The New Liberal Party of

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

was a splinter group of the original

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

. It was formed at a meeting in the Christchurch suburb of Papanui in June 1905 by two Liberal-aligned

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

s who sought a more "progressive" policy than that followed by the Liberal leader,

Richard Seddon Richard John Seddon (22 June 1845 – 10 June 1906) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 15th premier (prime minister) of New Zealand from 1893 until his death. In office for thirteen years, he is to date New Zealand's longest-se ...

, and was similar to the Radical Party in 1896.

Background

The New Liberal Party was launched by Harry Bedford and

Francis Fisher Francis Marion Bates Fisher (22 December 1877 – 24 July 1960) was a New Zealand Member of Parliament from Wellington. He was known as Rainbow Fisher for his frequent changes of political allegiance. He was a veteran of the Boer War and an in ...

, but attracted a number of other MPs as well. George Laurenson,

Frederick Baume Frederick Ehrenfried Baume (13 June 1862 – 14 May 1910) was a New Zealand lawyer and politician of the Liberal Party. Biography Early life Baume was born "Friedrich Baume" in Dunedin, New Zealand, in 1862. His parents were Joseph Baume and ...

Alexander Hogg Alexander Wilson Hogg (9 February 1841 – 17 November 1920) was a member of parliament for Masterton, in the North Island of New Zealand. Member of Parliament Hogg contested the Masterton electorate in the , but was beaten by Ge ...

, William Tanner, and William Barber, all dissident Liberal MPs, associated themselves with the party, and two independents who had formerly been aligned with the loose opposition block,

Ewen Alison Ewen William Alison (29 February 1852 – 6 June 1945) was a conservative politician who sat in both the House of Representatives (1902–1908) and the Legislative Council (1918–1932) of New Zealand. Biography He was born in Auckland on ...

and Alfred Harding, also joined.

Tommy Taylor Thomas Taylor (29 January 1932 – 6 February 1958) was an English footballer, who was known for his aerial ability. He was one of the eight Manchester United players who died in the Munich air disaster. Career Taylor was born in Smithies, ...

, a radical independent with a reputation as a firebrand, became the New Liberal Party's leader. Some Liberal dissidents, however, refused to be involved in the new party - the most notable being John Millar,

George Fowlds Sir George Matthew Fowlds (15 September 1860 – 17 August 1934) was a New Zealand politician of the Liberal Party. Biography Early life and career Fowlds was born in Fenwick, East Ayrshire, Scotland. His father, Matthew Fowlds, was a handl ...

, and

Robert McNab Robert McNab (1 October 1864 – 3 February 1917) was a New Zealand lawyer, farmer, historian, and politician of the Liberal Party. He was Minister of Justice for the 18 months before his death. Early life McNab was born in 1864 at Dunragget far ...

. Many critics of Seddon believed that the New Liberals risked splitting the liberal vote and allowing a conservative government. The New Liberal Party announced an intention to contest the 1905 elections, but there was debate as to the exact nature of the party. Some saw the New Liberals as being complementary to (and possibly even a part of) the Liberal Party, spurring it forward but not directly challenging it. Others saw the New Liberals as a completely independent group that would stand against and eventually supplant the original Liberals. As a result of this disagreement, the New Liberals never developed a party organisation outside Parliament, and did not institute block voting - the party consisted of little more than regular caucus meetings. The New Liberals suffered considerable damage from the so-called "voucher incident", in which Francis Fisher alleged that Richard Seddon's son had been received payment from a government department for work he had not done. The allegations were disproven, and the New Liberals suffered a considerable public backlash. As Fisher had not consulted his colleagues before making the accusation, it also strained relations between party members. William Barber and Alexander Hogg sought rapprochement with Seddon, and others also appeared to distance themselves. As the election approached, the New Liberal Party comprised only Bedford, Fisher, and Taylor. The party, which now considered itself fully separate from the Liberals, contested a number of seats, including those held by Liberal MPs. Of the party's three MPs, two were defeated — Fisher was the only one to remain in Parliament. By the

1908 elections The following elections occurred in the year 1908. Africa * 1908 Southern Rhodesian Legislative Council election Australia * 1908 Adelaide by-election * 1908 Queensland state election Europe * 1908 Bulgarian parliamentary election *1908 Croati ...

, the New Liberal Party was defunct, and Fisher was re-elected as an independent. He later joined the Reform Party, established in opposition to the Liberals.

References

{{Historic New Zealand political parties Defunct political parties in New Zealand Defunct liberal political parties Political parties established in 1905 Radical parties 1905 establishments in New Zealand