The Labour Party after 75 years

Abstract

The 75th anniversary of the founding of the New Zealand Labour Party occurred in 1991. Needless to say the party itself was not in a notably celebratory mood, having just suffered a huge electoral defeat and all that that entailed in terms of after-the-event recriminations and soul-searching. However as academics we thought the occasion should be marked and pondered. After all there are not many local organisations which have persisted for half the length of our constitutional history, let alone one that is so full of impassioned, ideals-driven, argumentative people as the Labour Party.

The following papers were presented at a day-long seminar held in the Stout Research Centre on 29 October 1991. Contributors contemplated not only the Labour Party's past triumphs and disasters, but also its future political and policy options. Party activists and officials present were as frank as more detached observers in acknowledging the Party's internal difficulties and contradictions, and the need to define a fresh vision for itself. The discussion was lively and good-natured, but alas our efforts to record it for transcription failed. It must remain only a pleasant memory for participants.