When Sidney Holland and his colleagues founded the National Party in 1936, they were unambiguous in their purpose.
National was to be a conservative force against socialism, rooted in the values of self-reliance, personal responsibility, thrift, and private enterprise.
Its charter opposed compulsory state welfare schemes and insisted that New Zealanders should provide for their own retirement, health, and security through savings, family, and private initiative.
It was a party of conviction, standing firmly as an alternative to Labour’s expanding welfare state.
Nationals Lost Backbone From Holland to Luxon
0:00
/500.062041
