Editing New Zealand National Party (section)

===Formation===
{{See also|Historic conservatism in New Zealand|Historic liberalism in New Zealand}}
The National Party was formed in May 1936, but its roots go considerably further back. The party came about as the result of a merger between the [[United Party (New Zealand)|United Party]] (known as the [[New Zealand Liberal Party|Liberal Party]] until 1927, except for a short period between 1925 and 1927 when it used the name "National Party") and the [[Reform Party (New Zealand)|Reform Party]].<ref name="Raymond 2005 32"/> The United Party gained its main support from the cities, and drew upon [[business]]es for money and upon [[middle class]] electors for votes,<ref>{{cite book|last=Miller|first=Raymond|title=Party Politics in New Zealand|year=2005|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=Australia|pages=28–31}}</ref> while the Reform Party had a [[rural]] base and received substantial support from [[farmer]]s,<ref>{{cite book|last=Miller|first=Raymond|title=Party Politics in New Zealand|year=2005|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=Australia|pages=29}}</ref> who then formed a substantial proportion of the population.
{{Formation of New Zealand National Party}}

Historically, the Liberal and Reform parties had competed against each other; however, between 1931 and 1935, the [[United–Reform Coalition]] held power in New Zealand.<ref>{{cite book|last=Miller|first=Raymond|title=Party Politics in New Zealand|year=2005|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=Australia|pages=31–32}}</ref> The coalition went into the [[1935 New Zealand general election|1935 election]] under the title of the "National Political Federation", a name adopted to indicate that the grouping intended to represent New Zealanders from all backgrounds (in contrast to the previous situation, where United served city-dwellers and Reform served farmers). However, because of the effects of the [[Great Depression]] and a perception that the existing coalition government had handled the situation poorly, the National Political Federation lost heavily in 1935 to the [[New Zealand Labour Party|Labour Party]], the rise of which had prompted the alliance.  The two parties were cut down to 19 seats between them. 

Another factor was a [[third party (politics)|third party]], the [[New Zealand Democrat Party (1934)|Democrat Party]] formed by [[Albert Davy]], a former organiser for the coalition who disapproved of the perceived "socialist" measures that the coalition had introduced. The new party split the conservative vote, and aided Labour's victory.<ref>Adams 1980{{page needed|date=May 2018}}</ref>

[[File:Adam Hamilton, 1930s.jpg|thumb|upright|left|[[Adam Hamilton]] was the first leader of the National Party.]]
In hopes of countering Labour's rise, United and Reform decided to turn their alliance into a single party.<ref name="founded"/> This party, the New Zealand National Party, was formed at a meeting held in [[Wellington]] on 13 and 14 May 1936. Erstwhile members of the United and Reform parties made up the bulk of the new party.<ref name="founded"/> The United Party's last leader, [[George Forbes (New Zealand politician)|George Forbes]], Prime Minister from 1930 until 1935, opened the conference; he served as Leader of the Opposition from May until November, when former Reform MP [[Adam Hamilton]], who had been a minister in the coalition government was elected the merged party's first leader. He got the top job primarily because of a compromise between Forbes and Reform leader [[Gordon Coates]], neither of whom wished to serve under the other. Hamilton led the party into its first election in 1938. He was unable to counter Labour's popular [[Prime Minister of New Zealand|Prime Minister]], [[Michael Joseph Savage]] effectively. Because of this, perceptions that he remained too much under the control of Coates and his lack of real support from his party colleagues, Hamilton failed to prevent Labour's re-election in [[1938 New Zealand general election|1938]].
In 1940, former Reform MP [[Sidney Holland]] replaced Hamilton. [[William Polson]] "acted effectively as Holland's deputy".{{sfn|Gustafson|1986|p=337}} One former Reform MP [[Bert Kyle]] resigned in 1942 in protest at the "autocratic" behaviour of Holland and the new party organisation.<ref name="Adams 1980">Adams 1980</ref>

In the [[1943 New Zealand general election|1943 election]], National reduced Labour's majority from 12 seats to four. In the [[1946 New Zealand general election|1946 election]], National made further gains, but Labour was able to cling to a one-seat majority. However, in the [[1949 New Zealand general election|1949 election]], thirteen years after the party's foundation, National won power after taking eight seats off Labour, and Holland became prime minister.