133-712: The New Zealand National Party ( Māori : Rōpū Nāhinara o Aotearoa ), shortened to National ( Nāhinara ) or the Nats , is a centre-right New Zealand political party that is the current senior ruling party. It is one of two major parties that dominate contemporary New Zealand politics , alongside its traditional rival, the Labour Party . National formed in 1936 through amalgamation of conservative and liberal parties, Reform and United respectively, and subsequently became New Zealand's second-oldest extant political party. National's predecessors had previously formed
266-730: A National-led coalition government with the ACT Party and New Zealand First. The National Party was formed in May 1936, but its roots go considerably further back. The party came about as the result of a merger between the United Party (known as the Liberal Party until 1927, except for a short period between 1925 and 1927 when it used the name "National Party") and the Reform Party . The United Party gained its main support from
399-574: A liberal variant of conservatism . Conservative centre-right parties are more likely to incorporate ethnic nationalism relative to liberal centre-right parties. Conservatives and liberals both oppose heavy governmental involvement in the economy. Right-liberalism is common in Europe, contrasted with the centrist liberalism in Canada and the United Kingdom, and with the left-liberalism of
532-468: A "unity government" proposed to counter the depression. Labour eventually walked out of the talks, but Reform leader Gordon Coates (pressed by Downie Stewart) eventually agreed to form a coalition between United and Reform . Forbes, backed by dissident members of Reform, won the leadership of the coalition government, but Downie Stewart of Reform became the Minister of Finance . In the 1931 elections ,
665-481: A 1959 speech, party leader and Prime Minister Keith Holyoake encapsulated the conservative and liberal principles of the National Party: We believe in the maximum degree of personal freedom and the maximum degree of individual choice for our people. We believe in the least interference necessary with individual rights, and the least possible degree of state interference. Historically, National supported
798-518: A 67.3% vote in opposition (on a turnout of 45.1%). The National Government won a third term at the 2014 general election . The National Party won 47.04% of the party vote, and increased its seats to 60. National resumed its confidence and supply agreements with ACT and United Future. The National government extended free general practitioner visits to children under 13 as part of their 2014 election package, as well as extending paid parental leave by two weeks to 16 weeks. The National parliamentary caucus
931-525: A centre-right coalition in Venezuela. Canada was one of the last Anglosphere countries for the centre-right to be restored after World War II, with no centre-right parties holding power until the premiership of Stephen Harper in 2006. The 2007–2008 financial crisis was followed by a decline in support for major centre-right and centre-left parties through the 2010s. For the centre-right, this occurred most prominently in newer democracies, while support
1064-653: A challenge for Christian democracy, causing it to lose political influence. African political parties rapidly began joining political internationals in the 1990s. Among the centre-right, collaboration began between the Ghana New Patriotic Party , the Malawi Congress Party , and the Kenya Democratic Party . Japan, which had been ruled almost consistently by the centre-right Liberal Democratic Party for decades, saw
1197-485: A coalition against the growing labour movement . National has governed for six periods during the 20th and 21st centuries, and has spent more time in government than any other New Zealand party. After the 1949 general election , Sidney Holland became the first prime minister from the National Party, and remained in office until 1957. Keith Holyoake succeeded Holland, and was defeated some months later at
1330-741: A coalition with National despite the fact many expected Peters to form such a coalition with Labour. Under the coalition agreement, Peters became Deputy Prime Minister and had the post of Treasurer especially created by the Crown for him. New Zealand First extracted a number of other concessions from National in exchange for its support. The influence of New Zealand First angered many National MPs, particularly Jenny Shipley . When, in 1997, Shipley toppled Bolger to become National's new leader, relations between National and its coalition partner quickly deteriorated. After Shipley sacked Peters from Cabinet in 1998, New Zealand First split into two groups and half
1463-471: A compromise candidate. The reversal of the party fortunes came in Auckland, where the big business group abandoned the Reform Party because of the handling of a licensing bill, and put forward a programme equally appealing to the business community and to the remnants of the Liberal Party . So 42,000 votes and five seats went to United, compared with 8,800 votes and no seats in the previous election. In
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#17327914978451596-625: A confidence-and-supply agreement with the Māori Party on 11 December 2011 for extra insurance, despite the parties differing on National's contentious plans to partially sell (or "extend the mixed ownership model to") four state-owned enterprises. This nearly led to a cancellation of the agreement in February 2012 over Treaty of Waitangi obligations for the mixed ownership companies, and again in July 2012 over water rights. The government also introduced
1729-689: A consolidation of the middle-class at the expense of socialist parties. These centre-right parties gained influence during the Depression of 1920–1921 , where they responded with measures such as a restoration of the gold standard . Among the strongest of these parties were National Bloc and its successors in France, the Conservative Party in the United Kingdom, and a coalition of the Catholic Conservative Party and
1862-866: A dominant political force in much of the western world over the following decades, including the American Republican Party as led by Dwight D. Eisenhower , one-nation conservatism of the British Conservative Party, and Gaullism of the Rally of the French People . Europe had little appetite for nationalist ideologies after the end of fascism, so Christian democracy was popularised as an alternative right-wing ideology. Instead of nationalism, its ideas were based on traditional values , pragmatism, and support for moderate state intervention. Its conception of government
1995-485: A general election by the Labour Party in 1957 . Holyoake returned to office for a second period from 1960 to 1972. The party's platform shifted from moderate economic liberalism to increased emphasis on state interventionism during Robert Muldoon 's National government from 1975 to 1984 . In 1990 , Jim Bolger formed another National government, which continued the radical free-market reforms initiated by
2128-587: A higher degree of state intervention than it has in recent decades. The First , Second and Third National governments (1950s–1980s) generally sought to preserve the economic and social stability of New Zealand, mainly keeping intact the high degree of protectionism and the strong welfare state built up by the First Labour Government . The last major interventionist policy was Prime Minister Robert Muldoon 's massive infrastructure projects designed to ensure New Zealand's energy independence after
2261-480: A leadership-challenge before the next general election due in 2008 . Brash resigned on 23 November 2006, immediately before the release of Nicky Hager 's book The Hollow Men , which contained damaging revelations obtained from private emails. John Key became the leader of the National caucus on 27 November 2006. Key fostered a more "centrist" image, discussing issues such as child poverty . On 8 November 2008,
2394-633: A means to limit the appeal of the nationalism that had led to fascism. In the United States, the centre-right was associated with the Rockefeller Republican faction of the Republican Party. The American centre-right promoted pro-business stances over the following decades, which led to economic justifications for supporting higher taxes as well as social programs such as public housing . Christian democrats supported
2527-545: A modest welfare state, and the European centre-right was reluctant to support more radical initiatives to liberalise the economy. In Southeast Asia, the centre-right secured power in countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand, implementing growth-oriented policies based on free market policies with moderate governmental intervention, leading to significant economic expansion. The centre-right rose to power in Greece with
2660-453: A period of opposition to immigration in Europe at this time. By the 1980s, the post-war consensus had ended, with the new right supporting neoconservatism and neoliberalism . At this time, centre-right parties took a more active role in challenging the welfare state and union influence. The predominantly centre-right United States Republican Party began a rightward shift in the 1980s, with its moderate factions declining in numbers over
2793-415: A political force with the creation of party systems in the 19th century, when monarchist and religious conservatives competed with individualist and anti-clerical liberals. Christian democracy developed in the 1870s as another response to anti-clericalism. The centre-right provided a moderate position to compete with socialism in the 19th century, and it became a driving force for liberal democracy in
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#17327914978452926-470: A proliferation of centre-right opposition parties by the 1990s, with new parties forming and established parties shifting toward the centre-right to remain competitive. Following the rise of the Third Way among left-wing politics in the 1990s, the centre-right was forced to moderate, sacrificing the more aggressive aspects of right-wing politics that developed in the 1980s and abandoning its opposition to
3059-412: A religious justification for supporting democratisation , individual liberties , and international cooperation. Christian democrats hold conservative positions on most issues, but in a more moderate fashion than groups specifically described as conservative, and they trend centrist on economic issues. Instead of a strong government, it advocates decentralisation where other social units such as family,
3192-448: A reputation for poor economic management, and much of the public saw its 1958 Budget , known since as the "Black Budget", as miserly. After only one term in office, Labour suffered defeat at the hands of Holyoake and the National Party in the elections of 1960 . Holyoake's government lasted twelve years, the party winning re-election three times (in 1963 , 1966 , and 1969 ). However, during this period Social Credit arose, which broke
3325-495: A result of the new electoral mechanics, the New Zealand First party, led by former National MP and former Cabinet minister Winston Peters , held the balance of power after the 1996 election . After a prolonged period of negotiation lasting nearly two months, in which New Zealand First played National and Labour off against each other (both parties negotiated complete coalition agreements), New Zealand First entered into
3458-404: A snap election . Muldoon made the television announcement of this election while visibly inebriated , and some believe that he later regretted the decision to "go to the country". National lost the election to Labour under David Lange . Shortly after this loss, the National Party removed Muldoon from the leadership. Jim McLay , who had replaced Duncan MacIntyre as deputy leader shortly before
3591-508: A tax-cuts theme in the lead-up to the 2005 election , together with a consolidation of centre-right support, may have contributed to the National Party's winning 48 out of 121 seats in Parliament. National, however, remained the second-largest party in Parliament (marginally behind Labour, which gained 50 seats), and had fewer options for forming a coalition government. With the formation of a new Labour-dominated Government, National remained
3724-626: A working majority in the House. At the same time as the election, however, a referendum took place which established the MMP electoral system for future use in New Zealand general elections as widespread dissatisfaction with the existing political system led to reform. This would have a significant impact on New Zealand politics. Some National Party MPs defected to a new grouping, United New Zealand in mid-1995 whilst other splinter parties emerged. And, as
3857-694: Is also associated with anti-communism , which earned it support during the Cold War . Culturally, the centre-right has prioritised national and religious identity, especially by the mid-20th century. It has used religion and moral values as uniting elements, particularly with the middle class . European centre-right parties place higher priority on Christianity and providing support to Christians—a trait often shared with their far-right counterparts. The centre-right more strongly supports freedom of religion overall, as opposed to generalised support of human rights expressed by left-wing ideologies. As European
3990-449: Is continuous with that of the 19th century, and Christian democracy is sometimes regarded separately from the typical right-wing voter bloc. Conservatism is commonly grouped with the centre-right, though adherents of the far-right may argue that the centre-right is insufficiently conservative. Liberalism is sometimes grouped with the centre-right when it is expressed as conservative liberalism . The centre-right can also include
4123-556: Is derived from the left–right political spectrum , which originated with the seating arrangements of the National Assembly during the French Revolution . The centre-right came into being in the 19th century, developing with the earliest political parties . Modern conservatism was derived from the ideas of British philosopher Edmund Burke and various 17th century figures who preceded him. The liberal movement
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4256-465: Is heterogeneous and encompasses multiple distinct ideologies. Centre-right parties and coalitions are traditionally understood to be divided into separate factions depending on their priorities: economic, social, and cultural. They are unified by their opposition to left-wing politics . Christian democracy is a political ideology predominant in Europe that is often described as centre-right. It applies Christian morality to political issues, giving
4389-444: Is more likely to present immigration as a prominent issue when it is placed in the context of economic and cultural policy. Right-wing politics has historically opposed social acceptance of lesbian, gay, and bisexual people, but the European centre-right has come to support protections on the basis of sexual orientation. Some centre-right groups have taken the position that gay marriage and adoption by gay couples are an extension of
4522-644: The 1928 elections , the new United Party performed surprisingly well, winning twenty-seven seats. The Reform Party also had twenty-seven seats, the Labour Party had nineteen, the Country Party had one, and independents held six. The United Party formed a government with the backing of the Labour Party, and Ward became Prime Minister again. The United Party administration did not run particularly smoothly, however. Ward's ill health persisted, and he finally resigned in 1930. His deputy, George Forbes, became Prime Minister, though he had effectively been leading both
4655-472: The 1935 election under the title of the "National Political Federation", a name adopted to indicate that the grouping intended to represent New Zealanders from all backgrounds (in contrast to the previous situation, where United served city-dwellers and Reform served farmers). However, because of the effects of the Great Depression and a perception that the existing coalition government had handled
4788-472: The 1975 election , National under Muldoon returned comfortably to power. The Muldoon administration, which favoured interventionist economic policies, arouses mixed opinions amongst the free-market adherents of the modern National. Bill Birch 's " Think Big " initiatives, designed to invest public money in energy self-sufficiency, stand in contrast to the party's contemporary views. Muldoon's autocratic leadership style became increasingly unpopular with both
4921-541: The 2002 election , gaining only 27 of 120 seats. Many hoped that English would succeed in rebuilding the party, given time, but a year later polling showed the party performing only slightly better than in the election. In October 2003 English gave way as leader to Don Brash , a former governor of the Reserve Bank who had joined the National Parliamentary caucus in the 2002 election. Under Brash,
5054-536: The 2020 general election , receiving only 25.58 percent of the vote and 33 seats. National was again unable to form a government following the election and remained the Official Opposition . Christopher Luxon has served as the leader of the National Party since 30 November 2021. He led the party to victory in the 2023 general election , winning 38 percent of the party vote and a plurality with 48 seats. Subsequently, since November 2023, Luxon heads
5187-462: The Anglosphere , while Christian democracy has been the primary centre-right ideology in Europe. The centre-right commonly supports ideas such as small government , law and order , freedom of religion , and strong national security . It has historically stood in opposition to radical politics , redistributive policies , multiculturalism , immigration , and LGBT acceptance. Economically,
5320-799: The Centrist Democrat International and centre-right liberal parties are affiliated with the International Democracy Union . In Europe, centre-right parties are affiliated with the European People's Party . Centre-right politics is associated with conservative positions on social and cultural issues and free-market liberal positions on economic issues—centre-right parties see their strongest support among demographics that share all of these positions. It broadly supports small government , though different factions hold different beliefs about when
5453-562: The Great Depression set in. In nations where the centre-right lacked a unified party, such as Germany, Italy, Portugal, and Spain, far-right movements seized power. Strong pre-existing centre-right parties retained power in other countries, including Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. The use of market economics to keep wages steady, as well as the relative weakness of labour unions, meant that centre-right liberalism went unchallenged in much of Europe. In
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5586-526: The New Democracy party in the 1970s, led by Konstantinos Karamanlis as Greece transitioned from dictatorship to democracy. Spain and Portugal underwent similar transitions as they emerged from dictatorship. The 1970s saw decreasing support for welfare policies with the end of the postwar economic boom and the economic fallout of the 1970s energy crisis . This led to increased support for privatisation and cuts in welfare spending. It also led
5719-609: The Radicals in Switzerland. Christian democracy found a place among the European centre-right during the interwar period . Centre-right parties became the primary supporters of liberal democracy at this time, challenging the historical association of liberalism with the labour movement . The liberal centre-right opposed the other two European ideologies that were growing in popularity: fascism and social democracy . The European centre-right declined between 1931 and 1935 as
5852-585: The Treaty of Waitangi as the founding document of New Zealand; national and personal security; equal citizenship and equal opportunity; individual freedom and choice; personal responsibility; competitive enterprise and rewards for achievement; limited government ; strong families and caring communities; sustainable development of our environment." National supports a limited welfare state but says that work, merit, innovation and personal initiative must be encouraged to reduce unemployment and boost economic growth . In
5985-607: The United–Reform coalition Government between 1931 and 1935. In 1936, it merged with the Reform Party to form the National Party . In the 1920s the Liberal Party, although previously dominant in New Zealand party politics, seemed in serious long-term decline following the advent of the Labour Party , and its organisation had decayed to the point of collapse. The United Party represented an unexpected resurgence of
6118-412: The aftermath of World War II , the old centre-right was discredited in Europe, where it was seen as responsible for the Great Depression and complicit in the rise of fascism. European centre-right parties worked closely with the centre-left and the political centre in the post-war era , helping to define the welfare state, democratic consolidation , and European integration . They sought to avoid
6251-431: The second leadership election in as many months. He was succeeded by Judith Collins . Kaye, who served as interim leader during the hours between Muller's resignation and Collins's election, was succeeded by Gerry Brownlee . Collins led the party through the 2020 election , but was unable to recoup polling losses seen by the party throughout 2020 in time for the election, leading to the party losing 23 seats and suffering
6384-445: The "autocratic" behaviour of Holland and the new party organisation. In the 1943 election , National reduced Labour's majority from 12 seats to four. In the 1946 election , National made further gains, but Labour was able to cling to a one-seat majority. However, in the 1949 election , thirteen years after the party's foundation, National won power after taking eight seats off Labour, and Holland became prime minister. Sidney Holland
6517-532: The "mixed ownership model" plan, in which the Government planned to reduce its share in Genesis Energy , Meridian Energy , Mighty River Power and Solid Energy from 100% to 51% and Air New Zealand from 74% to 51%, and sell off the remainder. The plans to sell down Solid Energy were later axed due to the company's poor financial position. A citizens-initiated referendum on the sell-downs returned
6650-528: The 1970s caused a rise in support for neoliberalism and neoconservatism . The dissolution of the Soviet Union allowed a new centre-right movement to develop and take power in Central and Eastern Europe through the 1990s. The 2007–2008 financial crisis led to declining support for the centre-right, and the following decade saw it replaced by greater support for far-right politics . The centre-right
6783-576: The 1973 oil shock, Think Big . In contrast, the Fourth National Government (1990–1999) mostly carried on the sweeping free-market reforms of the Fourth Labour Government known as Rogernomics (after Labour's finance minister Sir Roger Douglas ). The corporatisation and sale of numerous state-owned enterprises , the abolition of collective bargaining and major government spending cuts were introduced under
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#17327914978456916-661: The 1978 and 1981 elections, National gained fewer votes than the Labour opposition, but could command a small majority in Parliament because of the then-used First Past the Post electoral system. Dissent within the National Party continued to grow, however, with rebel National MPs Marilyn Waring and Mike Minogue causing particular concern to the leadership, threatening National's thin majority in parliament. When, in 1984, Marilyn Waring refused to support Muldoon's policies on visits by nuclear-powered and nuclear-armed ships, Muldoon called
7049-692: The Cold War, centre-right groups supported the United States and the Western Bloc , opposing the Soviet Union and the Eastern Bloc . In several countries, centre-right parties were opposed by domestic communism on top of their opposition to the Soviet Union. As suffrage expanded and the centre-right spread across social classes, cultural issues and social identity, such as support for nationalism and religion, became more prominent themes. The European centre-right began supporting social integration as
7182-675: The Fourth National Government, policies that were popularly known as Ruthanasia (National's finance minister at the time was Ruth Richardson ). The Fifth National Government (2008–2017) took a relatively centrist position. Centre-right politics Centre-right politics is the set of right-wing political ideologies that lean closer to the political centre . It is commonly associated with conservatism , Christian democracy , liberal conservatism , and conservative liberalism . Conservative and liberal centre-right parties have historically been more successful in
7315-494: The Labour Party. The new organisation adopted the name "the United Party". This reflected in shortened form the name of the "United New Zealand Political Organisation", which Davy had used after he had left Reform. Forbes and Veitch both contested the leadership, but eventually, Joseph Ward won the position. Although Ward, a former Liberal Prime Minister in 1906 - 1912, did not enjoy the best of health, Davy backed him as
7448-479: The Liberals, and some historians consider it nothing more than the Liberal Party under a new name. The United Party emerged from a faction of the decaying Liberal Party known as "the National Party" (not directly related to the modern National Party, although it may have inspired the name). George Forbes , a Liberal Party leader, led the faction. In 1927 Forbes joined with Bill Veitch (who led another faction of
7581-460: The Liberals, but who had once been involved with the labour movement) and with Albert Davy (a well-known and highly successful organiser for the Reform Party , the traditional opponent of the Liberals). They hoped that the United Party would draw support not only from former Liberals, but from moderates on either the right or left of the Liberals by promoting themselves as a safer alternative than
7714-503: The MPs followed Peters out of the coalition but the remainder broke away, establishing themselves as independents or as members of new parties of which none survived the 1999 election. From the latter group National gained enough support to continue in government with additional confidence support of Alamein Kopu a defect Alliance List MP. The visibly damaged National Government managed to survive
7847-564: The National Party and form the Liberal Party . Richardson's views also met with considerable opposition within the National Party Parliamentary Caucus and for a time caused damage to the party's membership base. At the 1993 election , National was narrowly able to retain government owing partly to a slight economic recovery and the opposition being split between three competing parties. National's unprecedented eighteen-seat majority had virtually disappeared and
7980-436: The National Party held an emergency caucus meeting and voted to oust both leader Simon Bridges and deputy leader Paula Bennett , replacing them with Todd Muller and Nikki Kaye , respectively. Less than two months later, Muller resigned citing that his position had "become untenable from a health perspective". This came after a series of gaffes and scandals surrounding Muller and the National caucus during his tenure, triggering
8113-586: The National Party won 58 seats in the general election . The Labour Party, which had spent three terms in power, conceded the election and Prime Minister Helen Clark stepped down. National formed a minority government under John Key with confidence-and-supply support from the ACT Party (5 seats), the Māori Party (5 seats) and United Future (1 seat). On 19 November the Governor-General swore in
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#17327914978458246-464: The National Party's overall popularity with voters improved markedly. Mostly, however, the party achieved this by "reclaiming" support from electors who voted for other centre-right parties in 2002. National's campaigning on race relations, amid claims of preferential treatment of Māori , and amid their opposition to Labour Party policy during the foreshore-and-seabed controversy , generated considerable publicity and much controversy. Strong campaigning on
8379-498: The National/Labour duopoly in parliament, winning former National seats from 1966. Holyoake retired from the premiership and from the party leadership at the beginning of 1972, and his deputy, Jack Marshall , replaced him. Marshall suffered the same fate as Holyoake. Having succeeded an experienced leader in an election-year, he failed to establish himself in time. Marshall had an added disadvantage; he had to compete against
8512-462: The Soviet Union encouraged close alignment with the United States and strong support for combatting dictatorships. The centre-right in this region fragmented at the onset of the 21st century as much of the centre-right shifted away from liberalism to more conservative and nationalist politics with a strong stance against European integration. As Islamism lost support in Turkey, many Islamists moved to
8645-531: The UN Migration Compact ; a position also espoused by the terrorist in his manifesto. On 2 July 2020, however, the party's new leader Todd Muller confirmed in response to a question from a journalist that the party was still opposed to the pact, although it was not an issue he was focused on. On 22 May 2020, following poor poll results for the party during the COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand ,
8778-494: The United States. Economic ideologies associated with the centre-right include neoliberalism and market liberalism . Other ideologies sometimes grouped under the centre-right descriptor include agrarianism and populist nationalism . Centre-right liberal and conservative parties have historically been successful in the Anglosphere , such as those in Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, and they have made up
8911-523: The balance of power, and formed a coalition with Labour, who also gained Green Party support, marking an end to the 9-year National government. English announced his intention to stay on as party leader until the 2020 general election but subsequently resigned. On 27 February 2018, English was succeeded by Simon Bridges . Following the Christchurch Mosque shootings , the party removed content from their website which indicated opposition to
9044-400: The beginning of the 21st century, but by the 2010s these groups had lost influence as the Republican Party shifted from the centre-right to right-wing populism . The centre-right underwent a decline throughout the western world in the late 2010s and early 2020s, led by demographic changes such as increased tertiary education and ethnic diversity as well as the waning influence of religion and
9177-426: The best response to the country's economic problems. Coates eventually won, and Stewart resigned. Coates, as the new Minister of Finance, became increasingly powerful, and the weary Forbes did not strongly oppose Coates's influence; while Forbes remained Prime Minister, Coates effectively led the government. The economic situation persisted. In the 1935 elections , United and Reform maintained their coalition. Anger at
9310-563: The centre-left—this included parties in Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and Sweden. The 2000s also saw an example of a successful populist centre-right party with the ascension of Forza Italia , led by Silvio Berlusconi . During the 2003 invasion of Iraq , centre-right parties in Europe were more likely to send military forces than centre-left parties. This was especially true in Central and Eastern Europe, where memories of
9443-759: The centre-right lacked experience in political organisation, many of the first-generation centre-right movements lost momentum and faded into irrelevance in the years thereafter. Nationalism and populism became the dominant political forces here until the end of the decade. Centre-right liberals in Central and Eastern Europe supported integration with the Western World and acceleration of industrialisation, while conservatives wished to preserve individual national identities and protect Catholic traditions from Western secularism. Post-communist centre-right groups were more inclined toward liberal positions, favouring market capitalist policies over government intervention, which
9576-475: The centre-right secularises, it becomes less likely to support conservative positions on social issues . Centre-right parties that take strong stances on cultural issues are more susceptible to radicalise and adopt far-right positions. While opposition to immigration is most commonly associated with far-right politics , the centre-right can attract support from voters with more moderate anti-immigrant positions. Centre-right opposition to immigration comes from
9709-423: The centre-right supports free markets and the social market economy , with market liberalism and neoliberalism being common centre-right economic positions. It typically seeks to preserve the cultural and socioeconomic status quo and believes that changes should be implemented gradually . The centre-right is derived from the left–right political spectrum of the French Revolution . It first developed as
9842-589: The centre-right until a leftward shift among women took place over the 1970s and 1980s. Eastern and Central Europe were introduced to centre-right politics in the 1990s after the dissolution of the Soviet Union . These movements—which preferred not to be identified as parties due to the term's association with communism—were made up of intellectual groups that had been dissidents during communist rule. The Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland all had strong opposition movements under communism, allowing these movements to form strong centre-right parties. In nations where
9975-748: The centre-right's handling of economic crises reached a crescendo with public demonstrations that relegated the centre-right to a relatively ineffective opposition. Colombia was an exception, where the long-standing centre-right dominance remained unchallenged. Centre-right parties retook power in several Latin American countries by the 2010s, including the National Renewal in Chile and the Republican Proposal in Argentina, as well as
10108-509: The centre-right, forming the new Justice and Development Party . This party was more accepting of secularism and neoliberalism, and it became the nation's dominant political force. Although citizens throughout Latin America most commonly self-identified as centre-right, the region saw a surge of popularity for expanding government programs and state ownership , leading to a leftward shift that began in 1998. In Bolivia, dissatisfaction with
10241-412: The challenge that immigration presents to the status quo and to national identity. Supporters of centre-right politics in Europe often fear that immigration will lead to consequences such as increased crime , abuse of welfare , or acts of terrorism . Centre-right political parties sometimes take stronger positions against multiculturalism to gain an advantage over far-right parties. The centre-right
10374-617: The cities, and drew upon businesses for money and upon middle class electors for votes, while the Reform Party had a rural base and received substantial support from farmers , who then formed a substantial proportion of the population. Historically, the Liberal and Reform parties had competed against each other; however, between 1931 and 1935, the United–Reform Coalition held power in New Zealand. The coalition went into
10507-399: The coalition worked in close co-operation and won fifty-one out of the eighty seats. United and Reform between them had held a few more seats before, but their combined tally exceeded what many had anticipated in light of the economic conditions. The government did not exhibit great stability, however — particularly strong tensions arose between Coates and Downie Stewart, who clashed over
10640-505: The community, and various organisations are major actors in society. While still supporting a market economy, Christian democrats are more open to state intervention than conservatives, so as to prevent social inequality . Unlike historical Christian political movements, Christian democracy is non-denominational and is not affiliated with the Catholic Church . Political scientists disagree as to whether post-war Christian democracy
10773-484: The conference; he served as Leader of the Opposition from May until November, when former Reform MP Adam Hamilton , who had been a minister in the coalition government was elected the merged party's first leader. He got the top job primarily because of a compromise between Forbes and Reform leader Gordon Coates , neither of whom wished to serve under the other. Hamilton led the party into its first election in 1938. He
10906-498: The conflict, acting in opposition to the maritime unions . Holland also used this opportunity to call the 1951 snap election . Campaigning on an anti-communist platform and exploiting the Labour Opposition's apparent indecisiveness, National returned with an increased majority, gaining 54 parliamentary seats out of 80. In the 1954 election , National was elected to a third term, though losing some of its seats. Towards
11039-427: The conservative tendency frequently prevails. The broad liberal tendency is expressed by both social liberals and the classical liberals , with the latter supporting economic liberalism . The early National Party was united in its anti-socialism , in opposition to the Labour Party . The party's principles include "loyalty to our country, its democratic principles and our Sovereign as Head of State; recognition of
11172-642: The conservative vote, and aided Labour's victory. In hopes of countering Labour's rise, United and Reform decided to turn their alliance into a single party. This party, the New Zealand National Party, was formed at a meeting held in Wellington on 13 and 14 May 1936. Erstwhile members of the United and Reform parties made up the bulk of the new party. The United Party's last leader, George Forbes , Prime Minister from 1930 until 1935, opened
11305-460: The continuing wake of a financial crisis . In response to New Zealand's rising debt, Finance Minister Bill English made budget deficit-reduction his main priority for the first term. The government also cut taxes on all income; the top personal tax rate was lowered from 39% to 38% and then 33% in 2010. At the 26 November 2011 general election , National gained 47.31% of the party vote, the highest percentage gained by any political party since MMP
11438-479: The country faced an election night hung parliament for the first time since 1931 , with National one seat short of the required 50 seats to govern. Final special votes counted over the following days revealed National had won Waitaki , allowing it to form a government with the majority of one seat but required the election of a Speaker from the opposition benches ( Peter Tapsell of the Labour Party) to hold
11571-710: The country's ongoing economic problems remained high, however, and many saw Forbes and Coates as jointly responsible for the situation. In addition, Albert Davy had founded a new "anti-socialist" party, the Democrats , which took votes away from the coalition. Forbes, still the nominal leader of the coalition, appeared tired and apathetic. These factors all added up to a decisive defeat of the coalition, which won only 19 seats–including only seven for United–to Labour's 53. Michael Joseph Savage became New Zealand's first Labour Prime Minister. United and Reform maintained their coalition while in opposition. In 1936 they decided to make
11704-592: The creation of a strong Christian democratic movement in Italy, which was a leading political force in various coalitions for over 50 years. The United Kingdom was the only major exception to the spread of Christian democracy, as its old centre-right was seen as triumphant under the wartime leadership of Winston Churchill , and the failure of Nazi Germany to invade meant that its pre-war institutions remained intact. Here conservatism remained dominant, meaning less state intervention relative to other European nations. During
11837-483: The early 20th century. The centre-right was reconfigured after World War II to temper support for nationalism; it became a dominant political position throughout the Western world , particularly with the spread of Christian democracy across Europe. It aligned with the Western bloc during the Cold War, and in Europe it heavily influenced democratic consolidation and European integration . Global economic downturn in
11970-460: The economic reforms which had ultimately led to the defeat of the previous Labour government—these policies, started by Labour Party Finance Minister Roger Douglas and popularly known as Rogernomics , centred on the privatisation of state assets and on the removal of tariffs and subsidies . These policies alienated traditional Labour supporters, who saw them as a betrayal of the party's social service based character, but did not appear to appease
12103-538: The economy to regulate how business may be conducted, but it opposes nationalisation or infringement on the free market . Social market economies allow cooperation between employers and unions, and they provide for basic welfare programs, though centre-right parties that have less appeal among working class voters have less incentive to dedicate themselves to these positions. Centre-right conservatives oppose redistributive policies , believing that individuals should be allowed to retain their wealth. This tends to attract
12236-405: The economy, its incrementalist approach to politics, and its support for the status quo have been attributed to its ability to remain in power for extended periods of time. The centre-right commonly supports a social market economy , rejecting both socialism and laissez-faire capitalism. First developed by Christian democrats in post-war Germany, this system allows the state to intervene in
12369-463: The election, became the new leader. McLay, an urban liberal with right-wing views on economics, however, failed to restore the party's fortunes. In 1986 Jim Bolger took over the leadership with the support of centrists within the party. In the 1990 election , National defeated Labour in an electoral landslide and formed a new government under Jim Bolger . However, the party lost some support from Muldoon era policy based conservatives when it continued
12502-473: The end of his third term, however, Holland became increasingly ill, and stepped down from the leadership shortly before the general election in 1957. Keith Holyoake , the party's long-standing deputy leader, took Holland's place. Holyoake, however, had insufficient time to establish himself in the public mind as prime minister, and lost in the election later that year to Labour, then led by Walter Nash . Nash's government became very unpopular as Labour acquired
12635-482: The far-right and far-left politics that had brought about Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, respectively, and they saw European integration as a means to protect against socialism and anti-Christianity. The modern centre-right developed in response as a political unification of several distinct right-wing schools of thought. Ideological diversity meant flexibility in policy positions, but it also caused factionalism across centre-right parties. The centre-right became
12768-559: The following decades. The Indian Bharatiya Janata Party followed the Western centre-right strategy in the 1980s and 1990s, appealing to the centre while maintaining a militarist, nationalist platform. New political parties were formed in Turkey after the 1980 coup d'état , and the Motherland Party , led by businessmen and tradesmen, implemented secular neoliberal policies. In European nations, women were most likely to support
12901-624: The major Opposition party. Before the leadership of John Key, the National Party had made renewed efforts to attract social conservative voters, through adoption of anti-abortion and anti- same-sex marriage policies. In the 2005 general election run up, it was revealed that the Exclusive Brethren , a conservative Christian group, had distributed attack pamphlets critical of the Labour Party and praising of National to letterboxes throughout New Zealand. Labour insisted that National had close ties to and prior knowledge of these attacks, which
13034-637: The membership base of the non-parliamentary party either, which still had a significant supporter base for the statist intervention style policies of the Muldoon Government. Many more conservative and centrist National supporters preferred Muldoon's more authoritarian and interventionist policies over the free-market liberalism promoted by Douglas. However, the new National Party Finance Minister, Ruth Richardson , strongly supported Rogernomics, believing that Douglas had not gone far enough. Her policies—dubbed " Ruthanasia "— encouraged two MPs to leave
13167-495: The middle and working classes. In most countries, centre-right ideologies such as conservatism and Christian democracy are perceived by the public as most capable of managing the economy. Economic downturn often leads to a short-term benefit for centre-right parties before a longer-term benefit for centre-left parties. The centre-right places emphasis on protecting public safety , preserving national security , and maintaining law and order . It supports democratisation around
13300-582: The more wealthy to the ideology. While left-wing politics involves class conflict , centre-right parties forgo this in favour of supporting overall economic growth across classes. Alongside its support for lowering spending, the centre-right supports lower taxes. In some cases, they may advocate private-public partnership or emphasise policies geared toward economic growth—these traits are common in Latin America where centre-right parties differentiate themselves from far-right parties by appealing to
13433-623: The much more popular and charismatic Labour leader Norman Kirk , and lost the ensuing election . Unpopular policies, including initiating clear felling of parts of the Warawara kauri forest, also needlessly alienated voters. Within two years, the National Party removed Marshall as its parliamentary leader and replaced him with Robert Muldoon , who had previously served as Minister of Finance . An intense contest between Kirk and Muldoon followed. Kirk became ill and died in office (1974); his successor, Bill Rowling , proved no match for Muldoon, and in
13566-400: The new National-led government. In Key's first Cabinet he gave the ACT Party's Rodney Hide and Heather Roy ministerial portfolios outside Cabinet, and the Māori Party's Tāriana Turia and Pita Sharples the same. United Future leader Peter Dunne retained his ministerial post outside Cabinet which he had held within the immediately preceding Labour Government . National came to power in
13699-460: The parliamentary term, but lost the election to Labour's Helen Clark and the Alliance 's Jim Anderton , who formed a coalition government leaving National in opposition for nine years. Shipley continued to lead the National Party until 2001, when Bill English replaced her. English, however, proved unable to gain traction against Clark, and National suffered its worst-ever electoral defeat in
13832-400: The party and the government for some time before Ward's formal departure. Forbes faced serious economic problems, including the onset of the Great Depression . He did not project an image of activity or leadership — William Downie Stewart Jr , finance spokesman for Reform, privately described Forbes as "apathetic and fatalistic", and suggested that although he had "a rotten job", Forbes
13965-474: The party's new leader on 12 December 2016 after Health Minister Jonathan Coleman and Minister of Police Judith Collins withdrew from the leadership election . In the 2017 general election , National's share of the party vote dropped to 44.4%. It lost four seats, dropping to 56, but remained the largest party in Parliament. Two of the National government's three support parties lost representation in parliament. New Zealand First , led by Winston Peters , held
14098-547: The popular vote and gained 48 seats. National's traditional coalition partner ACT won 11 seats, leaving a prospective National–ACT coalition just short of a majority with 59 seats. National formed a majority government with ACT and New Zealand First, the first three-party coalition under MMP. Defunct The New Zealand National Party has been characterised as a " broad church ", encompassing both conservative and liberal tendencies, and outlying populist and libertarian tendencies. All factions tend to be in tension, although
14231-447: The preceding Labour government. The party has since advocated free enterprise , reduction of taxes, and limited state regulation. Following the first MMP election in 1996 , the National Party governed in a coalition with the populist New Zealand First Party. National Party leader Jenny Shipley became New Zealand's first female prime minister in 1997; her government was defeated by a Labour-led coalition in 1999 . The National Party
14364-681: The primary centre-right ideologies in Scandinavia. In contemporary politics, these two ideologies often co-exist in the same party. Christian democracy has been the predominant centre-right ideology in continental Europe, particularly in Austria, Belgium, Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands. It has performed most successfully in Catholic countries, while Christian democracy in other countries takes on more left-wing positions or fails to gain influence. Christian democratic parties are affiliated with
14497-642: The public and the party, and together with disgruntlement over economic policy led to an attempted leadership change in 1980. Led by ministers Derek Quigley , Jim McLay , and Jim Bolger , the challenge (dubbed the "colonels' coup") against Muldoon aimed to replace him with Brian Talboys , his deputy. However, the plan collapsed as the result of Talboys' unwillingness, and Muldoon kept his position. Under Muldoon, National won three consecutive general elections in 1975, 1978 and 1981 . However, public dissatisfaction grew, and Muldoon's controlling and belligerent style of leadership became less and less appealing. In both
14630-411: The public from the centre-right to opposition parties across the political spectrum. The weakening of the centre-right corresponded with increased support for the far-right. To align more closely with conservative allies, Christian democratic parties had begun adopting more conservative economic policies by 2013. The American centre-right supported traditionalist conservatism and neoconservatism at
14763-527: The rise of identity politics . At this time, the centre-left came into power and centre-right parties drifted rightward or were supplanted by new far-right parties. United Party (New Zealand) The United Party was a political party in New Zealand . It was founded in 1927, partly out of the remnants of the Liberal Party , and formed the United Government between 1928 and 1931, and
14896-412: The seats under his leadership. On 24 November 2021, Collins announced that Bridges was being demoted and stripped of his portfolios, in what was seen by many inside and outside the caucus (including National MP and Bridges' brother in-law Simon O'Connor ) as an act of political revenge. O'Connor later announced that he was resigning his portfolios in protest, and demanded Collins' own resignation. Collins
15029-500: The second worst defeat in its history. Brownlee, who was the party campaign manager, lost his electorate seat , returning as an MP via the party list and resigning as deputy leader two weeks later; he was replaced by Shane Reti . On 1 February 2021, Collins announced that the National Party would contest the Māori electorates at the 2023 New Zealand general election . Her successor Christopher Luxon confirmed they would still be contesting
15162-579: The situation poorly, the National Political Federation lost heavily in 1935 to the Labour Party , the rise of which had prompted the alliance. The two parties were cut down to 19 seats between them. Another factor was a third party , the Democrat Party formed by Albert Davy , a former organiser for the coalition who disapproved of the perceived "socialist" measures that the coalition had introduced. The new party split
15295-407: The societal status quo , in both a cultural and socioeconomic context, and it is opposed to the radical politics espoused by the far-right. Instead, it displays loss-averse tendencies and leans toward gradualism . Constitutionalism and separation of powers are championed by the centre-right, combining protections for individual liberties with rule of law . The centre-right's handling of
15428-484: The state should intervene in economic and social affairs. Conservatives generally have limited trust in human nature and believe society forms a natural hierarchical structure. Liberalism is individualist and maintains that people are best fit to make decisions for themselves. Christian democrats lean toward personalism , which places value on individuals but adopts collectivist and corporatist elements as well as hierarchy. The centre-right generally seeks to preserve
15561-559: The strongly anti-socialist church by advocating a more tempered approach. Christian democracy likewise presented itself as an alternative to liberalism and socialism. Centre-right figures were involved in early democratisation processes to ensure that their own advantages from the previous status quo were retained. Centre-right liberalism declined with the beginning of the 20th century, and many liberal parties merged with conservative parties. After World War I , several European nations formed weak centre-right parties, which grew through
15694-428: The traditional nuclear family . Such support has not been widely extended to transgender people. Centre-right parties support environmental preservation, though they are often seen as less interested in the subject than left-wing parties. The centre-right rejects concepts of climate grief or catastrophism, arguing that they can reduce interest in solving environmental issues. The concept of centre-right politics
15827-451: The upper class. Christian democracy developed as a new European ideology in the 1870s as a response to the anti-clericalism advocated by liberals. Closely aligned with Catholicism, its ideals were reflected in the Rerum novarum issued by Pope Leo XIII . The European centre-right was a force of moderation in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Conservatism stood between socialism and
15960-654: The welfare state. It saw reduced support at this time as the centre-left usurped much of its leverage on economic issues. In Western Europe, this marked the beginning of a broader decline in moderate politics. The 2000s saw a shift back to the right in Europe, where centre-right parties formed coalition governments with far-right parties in countries such as France, Italy, and the Netherlands. The European and American centre-right adopted some nationalist far-right ideas at this time, including positions on immigration and crime. Centre-right parties in other countries shifted leftward with pro-labour policies to remain competitive with
16093-505: The world, and some centre-right groups consider regime change an appropriate means to spread and protect democracy. Taking a strong pro-peace stance can alienate members of a centre-right voting bloc. It is often more reluctant to support peace agreements because these often involve compromising on other centre-right positions such as maintaining a strong ethnic and religious identity. The centre-right leans toward paternalism over individualism and social harmony over societal conflict. It
16226-662: Was associated with communist rule. Anti-communism and anti-totalitarianism were paramount among all factions of the centre-right in these regions, and they condemned the West for treating mass killings under communist regimes differently than the Holocaust . More broadly, the European centre-right became increasingly secular by the 1990s, creating a division between centre-right parties that were more liberal on social issues and religious right parties that maintained conservative positions on social issues. Secularism especially became
16359-540: Was finance minister as well as prime minister in the new government. In 1949 National had campaigned on "the private ownership of production, distribution and exchange". Once in power the new Holland Government proved decidedly administratively conservative, retaining, for instance, compulsory unionism and the welfare state set up by the previous Labour government. In 1951, the Waterfront Dispute broke out, lasting 151 days. The National government stepped into
16492-510: Was heavily influenced by English philosopher John Locke , including his support for property rights and the right to overthrow tyrannical government. Early conservative and liberal parties clashed with one another: conservatives supported monarchy, land-owners, and the church, while liberals supported anti-clericalism, free markets, individualism, and scientific advancement. Due to limitations in suffrage , early centre-right parties were able to maintain sufficient support by appealing solely to
16625-671: Was heavily influenced by the constitutionalism and separation of powers of the United Kingdom and the United States. West Germany reformed its centre-right faction with the creation of the Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU). Formed by a grassroots Christian movement, the CDU played a significant role in forming post-war Germany, combining social Christianity, market liberalism, and national conservatism . Its social market economy model proved to be influential across Europe. Alcide De Gasperi similarly brought about
16758-502: Was in government from 2008 to 2017 under John Key and Bill English ; it governed with support from the centrist United Future , the classical-liberal ACT Party and the indigenous-rights-based Māori Party . In the 2017 general election , despite leaving government, the party secured 44.4 percent of the vote and won 56 seats, making it the largest caucus at the time in the House of Representatives . It lost this plurality position in
16891-448: Was introduced, helped by a lower voter turnout and the misfortunes of its traditional support parties. A reduced wasted vote enabled the party to gain 59 seats in Parliament, one more than in 2008. National re-entered confidence-and-supply agreements with ACT (one seat) and United Future (one seat) on 5 December 2011, enabling it to form a minority government with the support of 61 seats in the new 121-seat Parliament. National also re-entered
17024-469: Was really simply marking time. In 1931 the United government passed a number of economic measures which appeared unfavourable to workers, and the Labour Party withdrew its support. The United Party continued in office with reluctant support from the Reform Party, which feared that a collapse of government (and thus a general election) would see large gains for Labour. Later the same year, formal coalition talks took place between United, Reform, and Labour, with
17157-401: Was removed as leader in an emergency caucus meeting the following morning, with Reti becoming interim leader. Christopher Luxon was elected unopposed , with Nicola Willis as his deputy, after Simon Bridges withdrew his candidacy. During the 2023 general election held on 14 October, National under the leadership of Christopher Luxon defeated the incumbent Labour Party. National won 38.08% of
17290-405: Was repeatedly denied by National. It was later admitted by the leader Don Brash that he indeed did have knowledge of the plan, a statement that was contradicted by MP Gerry Brownlee who subsequently denied the National party had any foreknowledge. After the 2005 election defeat Don Brash's leadership of National came under scrutiny from the media, and political watchers speculated on the prospect of
17423-485: Was split on the issue of same-sex marriage in 2014. Throughout his second and third terms, Key campaigned heavily in favour of free-trade agreements such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership . After serving Prime Minister for eight years, Key announced his resignation as the party leader on 5 December 2016. He stepped down as Prime Minister on 12 December. Key's deputy Bill English was acclaimed as
17556-510: Was steadier in more established ones. To regain support, the European centre-right shifted toward the centre and moved away from neoliberalism, replacing it with a renewed focus on public safety, economic growth, and social issues. It saw further trouble later in the decade with the European debt crisis causing governments to enact controversial austerity policies, particularly through spending cuts and value-added taxes . These further pushed
17689-475: Was unable to counter Labour's popular Prime Minister , Michael Joseph Savage effectively. Because of this, perceptions that he remained too much under the control of Coates and his lack of real support from his party colleagues, Hamilton failed to prevent Labour's re-election in 1938 . In 1940, former Reform MP Sidney Holland replaced Hamilton. William Polson "acted effectively as Holland's deputy". One former Reform MP Bert Kyle resigned in 1942 in protest at
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