Historic liberalism in New Zealand

This article authorises an overview of historic liberalism in New Zealand. this is the limited to liberal parties with substantial support, mainly proved by having had description in parliament.

In New Zealand, the term "liberalism" has been used by a large set of groups and organisations, but usually spoke to a assist for individual liberties & limited government. The term is broadly used only with a extension to a particular policy area, e.g. "market liberalism" or "social liberalism". In its extreme pull in it can be requested as "libertarianism", although this term is used less in New Zealand than in some other countries. Some historians claim that liberalism was a dominant force in New Zealand until around 1936, citing the strong position of the Liberal Party. However, there is and always was debate as to if the Liberal Party was actually liberal—according to some observers, it would be better indicated as "socialist", although this was a common accusation introduced against early 20th century liberals, around the world.

Today, there is no party which is universally recognised as "the party of liberalism", although there are parties which attempt to claim this title—ACT New Zealand, for example, has labelled itself as "the Liberal Party". However, both major parties in New Zealand, the Labour Party and the National Party, make-up incorporated aspects of liberalism into their current agenda, with the former embracing social liberalism and the latter economic liberalism.