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Salient looks at New Zealand's Far Right

When the history of New Zealand politics in the 1960's comes to be written the far right groups and organisations referred to in this Salient feature will be lucky to rate a footnote. Yet these organisations are unique examples of attempts to start broadly-based right-wing movements and as such merit attention and analysis.

There is, perhaps, a more important reason why our attention should be drawn to the policies of the extreme right-wing. These policies are of especial interest because they provide us with valuable insights into the kind of unlovely thinking which provides a basis for the policies of more 'moderate' right wing political parties such as the National Party and, less importantly, the Social Credit Political League. (One feels that it is increasingly difficult to resist including the New Zealand Labour Party amongst the parties of the right-wing but that's a point that should be argued another time, perhaps).

The three groups dealt with at some length in the next few pages are the Nazi Party, the National Front and the Country Party. Shorter articles have been included on the Democratic Society, a breakaway Social Credit faction, the Co-Resistance Movement, the League of United Empire Loyalists and Australian fascist Eric Butler. The only serious omissions are a discussion of the 1963 Liberal Party and of the NZ Rhodesia Society and allied groups.

Some of the difficulty involved in penetrating the Rhodesia groups may be evident to readers when we explain that head of the Wellington effort is well-known campus right-winger Jim Mitchell. Mr Mitchell was kind enough to supply us with some material for use in this issue. It all too clearly bore the mark of having been edited for left-wing consumption. We do have in our possession, however, a copy of the "Candour League of Rhodesia" publication Rhodesia and World Report (Vol. 3, No. 1—July, 1968) which was distributed "for information" by the Aid Rhodesia Movement, P.O. Box 7070, Christchurch. The first two pages of this magazine are taken up with an article entitled The convulsions of a dying civilisation. The article was written by Eric D. Butler, described in the magazine as the "National Director. Australian League of Rights". Mr Butler talks of a "national upsurge of support for the honest words uttered by Mr Powell" and "the basic character of the Anglo-Saxon, which has clearly demonstrated itself in the Rhodesian stand". Something of Mr Butler's political creed is suggested in the brief article on him which appears towards the end of this feature. The Aid Rhodesia/Friends of Rhodesia groups indict themselves through their choice of such bedfellows.

In the case of the three major groups dealt with here, we have tried, as far as possible, to let them speak for themselves. The interview with Nazi Leader Colin Ansell is the first to be published. We obtained it only after a patient stalking through Otahuhu, Panmure and, finally, Otara. If any readers would like to obtain further information on the Party we would recommend that they write to Mr Ansell. We found him most co-operative and would like to express our thanks to him for his assistance.

Salient readers may be interested in one response to our interview with Mr Ansell: [unclear: after] we returned from Auckland and our interview we received a letter from a person referred to in the interview as a "former President of the Australian Nationalist Social Unity Party". This person denied any association with the Nazi Party. A reply to an inquiry to the Editor of the Australian National Socialist Journal (the magazine of the Australian Nazi Party) appeared to confirm our correspondent's claim. We were inclined to be a little suspicious of the way in which his letter followed hard on our return to Wellington—he must at least be a close associate of Mr Ansell. However, we have acted on legal advice in removing the person's name from the interview.

The National Secretary of the National Front, Mr B.B. Thompson, of No 2 R.D., Ashburton, was also very co-operative. Among the material we have reprinted is a series of extracts (including the Front's "policy objectives") from Counter Attack, the New Zealand Front's newsletter, and excerpts from Spearhead and Candour—magazines published by the National Front in Britain. The Front is particularly interesting in that it has incorporated the League of United Empire Loyalists an ultra-right wing nationalistic group which achieved considerable renown in the fifties.

Finally, we have reprinted the TV and radio addresses made by Cliff Emeny, leader of the Country Party, as the opening of the 1969 election campaign we received no reply from Mr Emeny to our request for information about the Party although we were reliably informed that i"if you go to Stratford you'll get more than you want". We should very much like to have printed Mr Emeny's views on a number of subjects on which the Nazi Party and the National Front have expressed themselves. An opportunity for a closer investigation of the Country Party than that outlined in our article did not present itself, however.

We feel certain that many readers will find the material in this feature highly entertaining. We would ask them to reflect, however, on the fact that New Zealand has just returned a right-wing government to office for a fourth term. Two last points: we are pleased to offer a prize of five groats to the Salient reader who provides the best reply to the questions posed by the lucid and brilliant Mr J.F.L. Hartley in the first paragraph excerpted from his booklet New Zealand's Asian Destiny (see page 15). Secondly, we appreciate that Law Faculty readers may find this Salient feature as dull as they found our feature on rock music (this time because the material is too familiar). They may wish to amuse themselves by asking, with Clare Macdonald (in Spearhead, June/July 1969) Whatever Happened?

Whatever happened to the Upper Classes
And the example they're meant to set to the masses?
Further and further spreads the rot;
Now Baroness Wootton wants to legalise 'pot'.

The debs with the dregs are happy to mix
As they wait in their Chelsea pads for a fix.
And to launch the start of the Summer Recess
Lord Tiddly wink's son elopes with a Negress.

Whatever happened to the Tory Party,
Once so true-blue, so hale and hearty?
Now so much red has run into the blue
That consensus mauve has become its hue.

If Heath, Hogg and Macleod should scowl,
You may be sure it's only at Enoch Powell.
So tolerant, permissive and truly gay.
They grow more Liberal every day.