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Kōrero: Law and the economy

The Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act 1894

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The Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act 1894

The Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act 1894 introduced compulsory arbitration of disputes between unionised workers and their employers. The law was a world first. At different times, both employers and unions were sceptical of its merits, but it lasted for most of the next 80 years.

Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi

Alexander Turnbull Library

Reference: A-312-8-005

by Ashley Hunter

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

Ngā whakaahua me ngā rauemi katoa o tēnei kōrero

Me pēnei te tohu i te whārang

Lewis Evans, Law and the economy – Employment law, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/mi/cartoon/25628/the-industrial-conciliation-and-arbitration-act-1894 (accessed 4 June 2026).

He kōrero nā Lewis Evans, i tāngia i te 9 March 2010.