Copyright is owned by the Author of the thesis. Permission is given for a copy to be downloaded by an individual for the purpose of research and private study only. The thesis may not be reproduced elsewhere without the permission of the Author. ‘For Light and Liberty’ The Origins and Early Development of the Reform Party, 1887-1915 A thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History at Massey University, Manawatu,¯ New Zealand Elizabeth Ward 2018 iii Abstract The Reform Party was one of the main political parties in New Zealand prior to the Second World War. Despite this, very little research has been conducted into its origins and growth as a party. This thesis examines that period of the Reform Party’s development, beginning in the late 1880s and ending with the formation of the National Government in 1915. It argues that a ‘reform’ identity began to emerge at the 1887 election and that in the 1890s the Opposition to the Liberals continued to refine ‘reform’ ide- als. Furthermore, the establishment of the National Association in 1891 provided the Opposition with an extra-parliamentary organisation. This meant that it was better organised than the Liberals, and not the disunited group that some have previously characterised it as. Although the Opposition had relatively good polit- ical organisation, it was unable to win an election during the 1890s because its political message did not resonate with the electorate. In the first decade of the twentieth century the Opposition transformed itself into the Reform Party, beginning with the formation of the Political Reform League in 1905, and then taking the name Reform Party in 1909. During this period Reform displayed a profound understanding of the changes occurring in New Zealand society and shaped its rhetoric to appeal to voters. This thesis proposes that Reform’s rise was due to their superior organisation and political messaging; and challenges the idea that the electoral swing to Reform was the sole result of Liberal decline and societal changes. Furthermore, it contends that by 1915 Reform tended to operate like a mass party. It built a nation-wide branch structure, with separate sections for women and Maori.¯ From 1912 to 1914 Reform held annual conferences which were attended by delegates from throughout New Zealand and enabled the general membership to propose policy ideas. The party itself had an executive commit- tee which oversaw its functions and this committee consisted of nine men and two women elected by the delegates at the annual conferences. Reform also em- ployed a general secretary who oversaw the day to day running of the party. This is contrary to previous descriptions of Reform, which portray it as a party which was controlled by the leader of the Parliamentary Party, William Massey. By 1915 Reform was the most organised and extensive political party in New Zealand. v Acknowledgements Completion of a PhD thesis is a substantial task, which I could not have undertaken without considerable help and guidance. I would like to thank Massey University who awarded me a Doctoral Scholarship which enabled me to work fulltime on this thesis and a conference grant which I used to present my research at the 2017 New Zealand Historical Association Conference. I also received support from Kerry Taylor, the head of the School of Humanities, which enabled me to present my research at the New Historians Conference in 2017, the Suffrage 125 Conference of the Women’s Studies Association of Aotearoa New Zealand in 2018 and the 2018 New Zealand Political Studies Conference. This thesis required significant archival work and over the course of the last three years I have used material from eight libraries and archives. All the library and archive staff I dealt with were unfailingly helpful and went the extra mile to help me find what I was searching for. A special thanks to Pauline Knuckey, the librarian in the Bagnall Collection at Massey University in Palmerston North, who not only helped me locate relevant material in that collection, but provided friendship and support throughout the PhD journey. This thesis began with a supervision team of James Watson and Geoff Watson. Re- grettably, due to ill health, James was not able to see this project through to completion. Despite this, his influence is on every page. From the earliest stages the direction of the research was very much shaped by conversations with James and his knowledge and understanding of pre-First World War New Zealand was invaluable when it came to analysing the primary source material. Geoff remained the constant member of the team, always encouraging and giving gentle direction which kept this thesis moving for- ward. Thanks to David Littlewood, who joined the supervision team and provided excel- lent editorial advice, you deserve to inherit James’ pencil, and to Michael Belgrave who gave invaluable guidance to the overall direction and content of this thesis. My husband Rob deserves a huge thank you for encouraging me through the thesis journey. I am extremely fortunate to be married to someone who was supportive of my desire to write a large piece of research and values academic pursuits. My daughters, Rebekah and Hannah, who were teenagers when I began this thesis and have grown into lovely young ladies. Thank you for being understanding and supportive. Also, thank you to my mother, Mary-Helen who, as always, proof-read my thesis and gave helpful comments. Doing a PhD can be a lonely task. I would particularly like to thank Fiona McKergow for her friendship during this process. I have valued having someone to talk to who is not only writing a history thesis but had similar aged children. Thank you to Amanda McVitty who also provided encouragement, read the final draft of my thesis and provided insightful comments. Lastly, I would like to dedicate this thesis to the memory of my father, Des Eyre, 1947-2008, who always encouraged me to be the best I could. vii Contents Abstract iii Acknowledgements v Contents vii List of Tables ix List of Abbreviations xi Introduction 1 1 A ‘Reform’ Identity Emerges: 1887-1891 17 2 The National Association 1891-1899 41 3 Towards the Political Reform League 1900-1905 87 4 Political Reform League to Reform Party 1906-1910 113 5 The 1911 election and its aftermath 143 6 The Reform Party Organisation 1912-1915 185 7 Organisation for Maori¯ and Women 211 Conclusion 237 Bibliography 245 Appendix 1 – Calculations of population-based turn-out for elections from 1881 to 1914 275 Appendix 2 – Lists of membership overlaps between the Political and Financial Reform Associations, the National Association and the Po- litical Reform League 279 ix List of Tables 1 The population-based turnout (PBT) for each election from 1881 until 1914 compared to the official turnout (OT). 276 2 Men who were members of both the Political and Financial Reform Associations and the National Association. 279 3 Men who were members of both the National Association and the Political Reform League. 280 xi List of Abbreviations AJHR Appendices to the Journals of the House of Representatives. MHR Member of the House of Representatives. MLC Member of the Legislative Council. MP Member of Parliament. 1 Introduction ‘A new era is dawning, new times are coming, and new men will soon be found in this House’1 – Sir George Grey On 10 July 1884, a public meeting of electors was held at the Star Hotel in the north Taranaki town of Urenui to discuss the ‘present political crisis’. The attendees voted to form a Political Reform Association because it was ‘the opinion of this meeting [that] members do not represent their constituents, but only their own views.’2 They formulated eleven points, which were to be sent to the various candidates for parliamentary seats in the Taranaki District to ascertain where they stood in relation to the Association’s plat- form. Members of the Urenui Political Reform Association were concerned with govern- ment spending. They believed the current system of free education was extravagant, that civil servants should not have pensions, and that the number of Members of the House of Representatives (MHRs) should be reduced. They thought land and property taxes dis- couraged growth and should be abolished. Land should be freehold, perpetual leasing was irresponsible, and the Government should obtain more native land and sell it at cost, to encourage immigrants with limited capital onto the land. Lastly, they wanted voters to have more say in government, particularly through an elected Legislative Council. What eventually happened to the Urenui Political Reform Association is unknown, but some of their solutions to the problems New Zealand faced during the 1880s became part of Reform Party policy in the early twentieth century. This illustrates that those who held the political ideas that became associated with Reform were developing organisations to promote them well before the Liberals began their long stretch in government. This thesis examines the development and early history of the Reform Party as an organisation. It covers the period from the late 1880s, when political parties first began to emerge in New Zealand, until 1915, when the war led to a Reform-Liberal coalition Government, called the National Government, and party organising was suspended. It investigates three key areas. First, it will consider the origins of Reform, focusing on when a ‘reform’ identity emerged to oppose the ‘liberals’ and the attempts of those who held that identity to form organisations. Second, Reform’s early development will be explored, 1 Sir George Grey, New Zealand Parliamentary Debates, 1877, vol:26, pp.489.