Michael Bassett - The State in New Zealand: 1840-1984: Socialism Without Doctrines?

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THE STATE IN NEW ZEALAND
18401984

THE STATE
IN
NEW ZEALAND
18401984

Socialism Without Doctrines?

Michael Bassett

First published 1998
This ebook edition 2013
Auckland University Press
University of Auckland
Private Bag 92019
Auckland 1142, New Zealand
www.press.auckland.ac.nz

Michael Bassett 1998

This book is copyright. Apart from fair dealing for the purposes of private study,
research, criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright Act, no part may be
reproduced by any process without the prior permission of Auckland University Press.

eISBN 978 1 86940 788 9

Publication is assisted by the New Zealand Business Roundtable.

Typeset by Pages Literary Pursuits

CONTENTS

Abbreviations

AALR	Recent Treasury files, National Archives
AANY	Recent Internal Affairs files, National Archives
AATJ	Recent Trade and Industry files, National Archives
ACC	Accident Compensation Corporation
AG	Department of Agriculture files, National Archives
AIM	Auckland Institute and Museum
AJHR	Appendices to the Journals of the House of Representatives
AS	Auckland Star
ASB	Auckland Savings Bank
ATL	Alexander Turnbull Library
CA	Department of Civil Aviation files
CEC	Cabinet Economic Committee
CER	Closer Economic Relations (with Australia)
CM	Cabinet Minutes
CP	Cabinet Papers
CPI	Consumer Price Index
CSIC	Colonial Secretarys Inwards Correspondence
CSOC	Colonial Secretarys Outwards Correspondence
DNZB	The Dictionary of New Zealand Biography
DSIR	Department of Scientific and Industrial Research
DOM	Dominion (Wellington)
ED	Electricity Department files, National Archives
EEC	European Economic Community
EP	Evening Post (Wellington)
GATT	General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade
GDP	Gross Domestic Product
HD	Housing Department files, National Archives
IA	Department of Internal Affairs files, National Archives
IC&A	Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration
I&C	Department of Industries and Commerce
IC	Department of Industries and Commerce files, National Archives
LT	Lyttelton Times
MDIC	Mines Department files, National Archives
MHR	Member of the House of Representatives (until 1907)
MP	Member of Parliament (after 1907)
MRP	Maximum Retail Price
NA	National Archives
NBR	National Business Review
NAFTA	New Zealand-Australia Free Trade Agreement
NZG	New Zealand Gazette
NZH	New Zealand Herald (Auckland)
NZJH	New Zealand Journal of History
NZJPA	New Zealand Journal of Public Administration
NZLP	New Zealand Labour Party
NZOYB	New Zealand Official Year Book
NZPD	New Zealand Parliamentary Debates
NZT	New Zealand Times (Wellington)
ODT	Otago Daily Times (Dunedin)
OECD	Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (Paris)
ONS	Organisation for National Security
PM	Prime Ministers files, National Archives
Press	Press (Christchurch)
SDN	Southland Daily News (Invercargill)
SFS	State Forest Service
ST	Southland Times (Invercargill)
T	Treasury files, National Archives
TLS	Times Literary Supplement
TO	Tourist and Publicity Department files, National Archives
WA	War Archives, National Archives
WEA	Workers Educational Association

Introduction

The British Fabian socialists loved New Zealand. After a visit in 1898 Beatrice Webb declared that if she had to bring up a family outside of Great Britain she would choose New Zealand. She had seen a commendable degree of comfort and independence among the working population, liked the countrys new Arbitration Court, approved of New Zealanders free and easy tone and endorsed what she believed to be a search for equality. While she found a lack of originality in the countrys educational system and New Zealands politicians were Vulgar, the acidulous Webb was delighted to find no millionaires and hardly any slums, among a people characterised by homely refinement, and by a large measure of vigorous public spirit.

Enthusiasm for New Zealands state activity was not confined to a handful of British social reformers. Towards the end of the nineteenth century there was a steady stream of visitors from other parts of the world. Many liked what they saw. In 1899 the American reformer, Henry Demarest Lloyd, was most impressed by the lack of strikes in New Zealand. He, too, noticed an egalitarian streak and pronounced New Zealand to be an experiment station of advanced legislation. Reforms that others have been only talking about, New Zealand has done . One newspaper observed that Lloyd seemed intent on New Zealandising the rest of the world. To outside reformers, New Zealand was a social engineers dream.

Explaining why this remote colony had embarked on so much more state activity than other countries also intrigued observers. The British lawyer and historian, James Bryce, noted that from the earliest days of colonisation New Zealanders had developed a very direct form of democracy designed to wring maximum benefits from the Government.

These early observers from Europe occasionally used the word socialism to describe New Zealands state intervention, yet they detected no consistent ideology. Siegfried found the absence of revolutionary ideas striking: As for the idea of revolution, the New Zealander has little sympathy with it. The word does not seem to be part of his political vocabulary.

New Zealand scholars have also examined the countrys passion for state activity, concluding that it was based on little more than a popular feeling that government intervention seemed likely to produce worthwhile results. An early and influential scholar, J. B. Condliffe, was inclined to feel it was colonial opportunism that drove governments.

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