Labour Politics
1879 Manhood Suffrage introduced
Working Men’s Political Associations formed
1884 Trades and Labour Councils form parliamentary committees
1889 First NZ assembly of the Knights of Labor formed
1891 Liberal government sympathetic to labour takes office
1893 Universal Suffrage introduced
Otago Trades and Labour Council establishes Workers’
Political Committee
1894 Liberals' Industrial Conciliation & Arbitration Act passed
1899 Liberal-Labour Federation formed
1901 Formation of Socialist Party
1904 Trades and Labour Councils form Political Labour League
1905 Formation of Independent Political Labour League
1906 NZ Workers’ Political Association (Liberal-Labour) formed
1908 First Labour Representation Committees formed
1910 First New Zealand Labour Party formed
1912 United Labour Party of New Zealand formed
1913 Unity Conference forms Social Democratic Party
1916 Second New Zealand Labour Party formed
1921 Communist Party of New Zealand (CPNZ) formed
1928 CPNZ joins Comintern
1935 First Labour Party Government elected
1936 The CPNZ conference accepts the 'United Front' policy
1943 Labour Party split with J A Lee’s Democratic Soldier Party
1957 Second Labour Government elected
1972 Third Labour Government elected
1984 Fourth Labour Government elected
1989 New Labour Party formed
1991 New Labour becomes part of Alliance
1993 NZ adopts MMP electoral system
1999 Fifth Labour-led Government elected
Unionism and Industrial Relations
1885 First New Zealand Trades and Labour Congress
1889 Maritime Council formed
1890 Australasian Maritime Strike
1891 Bureau of Industries formed (Labour Department from 1892)
1894 Industrial Conciliation & Arbitration Act fosters unionism
1908 NZ Federation of Miners formed
Blackball miners' strike
1909 NZ Federation of Labour (FOL or ‘Red Federation’) formed
1910 Shearers Union launches the Maoriland Worker (soon taken
over by FOL)
Trades and Labour Councils' Federation formed
1911 FOL membership doubles from 6124 to 13971
1912 Waihi Strike, including death of striker Fred Evans
Labour Disputes Investigation Act passed
1913 United Federation of Labour formed
Waterfront and General Strikes
1919 Alliance of Labour formed
1921 IC & A amendment to provide for general wage orders
1921-24 NZ Shearers amalgamate with Australian Workers' Union
1922-23 Seamen's strike
1924 Railway workers' strike
1928 National Industrial Conference
1930 Alliance of Labour’s Open Conference of Industrial Unions
1932 IC & A amendment removes compulsory arbitration
Arbitration Court cuts wages by 10%
1936 IC & A amendment restored compulsory arbitration and
instituted compulsory unionism
Factories Act amendment provides for 40-hr week and 8-hr day
1937 Second NZ Federation of Labour (FOL) formed
1939 Emergency Regulations allows wartime suspension of labour law
1942 Emergency Manpower Regulations
Economic Stabilisation introduced
1950 Militants walk out of FOL to form Trade Union Congress (TUC)
1951 Waterfront dispute
1961 IC & A amendment introduces qualified preference in place of
compulsory unionism
1968 Arbitration Court hands down nil wage order
1973 Industrial Relations Act supercedes IC& A Act
1979 Nationwide general strike
1980 Successful strike at Kinleith paper mill
1982-84 National Government imposes wage and price freeze
1984 Trades Hall bombing in Wellington
Economic Summit Conference
1987 Labour Relations Act passed
New Zealand Council of Trade Unions (CTU) formed
1991 National Government's Employment Contracts Act passed
1993 Trade Union Federation (TUF) formed
2000 Labour Government's Employment Relations Act passed
Social Reform
1885 Hospital & Charitable Aid Act passed
1898 Old Age Pension Act passed
1900 Workers' Compensation for Accident Act passed
1905 Workers' Dwellings Act passed
1910 National Provident Fund established
1911 Widows' pension introduced
1914 Taxation exemptions for families
1915 Workers' Educational Assocaition formed
1916 Military conscription introduced
1926 Means-tested Family Allowance introduced
1928 Reform Govt considers compulsory national social insurance
1930 Unemployment Board established under Unemployment Act
1932 Riots/disorder in New Zealand’s four main cities
1933 Peak of Depression unemployment
1936 Labour's state housing scheme begins
1938 Social Security Act passed
1940 Military conscription introduced
1946 All-inclusive universal Family Benefit introduced
1950 Govt announced withdrawal of subsidies on many essential
commodities, eg coal
1973 Domestic Purposes Benefit introduced
1976 Matrimonial Property Act provides for equal division of property
1977-79 Family Support introduced
Labour, Religion and Temperance
1873 Licensing Act restricts hours of sale of alcohol
1881 Licensing Act bans Sunday trading
1885 Women's Christian Temperance Union form close relationship
with Tailoresses' Union
1886 New Zealand Alliance formed
1893 Seddon's Alcoholic Liquors Sale Control Act passed
1894 First Local Option polls (prohibition required 60% majority)
1908 Since 1894, 12 out of 76 licensing districts have gone 'dry'
1911 First national licensing poll: 56% for prohibition, but 60% reqd
1914 Bishop Cleary andTablet oppose Bible-in-schools movement
1917 Six o'clock closing of pubs introduced as wartime measure
1918 Licensing Amendment Act allows for simple majority decisions
1919 Prohibition referenda in April and at Dec election both fall just
short of required 50% majority
Protestant Political Association supports Reform candidates
1922 Bishop Liston unsuccessfully tried for sedition
1967 Six o'clock closing ends after referendum
1989 Sale of Liquor Bill abolishes national licensing polls
1999 Last three 'dry' areas vote to allow alcohol sales
Women and Labour
1873 Employment of Females Act regulates women’s working hours
1889 Tailoresses' unions formed
1890 Sweating Commission invesitgates working conditions
1891 Factories Act further restricts working hours for women and children
1892 Servants’ Registry Offices Act passed
Shops and Shop-assistants Act 1892 passed
1894 IC & A Act empowers the Arbitration Court to take the sex of the
worker into consideration
1894 Grace Neill appointed first female factory inspector
1895 Women’s Employment Bureau established
1904 Women’s Employment Bureau in Wellington closed
1896 Harriet Morison appointed the second female factory inspector
1908 Women’s Employment Bureaux reestablished in four centres
1910 Barmaids required to register under Licensing Amendment Act
Margaret Scott Hawthorne, the only female factory inspector, resigns
1912 Formation of Housewives' unions
1918 Labour Party adds clause for 'perfect equality between the sexes in every
department of public life' to the party's platform
1919 Female factory inspectors appointed in four main centres
1920 Women’s Employment Bureaux closed
Wellington Women's Branch of the Labour Party formed
1927 Inaugural Women's Labour Party Conference held for two days before
NZLP conference
1929 Second Women’s Labour Party Conference
1931 Third women’s Labour Party Conference
Official Women’s Unemployment Committees established
1932 Women exempted from legislation abandoning compulsory arbitration
1933 Elizabeth McCombs elected to Parliament
1936 Basic Wage set as the male breadwinner wage
1938 Labour Party Women’s Advisory Committee established
1945 Minimum Wage Act: female rate = 60% male rate
1946 Home Aid Service established
1947 Mabel Howard become first woman Cabinet Minister
Min Wage Act Amendment : female rate = 63% male rate
1949 Min Wage Act Amendment: female rate = 66% male rate
1960 Government Services Equal Pay Act passed
1966 National Advisory Council for the Employment of Women established
1972 Equal Pay Act passed
1977 Human Rights Commission Act passed
1980 Maternity Leave and Employment Protection Act passed
1982 Protective legislation restricting women’s nightwork repealed
1990 Employment Equity Act passed
1991 Employment Equity Act repealed
1993 Helen Clark becomes leader of Labour Party
1999 Helen Clark becomes NZ's first elected woman PM
Leisure, Working Hours and Paid Holidays
1840 Samuel Parnell wins 8-hour day for Wellington carpenters
1857 William Griffin wins 8-hour day for Auckland carpenters
1882 Demonstrations in Auckland and Dunedin in support of the legal
enforcement of the 8-hour day
1882- Eight-hour bills fail regularly
1890 Maritime Council calls for Eight Hour Act and institutes
Demonstration Day on 28 October, the anniversary of its founding 1891 Factories Act provides that women and workers under 18 were
entitled to five holidays
1894 IC & A Act enables unions to apply for awards to Arbitration
Court; some win working week of 48 or fewer hours, with penal
rates for overtime
1899 Labour Day Act establishes public holiday in October; first
celebrated in 1900
1936 Factories Act amendment introduces 40-hour, five-day
week, with eight public holidays: Christmas Day, Boxing Day,
New Years Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Anzac Day,
Labour Day, and sovereign's birthday
1944 Annual Holidays Act provides two weeks' annual leave for
all workers
1955 Public Holidays Act provides for Mondayisation of
provincial anniversary days
1965 IC & A amendment makes 2 January the 10th statutory holiday
1973 Waitangi Day becomes public holiday
1974 Three weeks' paid annual minimum holiday entitlement
1981 Holidays Act maintained the rights of workers to minimum of
11 statutory holidays and three weeks' paid annual leave
1990 Shop Trading Hours Act repealed
2003 Holidays Act provides for four weeks' annual leave from 2007