It was founded by Vanuatu's independence leader Walter Lini when he broke away from the Vanua'aku Pati, alongside businessman Đinh Văn Thân.

It is a social democratic party which traditionally received most of its support from English speakers.

After the 2012 elections NUP remained in coalition with the People's Progress Party in the Kilman government.

Although untarnished by the bribery scandal that brought down Kilman's government, NUP won only 4 seats in the subsequent general election, 3 of them on Pentecost Island.

[1] The party retained its 4 seats in both the 2020 and 2022 elections, joining the government coalitions that emerged in both cases.