The Liberal Government of New Zealand was the first responsible government in New Zealand politics organised along party lines. The government formed following the founding of the Liberal Party and took office on 24 January 1891, and governed New Zealand for over 21 years until 10 July 1912. To date, it is the longest-serving government in New Zealand's history. The government was also historically notable for enacting significant social and economic changes, such as the Old Age Pensions Act and women's suffrage. One historian described the policies of the government as "a revolution in the relationship between the government and the people".James Belich, quoted in Michael King The Penguin History of New Zealand, page 259

Significant policies

Economic The Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act 1894 established a conciliation and compulsory arbitration system with the aim of providing the unions with the means of protecting their members. The act encouraged the growth of unions by limiting labour representation at the arbitration court to registered unions. The act also gave the arbitration court the authority to fix conditions of employment which included (as noted by one study) "fixing the minimum rates of wages to be paid in the cases coming before it.”Bulletin Issue 167, Publisher: The Bureau, 1915, P.168 Legislation was introduced to protect vulnerable groups, such as the gumdiggers, miners, shop assistants, shearers, and servants. The Department of Labour was established in 1891 to ensure that improvements in working conditions took place to inspect shearing sheds, shops, factories, and generally to examine working conditions. The new department helped to reduce unemployment by transporting labourers to jobs, and assisted more than 90,000 men and their dependents find a family income over the course of the next decade. Factory hours and working conditions were strictly regulated and children were removed from factories. The Factory Act 1891 gave legal definition to a factory. The Factory Act 1894 required registration and inspection of factories, specified maximum hours of work for women and young persons, and prevented those under the age of fourteen being employed in factories. By 1896, 4,600 factories with 31,000 workers and a further 7,000 shop assistants were registered with the Department of Labour. In 1894, an act aimed at preventing sweating was passed.1947 NEW ZEALAND DEPARTMENT OF LABOUR (REPORT OF THE) Presented to both Houses of the General Assembly by Command of His Excellency The Hon. the Minister of Labour to His Excellency the Governor-General Wellington, 23rd June, 1947, P.13 The Shop-Assistants Act 1892 dealt with sanitation and inspection. It also introduced a compulsory half-holiday for retail workers. The Wages Protection Bill (1898) was designed to protect workers' wage packets from arbitrary deductions by employers. The New Zealand Accident Insurance Act 1899 provided the commissioner of life insurance with the powers to insure people against accidents, and could also insure employers from liability for accidents to any of their employees. The Shipping and Seamen's Act 1894 specified minimum crews and safety conditions for shipping. An act of 1896 provided, as noted by one study, “that no factory work could be carried on in premises where a person resided who suffered from an infectious disease.”1947 NEW ZEALAND DEPARTMENT OF LABOUR (REPORT OF THE) Presented to both Houses of the General Assembly by Command of His Excellency The Hon. the Minister of Labour to His Excellency the Governor-General Wellington, 23rd June, 1947, P.14 The public service was significantly expanded between 1891 and 1911. By 1912, more than 40,000 people were on the state's payroll, compared to roughly 10,000 in 1890. The Factories Act of 1901 regulated the working hours of men while providing for payment of overtime.The Life and Work of Richard John Seddon (Premier of New Zealand, 1893-1906); With a History of the Liberal Party of New Zealand , P.235 The Coal Mines Act 1901 established state mines to compete directly with privately owned mines. The Fires Brigades Act 1906 increased subsidies for volunteer fire brigades. Public works schemes such as road construction were encouraged and helped to reduce unemployment. A land and income tax bill was passed which introduced direct taxation as well as a graduated land tax. The bill also repealed the former inequitable property tax. A significant industrial expansion took place, such as in the metal trades, in printing, in the clothing and processing industries, and in new industries such as electrical supply, fibrous-plaster works, and wire-marking.A History of New Zealand by Keith Sinclair A state fire insurance office and state coal mines with their own sale depots were established. The Truck Act 1891 forced all employers to pay in cash instead of goods. The Coal Mines Act (1891) authorised the government to purchase two West Coast mines. The Employers' Liability Amendment Act enabled workers to recover damages for injuries received from either faulty equipment or negligence on the part of the employer, and also outlawed any arrangement whereby a worker agreed not to claim for any damages.Poverty and Progress in New Zealand: A Re-assessment by William Ball Sutch The Contractors' and Workmen's Liens Act of 1892The labour laws of New Zealand. Comp. by direction of the Hon. the minister of labour, Second Edition, 1896, P.vi protected the rights of workers and contractors for payment for work done. Forty-eight hours a week was established by law as the normal working time for men in factories (1901). The Servants’ Registry Offices Act of 1895 regulated (as noted by one study) “the licensing of registry offices for domestic or farm servants.”The labour laws of New Zealand. Comp. by direction of the Hon. the minister of labour, Second Edition, 1896, P.vi The Wages Attachment Act of 1895 prevented wages below a certain amount from being attached for debt.The labour laws of New Zealand. Comp. by direction of the Hon. the minister of labour, Second Edition, 1896, P.vii The Employment of Boys or Girls without Payment Prevention Act of 1899 set minimum rates of pays for boys and girls.The Statutes of New Zealand By New Zealand, 1899, P.32 Women and young people in employment were limited to a 45-hour workweek (1901). A law relating to shipping and seamen was passed which improved the safety and protection of those working on ships and provided for specified skilled officers and for the care of seamen taken ill. The Workers' Compensation for Accidents Act 1900 extended employers' liability for accidents to workers to cover "all injuries arising out of, and in the course of, employment". An accident branch of the Government Insurance Department was established (1901) to provide insurance facilities for employers for risk of injury. Under the act, certain diseases were classified as accidents (such as mercury poisoning, lead poisoning, and anthrax), and thus injury relating to a person's line of work "became recognised as a proper charge on industry". The Workmen's Wages Act of 1898 required the wages of manual workers to be paid at least on a weekly basis, while also strengthening the protection of wage payments due under contracts. Provision of compensation for work-related injuries was introduced. In 1898, an amendment was made authorizing courts of arbitration (as noted by one study) “to prescribe minimum wages in its awards and to make special provision for lower rates to be paid to workers who were unable to earn the minimum.”Minimum Wage Legislation in Various Countries Issues 467-473 By Rudolf Broda, United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1928, P.23 The Shipping and Seamen's Amendment Act stipulated the proportion of trained shipmen on a ship. The Shop and Shop-assistants Act enforced weekend holidays. A factories act stipulated maximum working hours for women and children, while forbidding the employment of children under the age of fourteen. The Factories Act 1894 provided for the registration and inspection of factories and closely regulated the employment of women and children.The Oxford History of New Zealand, edited by Geoffrey W. Rice A plan for unemployed workers to clear and then lease landholdings was sponsored. A women's employment bureau established (1895). The government won the right to repurchase private land for development, with its Land for Settlements Act 1892, which was supported by a graduated land tax under the Land and Income Assessment Act 1891. A bureau of industries was established (1891) to help place people in jobs. The bureau provided male New Zealanders with employment on special relief works and also gave free railway passes to unemployed men to enable them to go to areas where jobs were available. Labour Day was made a public holiday (1899). Legislation was introduced to "facilitate and control insurance against industrial accidents." A commercial trusts act (1910) was introduced to suppress monopolies. The Scaffolding Inspection Act 1906 required notification of intention to erect any structure or framework over 16 ft in height, or any swinging stage, "for the support of workmen engaged on building work". The legislation also provided for the appointment of inspectors with rights of entry and inspection, and allowed regulations to be made laying down minimum safety requirements. In 1911, authority was bestowed upon arbitration courts (as noted by one study) “to convert agreements between the parties into official awards.”Minimum Wage Legislation in Various Countries Issues 467-473 By Rudolf Broda, United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1928, P.23

Health

Public Health Act 1901 founded the Department of Public Health in 1901. The Nurses' Registration Act 1901 provided for a course of three years' training and a state examination followed by registration. The Midwives' Act 1904 was passed with the aims of regulating midwifery through a midwives' register, providing better training of midwives, and reducing maternal and infant mortality amongst working-class mothers.Innovations in health and medicine: diffusion and resistance in the twentieth century edited by Jennifer Stanton The legislation also encouraged the construction of state maternity hospitals. Steps were taken to teach oral hygiene in schools following a plea by dentists to the government in 1905. Subsidies on a pound for pound basis were made available to local authorities for water purification and sanitation. A rudimentary district nursing system was set up in areas with a high Maori population. Maori medical services came to be co-ordinated under the auspices of the Department of public Health. The Hospital and Charitable Institutions Act 1909 established 36 hospital districts, each with an elected hospital board. A department of health was set up, which initially concentrated on providing better sanitation, clean water, and sewage disposal, and dealt with quarantine matters. Vaccination against several diseases was promoted. The Pharmacy Board worked on a set of regulations (in 1911) governing the labelling of food and drugs, and the protection of meat and milk products. They were gazetted in 1913 under the Sale of Food and drugs Act of 1907. The Juvenile Suppression Act (1903) introduced penalties for supplying tobacco to youths or for youths who smoked.The Women's Parliament: The National Council of the Women of New Zealand 1896–1920 by Roberta McIntyre A system of medical inspections of children before they passed out of primary school was initiated. The Opium Prohibition Amendment Act 1902 introduced harsher penalties for the import of opium for smoking. Hospitals were constructed for working-class mothers (1905).