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Story: Cabinet government

Cabinet size: first Labour cabinet, 1935

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Cabinet size: first Labour cabinet, 1935

The first Labour government, which came to power in 1935, had 13 ministers including Prime Minister Michael Joseph Savage (seated centre, front row). After the First World War cabinets had grown in size to reflect the increasing complexity of government.

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Alexander Turnbull Library

Reference: 1/1-018443; F

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.

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How to cite this page

Chris Eichbaum, Cabinet government – What is cabinet?, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/34344/cabinet-size-first-labour-cabinet-1935 (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Chris Eichbaum, published 23 March 2012.