The United Government of New Zealand was the government of New Zealand

Governments of New Zealand

The Government of New Zealand , formally Her Majesty's Government in New Zealand, is based on the Westminster system of responsible government...

 from 1928 to 1931, defeating the long-lived Reform Government

Reform Government of New Zealand

The Reform Government of New Zealand was the government of New Zealand from 1912 to 1928. It is perhaps best remembered for its anti-trade union stance in the Waihi miners' strike of 1912 and a dockworkers' strike the following year...

. The United Party had been formed in 1927 from the remnants of the Liberal Party under Sir Joseph Ward

Joseph Ward

Sir Joseph George Ward, 1st Baronet, GCMG was the 17th Prime Minister of New Zealand on two occasions in the early 20th century.-Early life:...

, who had made a political comeback. But Ward was in poor health and was eventually succeeded by George Forbes

George William Forbes

George William Forbes served as the 22nd Prime Minister of New Zealand from 1930 to 1935. Few expected him to become Prime Minister when he did, and some believed him unsuitable, but he nevertheless remained in that office for five years...

. The new cabinet was notable for its inexperience, with four ministers not having sat in the House of Representatives previously

Economic

During the election campaign, Ward startled both his supporters and his audience by promising to borrow £70 million in a year to revive the economy; while this is believed to have been a mistake caused by Ward's failing eyesight, or was intended to be £70 million over eight to ten years, borrowed at £6 to £8 million per year (possibly a sympathetic amendment by the newspaper) , it was popular with the electorate. Labour lost two urban seats: Auckland East

Auckland East

Auckland East was a New Zealand electorate, situated in the east of Auckland.-History:The Auckland East electorate was established for the 1860-1861 elections, when the Auckland electorate was split in half. It consisted of most of modern Auckland's central business district...

 (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:...

) and Grey Lynn

Grey Lynn (New Zealand electorate)

Grey Lynn is a former New Zealand Parliamentary electorate, in the city of Auckland.-Population centres:The electorate is urban, and comprises a suburb in the central part of Auckland.-Election results:...

 (Fred Bartram

Fred Bartram

Frederick Notley Bartram was a New Zealand Member of Parliament for Grey Lynn in Auckland.-Member of Parliament:Fred Bartram held the seat of Grey Lynn from 1919 until 1928 when he was defeated....

), and many town workers and unionists must have heard "the musical chink of the seventy million". ... More by accident than design United seems to have manage to recreate to some extent the old Liberal combination of urban worker and rural support. In the circumstances it was epheremal. Chapman says that it is now clear that Ward inadvertently substituted 'seventy' for 'seven' when reading out the amount he would borrow in the first twelve months, and the correction to seventy millions spread over ten or eight years actually represented a shade less than Reform had already raised. But Reform's tactic of emphasizing the larger amount backfired as many voters did not share Reform's financial orthodoxy. Ward amended the loan scheme in his final address in Dunedin to raise the sixty million portion for settlers by issuing bonds over the counter like packets of tea, and said that United would vote with Labour to oust the (Reform) Government. The resulting three-party vote astounded everyone, and was similar to 1919.

Electoral results

Election	Parliament	Seats	Total votes	Percentage	Gain (loss)	Seats won	Change	Majority
1928 New Zealand general election, 1928 The New Zealand general election of 1928 was held on Tuesday, 13 November in the Māori electorates, and on Wednesday, 14 November in the general electorates to elect a total of 80 MPs to the 23rd session of the New Zealand Parliament...	23rd	80
1931 New Zealand general election, 1931 The 1931 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament's 24th term. It resulted in the newly formed coalition between the United Party and the Reform Party remaining in office as the Liberal-Reform Government, although the opposition Labour...	24th 24th New Zealand Parliament The 24th New Zealand Parliament was a term of the Parliament of New Zealand. It opened on 23 February 1932, following the 1931 election. It was dissolved on 1 November 1935 in preparation for the 1935 election...	80	396,004	55.4%		51	-3	11

Prime ministers

The government was led by Sir Joseph Ward

Joseph Ward

Sir Joseph George Ward, 1st Baronet, GCMG was the 17th Prime Minister of New Zealand on two occasions in the early 20th century.-Early life:...

 from 1928 to 1930, and then George Forbes

George William Forbes

George William Forbes served as the 22nd Prime Minister of New Zealand from 1930 to 1935. Few expected him to become Prime Minister when he did, and some believed him unsuitable, but he nevertheless remained in that office for five years...

 from 1930 to 1931. Wilson gives the dates of office-holding as 10 December 1928 to 28 May 1930 for the Ward Ministry, and 28 May 1930 to 22 September 1931 for the Forbes Ministry.

Cabinet Ministers

Ministry	Minister	Term(s)
Attorney-General Attorney-General (New Zealand) The Attorney-General is a political office in New Zealand. It is simultaneously a ministerial position and an administrative office, and has responsibility for supervising New Zealand law and advising the government on legal matters...	Thomas Sidey Thomas Sidey Sir Thomas Kay Sidey was a New Zealand politician from the Otago Region, remembered for his successful advocacy of daylight saving time.-Early life:...	1928–1931
Minister of Defence Minister of Defence (New Zealand) The Minister of Defence is a minister in the government of New Zealand with responsibility for the New Zealand armed forces and the Ministry of Defence.The present Minister is Dr...	Thomas Mason Wilford Thomas Mason Wilford Sir Thomas Mason Wilford, KC was a New Zealand politician. He held the seats of Wellington Suburbs then Hutt continuously for thirty years, from 1899 to 1929...	1928–1929
	John Cobbe John Cobbe John George Cobbe was a New Zealand politician of the Liberal Party, United Party and the National Party. He was born in Ireland, and arrived in New Zealand in 1886....	1929–1931
Minister of Education Minister of Education (New Zealand) The Minister of Education is a minister in the government of New Zealand with responsibility for the country's schools, and is in charge of the Ministry of Education.The present Minister is Anne Tolley, a member of the National Party.-History:...	Harry Atmore Harry Atmore Harry Atmore was a New Zealand Independent Member of Parliament for Nelson in the South Island.Harry Atmore held the Nelson seat as an Independent for a total of thirty years from 1911 to 1914 and then from 1919 to his death in 1946...	1928–1931
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....	Joseph Ward Joseph Ward Sir Joseph George Ward, 1st Baronet, GCMG was the 17th Prime Minister of New Zealand on two occasions in the early 20th century.-Early life:...	1928–1930
	George Forbes George William Forbes George William Forbes served as the 22nd Prime Minister of New Zealand from 1930 to 1935. Few expected him to become Prime Minister when he did, and some believed him unsuitable, but he nevertheless remained in that office for five years...	1930–1931
Minister of Foreign Affairs Minister of Foreign Affairs (New Zealand) The Minister of Foreign Affairs is a major ministerial portfolio in the government of New Zealand.The current Minister of Foreign Affairs is Murray McCully, who was National Party Spokeperson of Foreign Affairs and Shadow Minister of Foreign Affairs. There are also Associate Minister roles...	Joseph Ward Joseph Ward Sir Joseph George Ward, 1st Baronet, GCMG was the 17th Prime Minister of New Zealand on two occasions in the early 20th century.-Early life:...	1928–1930
	George Forbes George William Forbes George William Forbes served as the 22nd Prime Minister of New Zealand from 1930 to 1935. Few expected him to become Prime Minister when he did, and some believed him unsuitable, but he nevertheless remained in that office for five years...	1930–1931
Minister of Health Minister of Health (New Zealand) The Minister of Health is a minister in the government of New Zealand with responsibility for the New Zealand Ministry of Health and the District Health Boards.The present Minister is Tony Ryall, a member of the National Party.-History:...	Arthur Stallworthy Arthur Stallworthy Arthur John Stallworthy was a New Zealand politician of the Liberal Party and United Party, and a Cabinet minister.He represented the Eden electorate from 1928 to 1935 , when he was deselected by the United/Reform Coalition. He stood in the 1935 as a Democrat losing to the Labour candidate.He was...	1928–1931
Minister of Justice Minister of Justice (New Zealand) The Minister of Justice is a minister in the government of New Zealand. The minister has responsibility for the formulation of justice policy and for the administration of law courts....	Thomas Mason Wilford Thomas Mason Wilford Sir Thomas Mason Wilford, KC was a New Zealand politician. He held the seats of Wellington Suburbs then Hutt continuously for thirty years, from 1899 to 1929...	1928–1929
	Thomas Sidey Thomas Sidey Sir Thomas Kay Sidey was a New Zealand politician from the Otago Region, remembered for his successful advocacy of daylight saving time.-Early life:...	1929–1930
	John Cobbe John Cobbe John George Cobbe was a New Zealand politician of the Liberal Party, United Party and the National Party. He was born in Ireland, and arrived in New Zealand in 1886....	1930–1931
Minister of Māori Affairs Minister of Maori Affairs The Minister of Māori Affairs is the minister of the New Zealand government with broad responsibility for government policy towards Māori, the first inhabitants of New Zealand. The current Minister of Māori Affairs is Dr. Pita Sharples.-Role:...	Apirana Ngata Apirana Ngata Sir Apirana Turupa Ngata was a prominent New Zealand politician and lawyer. He has often been described as the foremost Māori politician to have ever served in Parliament, and is also known for his work in promoting and protecting Māori culture and language.-Early life:One of 15 children, Ngata...	1928–1931
Minister of Railways Minister of Railways (New Zealand) The Minister of Railways was the minister in the government responsible for the New Zealand Railways Department 1895–1981, the New Zealand Railways Corporation 1981–1993, and New Zealand Rail Limited 1990–1993...	William Taverner William Burgoyne Taverner William Burgoyne Taverner OBE was a New Zealand Member of Parliament for the Reform Party,and Mayor of Dunedin.- Member of Parliament :...	1928–1930
	Bill Veitch Bill Veitch William Andrew Veitch was a New Zealand politician. He began his career in the labour movement, but was a strong opponent of socialism, and rejected the militant views held by many of his colleagues.-Early life:...	1930–1931

See also

• Governments of New Zealand
  Governments of New Zealand
  The Government of New Zealand , formally Her Majesty's Government in New Zealand, is based on the Westminster system of responsible government...
  
  
• New Zealand Liberal Party
  New Zealand Liberal Party
  The New Zealand Liberal Party is generally regarded as having been the first real political party in New Zealand. It governed from 1891 until 1912. Out of office, the Liberals gradually found themselves pressed between the conservative Reform Party and the growing Labour Party...
  
  
• Reform Party of New Zealand