Skip to main content

Story: National Party

Parties in Parliament, 1949–57

  • 1949

  • 1951

  • 1954

  • 1957

Click on the buttons to see which party gained the most seats, and hence became the government, in the general elections between 1949 and 1957.

Using this item

Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand

This item has been provided for private study purposes (such as school projects, family and local history research) and any published reproduction (print or electronic) may infringe copyright law. It is the responsibility of the user of any material to obtain clearance from the copyright holder.

All images & media in this story

How to cite this page

Colin James, National Party – Formation and rise, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/interactive/33863/parties-in-parliament-1949-57 (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Colin James, published 21 March 2012, updated 1 July 2020.