Alliance (New Zealand political party)

Alliance
FounderJim Anderton
Founded1 December 1991
Dissolved26 May 2015; 9 years ago (2015-05-26)
Youth wingStaunch Alliance
Ideology
Before 2005:
Social democracy
Political positionLeft-wing
Members
Colours  Green
  Red

The Alliance was a left-wing political party in New Zealand. It was formed at the end of 1991 by the linking of four smaller parties. The Alliance positioned itself as a democratic socialist alternative to the centre-left New Zealand Labour Party. It was influential throughout the 1990s, but suffered a major setback after its founder and leader, Jim Anderton, left the party in 2002, taking with him several of its members of parliament (MPs). After the remaining MPs lost their seats in the 2002 general election, some commentators predicted the demise of the party.

The Alliance stood candidates in the 2005 general election but won less than 1% of the party vote. It contested Auckland City Council elections under the City Vision banner, in concert with the New Zealand Labour Party and Green Party. The Alliance ran 15 electorate candidates and a total of 30 candidates on the party list in the 2008 general election, increasing its party vote marginally from that in 2005. It was deregistered (can no longer contest for the party vote) at its own request on 26 May 2015.[3][4]

  1. ^ "About us". Alliance. 29 April 2008. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. The Alliance is a broad inclusive party of the Left with policies based on democratic socialist principles: democracy, equality and social ownership.
  2. ^ "New Zealand: Alliance adopts a socialist manifesto". Green Left Weekly. Green Left Association. 14 January 2004. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
  3. ^ "Amendments to the Register of Political Parties". Electoral Commission. 26 May 2015. Archived from the original on 27 May 2015. Retrieved 27 May 2015.
  4. ^ "Alliance Party deregistered". Stuff. 27 May 2015. Retrieved 12 November 2016.