Social Credit Party

The New Zealand Social Credit Party (sometimes called "Socred") was a political party that was New Zealand's third party from the 1950s to the 1980s. It was elected to the New Zealand House of Representatives, holding one seat at times between 1966 and 1981, and two seats from 1981 to 1987. It was named the New Zealand Democratic Party from 1985 to 2018, and was part of the Alliance party from 1991 to 2002. It returned to the Social Credit name in 2018. The party deregistered itself in early 2023. The party was based on the ideas of social credit, an economic theory established by Major C. H. Douglas. Social credit movements also existed in Australia (see: Douglas Credit Party and Australian League of Rights), Canada (see: Social Credit Party of Canada), and the United Kingdom (see: UK Social Credit Party) although the relationship between those movements and the New Zealand movement was not always amicable. The registration of the New Zealand Democratic Party for Social Credit and its logo was cancelled at the party’s request on 28 February 2023, following the death of its leader Chris Leitch earlier in 2023. History