United Government of New Zealand facts for kids

This picture shows the United cabinet in 1928.

The United Government of New Zealand was the government that led New Zealand from 1928 to 1931. It came to power after beating the Reform Government, which had been in charge for a long time. The United Party was created in 1927 from parts of the old Liberal Party. Sir Joseph Ward led this new party, making a comeback in politics. They didn't win enough votes to govern alone, so they formed a government with help from the Labour Party. However, Sir Joseph Ward was not well and was later replaced by George Forbes. Many of the ministers in this new government were quite new to politics, with four of them never having served in the House of Representatives before.

Important Decisions and Plans

Helping the Economy

During the election, Sir Joseph Ward surprised everyone by promising to borrow £70 million in one year to boost the economy. People think this might have been a mistake because his eyesight was poor. He might have meant £7 million, or £70 million spread out over eight to ten years. Even so, this big promise was very popular with voters.

Labour, another political party, lost two city seats in the election. Many city workers and union members liked the idea of "the musical chink of the seventy million" – meaning the sound of money helping them. This promise helped the United Party get support from both city workers and people in the countryside, much like the old Liberal Party used to do. It turned out that Ward had accidentally said "seventy" instead of "seven" when talking about the money for the first year. The idea of borrowing £70 million over many years was actually similar to what the Reform Party was already doing. But many voters didn't care about the exact financial rules and liked Ward's big plan.

How the Government Was Formed

The United Government was formed after the 1928 New Zealand general election. The United Party, with support from the Labour Party, was able to create a new government.

When the Government Ended

The United Government was defeated in the 1931 New Zealand general election. This election led to a new government taking power.

Election Results

This table shows how the United Party did in the elections while they were in power.

Leaders of the Government

The United Government had two Prime Ministers during its time. Sir Joseph Ward led from 1928 to 1930. Then, George Forbes took over from 1930 to 1931. Sir Joseph Ward's time as Prime Minister was from December 10, 1928, to May 28, 1930. George Forbes then served from May 28, 1930, to September 22, 1931.

• Prime Ministers of the United Government
• 

  Joseph Ward
  served 1928-1930

• 

  George Forbes
  served 1930-1931

Cabinet Ministers

A cabinet is a group of important ministers chosen by the Prime Minister to lead different parts of the government. Here are the people who served as ministers in the United Government.