New Zealand Democratic Party for Social Credit

Origins (1954–1990)

Democrats for Social Credit was established as the Social Credit Political League, and contested its first election in 1954 where it gained 11.13% of the vote. Its first Member of Parliament was Vernon Cracknell, who won the seat of Hobson electorate in 1966 but lost it again in 1969. In 1978 party leader Bruce Beetham took the Rangitikei seat and in 1980 Gary Knapp won the East Coast Bays seat. At the 1981 election it received 21% of the vote but due to the first past the post electoral system used at the time it only received two seats.

In 1982 Beetham argued for a simpler name, and it became the Social Credit Party. The party renamed itself the New Zealand Democratic Party in 1985. At the 1987 elections, the party held two seats in parliament – one was East Coast Bays, held by Garry Knapp, and the other was Pakuranga, held by Neil Morrison. The Democratic Party lost both those seats, removing them from parliament. In 1988, Gary Knapp and a group of other Democrats were involved in a protest at parliament, to highlight the Labour Government's about-face on its election promise to hold a referendum on the First Past the Post electoral system.

The Alliance (1990–2002)

The Democrats, finding themselves increasingly pressured by the growth of NewLabour (founded by rebel Labour Party MP Jim Anderton) and the Greens, decided to increase cooperation with compatible parties. This resulted in the Democrats joining NewLabour, the Greens, and Māori-based party Mana Motuhake in forming the Alliance, a broad left-wing coalition group.

In the 1996 election, which was conducted under the new Mixed member proportional representation (MMP) electoral system, the Alliance won thirteen seats. Among the MPs elected were John Wright and Grant Gillon, both members of the Democratic Party.

However, there was considerable dissatisfaction in the Democratic Party over the Alliance's course. Many Democrats believed that their views were not being incorporated into Alliance policy, particularly as regards the core economic doctrine of Social Credit. The Alliance tended towards "orthodox" left-wing economics, and was not prepared to implement the Democratic Party's somewhat unusual economic theories.

By the 1999 election, the Democrats were one of only two remaining parties in the Alliance: the Greens had left the grouping, and the Liberals and NewLabour components dissolved, their members becoming members of the Alliance as a whole rather than of any specific constituent party.

Progressive Coalition & independent again (2002–present)

In 2002, when tensions between the "moderate left" and the "hard left" caused a split in the Alliance, the Democrats followed Jim Anderton's moderate faction and became a part of the Progressive Coalition. In the 2002 elections, Grant Gillon and John Wright were placed third and fourth on the party's list. The Progressives, however, won only enough votes for two seats, thus leaving the two Democrats outside parliament.

Shortly after the election, the Democrats split from the Progressives, re-establishing themselves as an independent party. However, Grant Gillon (the party's leader) and John Wright, both of whom opposed the split, chose not to follow the Democrats, instead remaining with the Progressives. The Progressive Coalition became the Progressive Party after the Democrats left. The Democrats chose Stephnie de Ruyter, who had been fifth on the Progressive list, as their new leader.

In 2005, the party added "for Social Credit" to its name to form its current name. The Democrats contested that year's general election as an independent party and received 0.05% of the party vote. In the 2008 general election, the party again won 0.05% of the party vote.^[2]

The party did not apply for broadcasting funding for the 2011 election. During the election, it won 1,432 votes,^[3] and was the only party to not attract a party vote in an electorate (Mangere).^[4] The party fielded thirty electorate candidates and four list only candidates in the 2014 general election but continued to fail to gain any seats in the 51st New Zealand Parliament.^[5]

During the 2017 general election, the Democrats for Social Credit ran 26 candidates: 13 electorate candidates and 13 list only candidates.^[6] The Party gained 806 votes on the party vote (0.0%) and failed to win any seats in Parliament.^[7]

In June 2018 the party voted to change its name back to Social Credit.^[8]