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This information was published in 1966 in An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand, edited by A. H. McLintock. It has not been corrected and will not be updated.

Up-to-date information can be found elsewhere in Te Ara.

COUNTRY PARTY

The Country Party was formed by the Auckland Provincial Executive of the Farmers' Union in 1922, and contested elections from 1925 to 1935 with the support of that body. The party was led by Captain H. M. Rushworth, a prominent figure in the Farmers' Union and a member of Parliament from 1928 to 1938. The Country Party appealed exclusively to small farmers, claiming to represent their interests against the influence of urban elements in the Reform Party. The Country Party stood for free trade and against the protection of secondary industry. It advocated a vigorous land-settlement policy and cheap credit for farmers, to be financed through an agricultural bank.

The party reflected a certain discontent among farmers with the economic policies of the Reform Government, but its influence never spread outside Auckland Province. Its performance in elections from 1925 to 1935 is shown in the following table:

Election No. of Candidates Total Votes Average per Candidate
1925 5 2,398 479
1928 5 11,990 2,398
1931 6 16,710 2,785
1935 5 16,612 3,322

Two Country Party members sat in Parliament: Captain H. M. Rushworth, who represented Bay of Islands from 1928 to 1938, and A. C. A. Sexton, Franklin, from 1935 to 1938. Otherwise the party made little impression on Reform strength in rural areas, although it did loosen the party's hold in several seats in south Auckland and the Waikato.

by John Richard Sinclair Daniels, M.A., Local Government Branch, Department of Internal Affairs, Wellington.

  • Farming First (1926–38) (Periodical).
Co-creator
Walter Edward Murphy, B.A., Lecturer, School of Political Science and Public Administration, Victoria University of Wellington.John Sidney Gully, M.A., DIP.N.Z.L.S., Assistant Chief Librarian, General Assembly Library, Wellington.John Richard Sinclair Daniels, M.A., Local Government Branch, Department of Internal Affairs, Wellington.John Richard Sinclair Daniels, M.A., Local Government Branch, Department of Internal Affairs, Wellington.John Richard Sinclair Daniels, M.A., Local Government Branch, Department of Internal Affairs, Wellington.Herbert Otto Roth, B.A., DIP.N.Z.L.S., Deputy Librarian, University of Auckland.Herbert Otto Roth, B.A., DIP.N.Z.L.S., Deputy Librarian, University of Auckland.Bruce Macdonald Brown, M.A., New York Office, Department of External Affairs.Bernard John Foster, M.A., Research Officer, Department of Internal Affairs, Wellington.Bernard John Foster, M.A., Research Officer, Department of Internal Affairs, Wellington.Martin Joseph Silvester Nestor, M.COM., Chief Research Officer, New Zealand National Party, Wellington.Herbert Otto Roth, B.A., DIP.N.Z.L.S., Deputy Librarian, University of Auckland.William James Gardner, M.A., Senior Lecturer, History Department, University of Canterbury.John Sidney Gully, M.A., DIP.N.Z.L.S., Assistant Chief Librarian, General Assembly Library, Wellington.Bernard John Foster, M.A., Research Officer, Department of Internal Affairs, Wellington.Herbert Otto Roth, B.A., DIP.N.Z.L.S., Deputy Librarian, University of Auckland.John Richard Sinclair Daniels, M.A., Local Government Branch, Department of Internal Affairs, Wellington.