Fourth Labour Government of New Zealand

Fourth Labour Government

Ministries of New Zealand
1984–1990
Date formed26 July 1984
Date dissolved2 November 1990
People and organisations
MonarchElizabeth II
Prime MinisterDavid Lange (1984–1989)
Geoffrey Palmer (1989–1990)
Mike Moore (1990)
Deputy Prime MinisterGeoffrey Palmer (1984–1989)
Helen Clark (1989–1990)
Member partyLabour Party
Opposition partyNational Party
Opposition leader
History
Elections
PredecessorThird National Government of New Zealand
SuccessorFourth National Government of New Zealand

The Fourth Labour Government of New Zealand governed New Zealand from 26 July 1984 to 2 November 1990 (the period up to 8 August 1989 is also called the Lange Government). It was the first Labour government to win a second consecutive term since the First Labour Government of 1935 to 1949. The policy agenda of the Fourth Labour Government differed significantly from that of previous Labour governments: it enacted major social reforms (such as legalising homosexual relations) and economic reforms (including corporatisation of state services and reform of the tax system).

The economic reforms became known as "Rogernomics", after Finance Minister Roger Douglas. According to one political scientist:

Between 1984 and 1993, New Zealand underwent radical economic reform, moving from what had probably been the most protected, regulated and state-dominated system of any capitalist democracy to an extreme position at the open, competitive, free-market end of the spectrum.[1]

The Labour government also enacted nuclear-free legislation, which led to the United States suspending its treaty obligations to New Zealand under the ANZUS alliance. David Lange led the government for most of its two three-year terms in office. Lange and Douglas had a falling-out that divided the party. The government suffered a defeat at the 1990 general election, but the incoming National government retained most of the reforms.

  1. ^ Jack H. Nagel, "Social Choice in a Pluralitarian Democracy: The Politics of Market Liberalization in New Zealand," British Journal of Political Science (1998) 28#2 pp. 223–267 in JSTOR