Present Status of New Zealand Socialism
The extent to which socialism plays a part in modern New Zealand politics depends on which definitions of socialist are used, but few mainstream politicians would describe themselves using the word "socialist". The term "social democrat" is more common, but the more general "left-wing" or "centre-left" are used far more frequently.
Nevertheless, socialists of various types are still to be found in modern New Zealand politics. The Labour Party, the Progressive Party, and the Alliance all have some links to socialism in their history, but under a New Zealand definition, they would generally not be considered socialist today. More likely to receive this label are the numerous socialist or communist parties that exist outside the mainstream political world - examples include the Workers' Party, Socialist Worker (Aotearoa) and the Communist League.
Read more about this topic: Socialism In New Zealand
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