View source for United Labour Party (New Zealand)

{{More citations needed|date=September 2015}}
{{Use New Zealand English|date=September 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2018}}
{{Infobox political party 
|country = New Zealand
|name =  United Labour Party of New Zealand
|abbreviation = ULP
|colorcode = {{party color|United Labour Party (New Zealand)}}
|logo = 
|leader = 
|chairman = 
|foundation = 7 April 1912
|dissolution = {{End date and age|1916|07|7|df=y}}
|predecessor =[[New Zealand Labour Party (1910)|Labour Party (1910)]]
|successor = [[New Zealand Labour Party|Labour Party]]
|ideology = {{nowrap|[[Social democracy]]}}
|position = [[Centre-left politics|Centre-left]] to [[Left-wing politics|left-wing]]
|colours = {{colour box|{{party color|United Labour Party (New Zealand)}}}} Red
|international = [[International Socialist Bureau]]{{sfn|Gustafson|1980|pp=49}}
|european = 
|europarl = 
|headquarters = 
|website =
}}

The '''United Labour Party''' ('''ULP''') of [[New Zealand]] was an early [[Centre-left politics|centre-left]] to [[Left-wing politics|left-wing]] political party. Founded in 1912, it represented the more moderate wing of the labour movement. In 1916 it joined with other political groups to establish the modern [[New Zealand Labour Party|Labour Party]].

== Origins ==
The United Labour Party has its origins in the [[New Zealand Labour Party (original)|first Labour Party]], a distinct organisation from the modern one. The first Labour Party had been established in 1910 after the perceived failure of its predecessor, the [[Independent Political Labour League]]. The Labour Party represented the moderate wing of the labour movement, with the [[New Zealand Socialist Party|Socialist Party]] representing the more radical faction.

== Initial unification ==
By 1912 there was growing recognition that the division of the labour movement was costing votes, and a "[[Labour Unity Conferences|unity conference]]" was called. The Socialists and the associated [[New Zealand Federation of Labour (1909)|Federation of Labour]] (the "Red Feds") refused to attend, however, saying that they would continue to advocate their more hard-line positions. As such, the Unity Conference consisted only of the Labour Party, various moderate [[labor union|trade unions]], and independent labour candidates.<ref>{{cite book |chapter-url= http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/1966/political-parties/page-8 |title=[[An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand]] |chapter=Labour Party |publisher=[[Ministry for Culture and Heritage]] / Te Manatū Taonga | editor-first=A. H. |editor-last=McLintock |editor-link=Alexander Hare McLintock |access-date= 15 July 2015 |orig-year=First published in 1966 |date=22 April 2009}}</ref>

At the conclusion of the conference, it was agreed that the Labour Party, the moderate unions, and a number of independents would together form a new party. The new group was called the United Labour Party. The outcome of the conference was slightly disappointing for its organisers, as it had been hoped that the Socialists would join, but hopes for the new party were nevertheless high.

Later the same year, the [[Waihi miners' strike]] occurred. The labour movement was split, with hard-liners praising the strikers and moderates condemning the action as dangerous and misguided. The United Labour Party took the latter path, believing that cautious negotiation was more effective than militant action. The strike was eventually suppressed by the government of [[William Massey]], with one miner being killed.

The strike created much disunity in the labour movement, and many believed that active measures were necessary to bring the movement closer together. As such, another "Unity Conference" was called in 1913. This time, the Socialist Party was willing to attend. After extensive negotiations, it was decided that the labour movement should speak with a single voice, and that the United Labour Party and the Socialist Party should merge. The new party would be called the [[Social Democratic Party (New Zealand)|Social Democratic Party]]. The union elements of the United Labour Party would be merged with the Socialist-affiliated Federation of Labour to produce the new United Federation of Labour.

== Fractionalization ==
{{Formation of New Zealand Labour Party}}
Some members of the United Labour Party did not accept the decision to merge, however. Of particular concern to them was a clause in the Social Democratic Party's charter that obliged it to support strikes in certain circumstances. These members decided to remain outside the Social Democrats, and [[Rump party|continued to use]] the United Labour label. They became unofficially known as the United Labour Party Remnant. The Remnant officially repudiated the more [[Marxism|Marxist]] tendencies that the Social Democrats had inherited from the Socialist Party, and promoted arbitration as a better alternative to strike action. The Remnant considered itself to be vindicated when, later in the year, the Social Democrats were thrown into disarray by a heavy-handed government response to dockworkers' and miners' strikes. In the [[1914 New Zealand general election|1914 elections]], the United Labour Party Remnant won three seats in Parliament, with the victorious candidates being [[Alfred Hindmarsh]], [[Bill Veitch]], and [[Andrew Walker (politician)|Andrew Walker]] while the Social Democrats won two seats, and a labour-aligned independent [[John Payne (New Zealand politician)|John Payne]] won another seat.<ref name="General Election, 1914">{{cite book |first1=J. |last1=Hislop |title=The General Election, 1914 |url= http://atojs.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/atojs?a=d&d=AJHR1915-I.2.3.2.36 |publisher=[[National Library of New Zealand|National Library]] |access-date=1 August 2013 |pages=1–33 | year=1915}}</ref>

== Creation of the present Labour Party ==
Despite the differences between the United Labour Party Remnant and the Social Democrat Party, the two worked together in Parliament after the 1914 election. Alfred Hindmarsh of the United Labour Party served as the leader of the six labour-aligned MPs.{{sfn|Paul|1946|pp=70}} Gradually, this increased co-operation caused the ULP Remnant and the SDP to conclude that full unification was not impossible, and in 1916, the two finally came together (along with various independents) to form the [[New Zealand Labour Party|Labour Party]], which still survives today.

==List of presidents==
* [[Tom Paul (politician)|Tom Paul]] 1912–13
* [[John Rigg]] 1913–14
* [[David McLaren (politician)|David McLaren]] 1914–15
* [[Alfred Hindmarsh]] 1915–16

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

==References==
{{Commons category|United Labour Party (New Zealand)}}
*{{cite book|first=Bruce|last=Brown|title=The Rise of New Zealand Labour: A history of the New Zealand Labour Party|url=https://archive.org/details/riseofnewzealand0000brow|url-access=registration|place=Wellington|publisher=Price Milburn|year=1962}}
*{{cite book|last1=Franks|first1=Peter|last2=McAloon|first2=Jim |title=Labour: The New Zealand Labour Party 1916–2016|year=2016|publisher=Victoria University Press|location=Wellington|isbn=978-1-77656-074-5}}
*{{cite book|first=Barry|last=Gustafson|author-link=Barry Gustafson |title=Labour's path to political independence: The Origins and Establishment of the New Zealand Labour Party, 1900–19|place=[[Auckland]], New Zealand|publisher=[[Auckland University Press]]|year=1980|isbn=0-19-647986-X}}
*{{cite book|last=Paul|first=J.T.|author-link=Tom Paul (politician)|title=Humanism in Politics|year=1946|publisher=NZ Working Printing & Publishing|location=Wellington}}

{{New Zealand Labour Party}}
{{Historic New Zealand political parties}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1916 disestablishments in New Zealand]]
[[Category:1912 establishments in New Zealand]]
[[Category:Defunct political parties in New Zealand]]
[[Category:Defunct social democratic parties]]
[[Category:Labour parties]]
[[Category:Political parties disestablished in 1916]]
[[Category:Political parties established in 1912]]
[[Category:Social democratic parties in New Zealand]]