Timeline

 

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


1896       Socialist Church founded


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’ 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


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