Story: History

For nearly 20 years under the Liberal government, labour relations in New Zealand were kept relatively calm and orderly by arbitration and conciliation. In 1912 in the gold-mining town of Waihī and in 1913 on the waterfront, strikes re-ignited antagonism between employers and workers. The strikes were crushed, and organised labour turned its attention to gaining political power through the ballot box. The 1913 waterfront strike saw protest marches such as this one in Auckland.