposition Labour Party managed to win the largest share of the vote...
. He was later joined by Gary Knapp
Gary Knapp
Garry Thomas Knapp was a New Zealand politician of the Social Credit Party.He became Member of Parliament for East Coast Bays in 1980 when he defeated National candidate Don Brash in the 1980 by-election in East Coast Bays caused by the resignation of the sitting National MP...
, who defeated National Party candidate Don Brash
Don Brash
Donald "Don" Thomas Brash , a New Zealand politician, was Leader of the Opposition, parliamentary leader of the National Party from 28 October 2003 to 27 November 2006 and the leader of the ACT Party for 28th April 2011 - 26 November 2011...
in the 1980 by-election in East Coast Bays
East Coast Bays by-election 1980
The East Coast Bays by-election of 1980 was a by-election during the 39th New Zealand Parliament in the East Coast Bays electorate. It was prompted by the resignation of Frank Gill, a National Party MP, to take up a position as New Zealand's ambassador to the United States. It resulted in the...
(caused by the resignation of the sitting National MP). Knapp, like Beetham, was highly active in parliament.
Led by Beetham and Knapp, Social Credit became a popular alternative to the two major parties. Political scientists debate how much of this was due to Social Credit policies and how much was merely a "protest vote" against the established parties, but one poll recorded Social Credit with as much as 30% of the vote.
By the 1981 elections
New Zealand general election, 1981
The 1981 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the 40th New Zealand Parliament. It saw the governing National Party, led by Robert Muldoon, win a third term in office, although the opposition Labour Party, led by Bill Rowling, actually won the largest share of...
, the party's support had subsided somewhat, and Social Credit only gained 20.55% of the vote. As expected, the electoral system did not translate this into seats in parliament, but Social Credit did retain the two seats it already held. A year later, it officially dropped "Political League" from its official name, becoming merely the Social Credit Party.
During that parliamentary term, Social Credit's support was damaged by a deal between Beetham and National Party Prime Minister
Prime Minister of New Zealand
The Prime Minister of New Zealand is New Zealand's head of government consequent on being the leader of the party or coalition with majority support in the Parliament of New Zealand...
Robert Muldoon
Robert Muldoon
Sir Robert David "Rob" Muldoon, GCMG, CH served as the 31st Prime Minister of New Zealand from 1975 to 1984, as leader of the governing National Party. Muldoon had been a prominent member of the National party and MP for the Tamaki electorate for some years prior to becoming leader of the party...
. In exchange for Social Credit support for a controversial construction project, Muldoon undertook to back Social Credit in certain matters. This did considerable harm to Social Credit's popularity, as Muldoon's government (and the construction project itself) was opposed by most Social Credit members. To make matters worse, Muldoon did not deliver on many of his pledges, depriving Social Credit of any significant victories with which to mitigate its earlier setback.
In 1983, Beetham suffered a minor heart attack, causing him to lose some of his earlier energy. He also became, according to many Social Credit supporters, more demanding and intolerant. This reduced Social Credit's appeal to voters.
In the 1984 elections
New Zealand general election, 1984
The 1984 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the 41st New Zealand Parliament. It marked the beginning of the Fourth Labour Government, with David Lange's Labour Party defeating long-serving Prime Minister Robert Muldoon of the National Party. It was also the...
, Beetham lost his Rangitikei seat to a National Party challenger, Denis Marshall
Denis Marshall
Denis William Anson Marshall, QSO is a former New Zealand politician. He was an MP from 1984 to 1999, representing the National Party, and a Government Minister until 1996...
. Knapp retained his East Coast Bays
East Coast Bays
East Coast Bays is the collective name for a series of small suburbs of North Shore City, in the Auckland metropolitan area of New Zealand, which line the northeast coast of the city along the shore of the Hauraki Gulf and Rangitoto Channel...
seat, and another Social Credit candidate, Neil Morrison
Neil Morrison
Neil Joseph Morrison was a New Zealand politician of the Social Credit Party.He won the Pakuranga seat in the 1984 election by 419 votes, from two-term MP Pat Hunt. Garry Knapp retained East Coast Bays, but the party leader Bruce Beetham lost his Rangitikei seat.In 1986 Beetham lost the leadership...
, won Pakuranga
Pakuranga
Pakuranga is an eastern suburb of Auckland, in northern New Zealand. Pakuranga covers a series of low ridges and previously swampy flats, now drained, that lie between the Pakuranga Creek and Tamaki River, two estuarial arms of the Hauraki Gulf...
. Despite still holding the same number of seats, Social Credit won only 7.6% of the total vote in 1984, a substantial drop. Some commentators attributed this to the New Zealand Party
New Zealand Party
width=300|thumb|Party logoThe New Zealand Party was a political party operating in New Zealand. It was established by millionaire property tycoon Bob Jones, and promoted both social and economic liberalization. The New Zealand Party's motto was "Freedom and Prosperity", and it has sometimes been...
, a right-wing liberal party that opposed Muldoon's government. The New Zealand Party may have taken some of the protest votes that Social Credit once received. It was from this election that the term "Crimplene
Crimplene
Crimplene is a thick yarn used to make a fabric of the same name. The resulting cloth is heavy, wrinkle-resistant and retains its shape well. Britain's defunct ICI Fibres laboratory developed the fibre in the early 1950s and it is commonly thought it was named after the Crimple Valley in which the...
Suit and Skoda Brigade" was coined for Social Credit (by defeated National Party Pakuranga MP Pat Hunt
Pat Hunt
Thomas de Vere Hunt was a New Zealand politician of the National Party.In 1978 Hunt replaced Gavin Downie as the National candidate for Pakuranga, in a controversial challenge to a sitting MP....
).
Democrats (1985-present)
At the party's 1985 conference, the Social Credit name was dropped, and group became the New Zealand Democratic Party. The Democrats did not retain any seats in the 1987 electionsNew Zealand general election, 1987
The 1987 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the 43rd sitting of the New Zealand Parliament. The governing New Zealand Labour Party, led by Prime Minister David Lange, was re-elected for a second term, although the Opposition National Party made gains...
. Although several Democrats were elected to parliament as part of the Alliance in the 1990s, the Democratic Party has not had independent representation in parliament since 1987.
The Social Credit name did not vanish immediately, however. In 1986, the year after the party was renamed, Bruce Beetham was removed from the leadership of the Democrats and replaced by Neil Morrison. Beetham was extremely bitter about his dismissal, and led a short-lived splinter group which readopted the Social Credit label. It failed to win any seats, however, and quickly vanished.
Before the 2005 election the Democrats renamed themselves to the New Zealand Democratic Party for Social Credit, reincorporating the Social Credit name.
Alleged anti-Semitism
While the early international Social Credit movement was associated by some people with anti-SemitismAnti-Semitism
Antisemitism is suspicion of, hatred toward, or discrimination against Jews for reasons connected to their Jewish heritage. According to a 2005 U.S...
, it is far from certain the New Zealand movement displayed this aspect in any significant numbers or for any significant period of time.
The history of anti-Semitism and the New Zealand Social Credit political movement was unique to the history of the country. Anti-Semitism has largely been absent in New Zealand, even in the Victorian period, as evidenced by the election without comment of a Jewish prime minister in the 1870s. The early Social Credit movement diverged from its international brethren. In New Zealand, Social Credit concentrated solely on the economic theories of the international movement without its attendant racial theories.
In a twist of history, the New Zealand faction of the League of Rights, unlike similar organisations in Australia and the United Kingdom, was structurally and historically unrelated to Social Credit. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, it began to infiltrate Social Credit in order to have a wider platform for their views. This attempt was curtailed when it became identified and those members of the party were purged by Beetham.
In further twist of history, after the purge, politicians with League connections were to be found not in Social Credit but in the National Party, notably cabinet ministers George Gair
George Gair
George Frederick Gair, CMG, QSO is a former New Zealand politician. He was once deputy leader of the National Party in the Parliament of New Zealand, and was considered by many to be a possible contender for the leadership itself...
and Ben Couch
Ben Couch
Manuera Benjamin Riwai Couch or, as he was generally known, Ben Couch , was a New Zealand politician and rugby union player and a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
in the Muldoon administration. Even these connections with the League were transient, Gair indeed abhorred anti-Semitism and had not realised this undercurrent of the League when he first associated with it.
Indeed the autonomous existence of the League of Rights in New Zealand only occurred because anti-Semitism was not afforded a position within Social Credit.
Electoral results
| Election | # of candidates nominated (electorate/list) | # of seats won | # of votes | % of popular vote |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1954 New Zealand general election, 1954 The 1954 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament's 31st term. It saw the governing National Party remain in office, but with a slightly reduced majority... |
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| 1957 New Zealand general election, 1957 The 1957 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament's 32nd term. It saw the governing National Party narrowly defeated by the Labour Party... |
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| 1960 New Zealand general election, 1960 The 1960 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament's 33rd term. It saw the governing Labour Party defeated by the National Party, putting an end to the short second Labour government.-Background:... |
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| 1963 New Zealand general election, 1963 The 1963 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament's 34th term. The results were almost identical to those for the previous election, and the governing National Party remained in office.... |
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| 1966 New Zealand general election, 1966 The 1966 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament's 35th term. It saw the governing National Party win a third consecutive term in office... |
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| 1969 New Zealand general election, 1969 The 1969 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament's 36th term. It saw the governing National Party win a fourth consecutive term, under Prime Minister Keith Holyoake.-The Election:... |
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| 1972 New Zealand general election, 1972 The New Zealand general election of 1972 was held to elect MPs to the 37th session of the New Zealand Parliament. The Labour Party, led by Norman Kirk, defeated the governing National Party.-Background:... |
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| 1975 New Zealand general election, 1975 The 1975 New Zealand general election was held to elect MPs to the 38th session of the New Zealand Parliament. It was the first election in New Zealand where 18-20 year olds and all permanent residents of New Zealand were eligible to vote, although only citizens were able to be... |
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| 1978 New Zealand general election, 1978 The 1978 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to elect the 39th New Zealand Parliament. It saw the governing National Party, led by Robert Muldoon, retain office, although the opposition Labour Party managed to win the largest share of the vote... |
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| 1981 New Zealand general election, 1981 The 1981 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the 40th New Zealand Parliament. It saw the governing National Party, led by Robert Muldoon, win a third term in office, although the opposition Labour Party, led by Bill Rowling, actually won the largest share of... |
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| 1984 New Zealand general election, 1984 The 1984 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the 41st New Zealand Parliament. It marked the beginning of the Fourth Labour Government, with David Lange's Labour Party defeating long-serving Prime Minister Robert Muldoon of the National Party. It was also the... |
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Parliamentary Party Leader
- Wilfrid OwenWilfrid OwenWilfrid Barry Owen was a New Zealand politician and the first leader of New Zealand's Social Credit Party....
(1953–1958) - P.H. MatthewsP.H. MatthewsPressly Hemingway Matthews was a New Zealand politician and the second leader of New Zealand's Social Credit Party....
(1960–1963) - Vernon CracknellVernon CracknellVernon Francis Cracknell was a New Zealand politician. Initially working as an accountant, he became involved in politics through the Social Credit Party, a group dedicated to the social credit theory of monetary reform...
(1963–1970) - John O'Brien (1970–1972)
- Bruce BeethamBruce BeethamBruce Craig Beetham was an academic and politician from New Zealand, whose career spanned the 1970s and early 1980s.A lecturer at Hamilton's University of Waikato and at the Hamilton Teacher's Training College, he was elected leader of the Social Credit Party in 1972, at a time when the party was...
(1972–1985)
Deputy Parliamentary Party Leader
- John O'Brien (19xx-1970)
Members of Parliament
- Vernon CracknellVernon CracknellVernon Francis Cracknell was a New Zealand politician. Initially working as an accountant, he became involved in politics through the Social Credit Party, a group dedicated to the social credit theory of monetary reform...
(1966–1969) - Bruce BeethamBruce BeethamBruce Craig Beetham was an academic and politician from New Zealand, whose career spanned the 1970s and early 1980s.A lecturer at Hamilton's University of Waikato and at the Hamilton Teacher's Training College, he was elected leader of the Social Credit Party in 1972, at a time when the party was...
(1978–1984) - Gary KnappGary KnappGarry Thomas Knapp was a New Zealand politician of the Social Credit Party.He became Member of Parliament for East Coast Bays in 1980 when he defeated National candidate Don Brash in the 1980 by-election in East Coast Bays caused by the resignation of the sitting National MP...
(1980–1987) - Neil MorrisonNeil MorrisonNeil Joseph Morrison was a New Zealand politician of the Social Credit Party.He won the Pakuranga seat in the 1984 election by 419 votes, from two-term MP Pat Hunt. Garry Knapp retained East Coast Bays, but the party leader Bruce Beetham lost his Rangitikei seat.In 1986 Beetham lost the leadership...
(1984–1987)
Sources
- Crusade: Social Credit’s drive for power by Spiro ZavosSpiro ZavosSpiro Zavos is an Australasian historian, philosopher, journalist and writer...
(1981, INL Print, Lower Hutt) ISBN 0-86464-025-0 - Political Parties in New Zealand by R. S. Milne: The Social Credit Political League, pages 299-303 (1966, Clarendon Press, Oxford)
- The 1966 Encyclopaedia of New Zealand