Editing New Zealand National Party (section)

==Ideology and factions==
{{Conservatism New Zealand|expanded=Parties}}
The New Zealand National Party has been characterised as a "[[Broad church#In politics|broad church]]",<ref>{{cite book|last1=Vowles|first1=Jack|title=Towards Consensus?: The 1993 Election and Referendum in New Zealand and the Transition to Proportional Representation|date=2013|publisher=Auckland University Press|isbn=9781869407162|page=20|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=G0JeAwAAQBAJ&pg=PT20|language=en}}</ref> encompassing both [[Conservatism|conservative]] and [[Liberalism|liberal]] tendencies, and outlying [[populist]] and [[libertarian]] tendencies. All factions tend to be in tension, although the conservative tendency frequently prevails.<ref name="teara">{{Cite encyclopedia|title= National Party: Party principles |author-link=Colin James (journalist) |first=Colin |last=James |url= http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/national-party/page-4 |encyclopedia=[[Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand]] |date=13 December 2016 |access-date= 9 September 2017|quote= Usually the conservative and liberal tendencies have been central}}</ref><ref name="Vowles">{{cite book|first=Jack|last=Vowles|title=The New Zealand Journal of History|publisher=University of Auckland|page=225|date=1987|quote=[T]he National Party is both conservative and liberal, its liberalism containing both elements of classical and new liberalism, the implications of the latter also overlapping with elements of conservatism. Within the National Party, it is the liberals rather than the conservatives who are most self-conscious and vocal, although the conservatives most frequently seem to prevail.}}</ref> The broad liberal tendency is expressed by both [[social liberalism|social liberals]] and the [[classical liberalism|classical liberals]],<ref name="Vowles"/> with the latter supporting [[economic liberalism]].<ref name="Johnson">{{cite book|title= Mixed Economies Welfare|page= 62|first= Norman|last= Johnson | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=-d4FBAAAQBAJ
|publisher = Routledge | isbn = 9781317903802 | edition = revised |year= 2014 | quote = The conservative National Party that formed the government in New Zealand after 1990, went even further than its Labour predecessor in implementing neo-liberal economic and social policies.}}</ref> The early National Party was united in its [[anti-socialism]], in opposition to the [[New Zealand Labour Party|Labour Party]].<ref name="founded">{{cite web|title=National Party founded|url=https://nzhistory.govt.nz/page/nz-national-party-founded|website=nzhistory.govt.nz|publisher=[[Ministry for Culture and Heritage]]|access-date=2 May 2018|language=en|date=17 May 2017}}</ref>

The party's principles include "loyalty to our country, its democratic principles and our [[Monarchy of New Zealand|Sovereign]] as Head of State; recognition of the [[Treaty of Waitangi]] as the founding document of New Zealand; national and personal security; equal citizenship and equal opportunity; individual freedom and choice; personal responsibility; competitive enterprise and rewards for achievement; [[limited government]]; strong families and caring communities; sustainable development of our environment."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Our Values |url=https://www.national.org.nz/values |access-date=2022-12-26 |website=New Zealand National Party |language=en}}</ref> National supports a limited [[welfare state]] but says that work, merit, innovation and personal initiative must be encouraged to reduce unemployment and boost [[economic growth]]. In a 1959 speech, party leader and Prime Minister [[Keith Holyoake]] encapsulated the conservative and liberal principles of the National Party:
<blockquote>We believe in the maximum degree of personal freedom and the maximum degree of individual choice for our people. We believe in the least interference necessary with individual rights, and the least possible degree of state interference.<ref>Keith Holyoake, ''New Zealand Parliamentary Debates'', 14 July 1959, vol. 319, p. 406.</ref></blockquote>

Historically, National supported a higher degree of state intervention than it has in recent decades.<ref name="Gustafson">{{cite book |last1=Gustafson|first1=Barry|title=His Way: a Biography of Robert Muldoon|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8tRaAwAAQBAJ&pg=RA2-PA10|publisher=Auckland University Press|access-date=25 November 2016 |language=en|date=1 October 2013|isbn=9781869405175}}</ref><ref name="Scharpf-Schmidt">{{cite book|last1=Scharpf|first1=Fritz Wilhelm|last2=Schmidt|first2=Vivien Ann|title=Welfare and Work in the Open Economy: From vulnerability to competitiveness|date=2000|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=9780199240876|page=246|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NOETDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA246|language=en}}</ref> The [[First National Government of New Zealand|First]], [[Second National Government of New Zealand|Second]] and [[Third National Government of New Zealand|Third]] National governments (1950s–1980s) generally sought to preserve the economic and social stability of New Zealand, mainly keeping intact the high degree of [[protectionism]] and the strong welfare state built up by the [[First Labour Government of New Zealand|First Labour Government]].<ref name="Gustafson"/> The last major interventionist policy was Prime Minister [[Robert Muldoon]]'s massive infrastructure projects designed to ensure New Zealand's energy independence after the 1973 oil shock, [[Think Big]].<ref name="Palffy">{{cite book |last1=Palffy |first1=Georgina |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RLgN7gqw0boC&pg=PA65 |title=New Zealand |date=2008 |publisher=New Holland Publishers |isbn=9781860114052 |pages=65 |language=en |access-date=5 February 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Hembry|first1=Owen|title=In the shadow of Think Big|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10703096|access-date=5 February 2017|work=[[The New Zealand Herald]]|date=31 January 2011}}</ref> In contrast, the [[Fourth National Government of New Zealand|Fourth National Government]] (1990–1999) mostly carried on the sweeping [[free-market]] reforms of the [[Fourth Labour Government of New Zealand|Fourth Labour Government]] known as [[Rogernomics]] (after Labour's finance minister [[Roger Douglas|Sir Roger Douglas]]). The corporatisation and sale of numerous [[state-owned enterprise]]s, the abolition of [[collective bargaining]] and major government spending cuts were introduced under the Fourth National Government, policies that were popularly known as [[Ruthanasia]] (National's finance minister at the time was [[Ruth Richardson]]).<ref>{{cite news|title=New Zealand as it might have been: From Ruthanasia to President Bolger|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10418702|access-date=5 February 2017|work=[[The New Zealand Herald]]|date=12 January 2007}}</ref> The [[Fifth National Government of New Zealand|Fifth National Government]] (2008–2017) took a relatively [[centrism|centrist]] position.<ref>{{cite news|title=The Great Reassurer: How John Key's calmness was his greatest strength|url=https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/05-12-2016/the-great-reassurer-how-john-keys-calmness-was-his-greatest-strength/|access-date=2 May 2018|work=[[The Spinoff]] |date=5 December 2016}}</ref> 

The Sixth Government from 2023 has taken a more right-wing position, including cutting state welfare and ending what it calls '[[welfare dependency]]'.<ref>{{Cite web |title=National's benefit sanctions plan 'cruel', 'dehumanising' - Greens |url=https://www.1news.co.nz/2023/09/26/nationals-benefit-sanctions-plan-cruel-dehumanising-greens/ |access-date=2025-05-13 |website=1News |language=en}}</ref> Other positions include eliminating all references to gender, sexuality and "relationship-based education guidelines" in educational curriculums,<ref name="RNZ 24 Nov 2023">{{cite news |last1=Palmer |first1=Russell |date=24 November 2023 |title=Coalition details at a glance: What you need to know |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/503153/coalition-details-at-a-glance-what-you-need-to-know |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231123222232/https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/503153/coalition-details-at-a-glance-what-you-need-to-know |archive-date=23 November 2023 |access-date=24 November 2023 |work=[[Radio New Zealand]]}}</ref> repealing the previous government's ban on offshore gas and oil exploration,<ref name="newshub-election">{{cite news |last=Quinlivan |first=Mark |date=24 November 2023 |title=Election 2023: National, ACT and NZ First's Coalition agreement |url=https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2023/11/election-2023-national-act-and-nz-first-s-coalition-agreement.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231124040207/https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2023/11/election-2023-national-act-and-nz-first-s-coalition-agreement.html |archive-date=24 November 2023 |access-date=27 November 2023 |work=[[Newshub]]}}</ref><ref name="RNZ 24 Nov 20232">{{cite news |last1=Palmer |first1=Russell |date=24 November 2023 |title=Coalition details at a glance: What you need to know |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/503153/coalition-details-at-a-glance-what-you-need-to-know |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231123222232/https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/503153/coalition-details-at-a-glance-what-you-need-to-know |archive-date=23 November 2023 |access-date=24 November 2023 |work=[[Radio New Zealand]]}}</ref> restricting the number of doctors who can issue medical certificates for health and disability limits,<ref name="newshub-election2">{{cite news |last=Quinlivan |first=Mark |date=24 November 2023 |title=Election 2023: National, ACT and NZ First's Coalition agreement |url=https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2023/11/election-2023-national-act-and-nz-first-s-coalition-agreement.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231124040207/https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2023/11/election-2023-national-act-and-nz-first-s-coalition-agreement.html |archive-date=24 November 2023 |access-date=27 November 2023 |work=[[Newshub]]}}</ref> and reducing state spending. The party would also scrap the previous Labour Government's [[Fair Pay Agreements Act 2022]], no-cause eviction ban, public transport discounts, hate speech legislation, [[co-governance]] policies, Auckland light rail, [[Three Waters reform programme]], and [[Māori Health Authority]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-05-13 |title=What gets axed under the National-led Government? |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/election-2023-what-gets-axed-under-the-national-led-government/SOBF2RP6LBA4RDJIMQHCWQSXV4/ |access-date=2025-05-13 |website=NZ Herald |language=en-NZ}}</ref>

The party has mixed views on [[abortion in New Zealand|abortion]], with some MPs being against while others for.<ref>{{Cite news |last=McClure |first=Tess |date=2022-06-29 |title=Spotlight back on abortion in New Zealand after US Roe v Wade ruling |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jun/29/spotlight-back-on-abortion-in-new-zealand-after-us-roe-v-wade-ruling |access-date=2024-07-25 |work=[[The Guardian]] |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> In a [[conscience vote]], National Party MPs voted largely against the [[Abortion Legislation Act 2020]].<ref>{{cite news |title=How MPs voted on abortion law reform |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/how-mps-voted-on-abortion-law-reform/WV4JCWZTSB4PFZFHTFUTDFUC64/ |access-date=25 September 2024 |work=[[The New Zealand Herald]] |date=3 March 2020 |language=en-NZ}}</ref>

===Voter base===
The National Party's core [[Base (politics)|base]] has traditionally comprised [[European New Zealanders]] ([[Pākehā]]), social conservatives and rural voters,<ref>Gold, Hyam, "The Social Bases of Party Choice in New Zealand" (paper presented to Australasian Political Studies Association Conference, Melbourne, 1984)</ref> although it targets other groups too. National has retained a reputation for showing more favour to farmers and to business than Labour; the party provides for its support through incentives for farmers.<ref>{{cite press release |last1=Muller |first1=Todd |title=Farming community at the heart of National's priorities |url=https://www.national.org.nz/farming-community-at-the-heart-of-nationals-priorities |publisher=New Zealand National Party |access-date=15 August 2020 |language=en-NZ |date=25 June 2020}}</ref>