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TheLiberal Reform Party was a rural based political party in New Zealand. It was the successor to theCountry Party that contested the1969 election.
The party was launched as a revival of the decades earlierCountry Party by the New Zealand Free Enterprise Movement in 1968 feeling that voters needed a genuine free enterprise choice in elections as, in their view, New Zealand was caught between monopoly business interests and overly empowered trade unions.[1] It changed its name to Liberal Reform in 1970.[2] The party criticisedRobert Muldoon as a "socialist dictator"[3] and campaigned for the abolition of taxation.[4]
The Liberal Reform Party main goals were individual freedom, self reliance and maximised free enterprise. In addition it had other policy platforms it campaigned on:[1][5]
The party supported sporting links with apartheid South Africa.[6][7]
The party planned to run 40 candidates at the1972 election,[8] but stood only 16.[9] It performed poorly, winning only 0.29% of the vote with all candidates losing their deposits.[10] It did not stand at the1975 election election.[11]
