New Zealand Socialist Party

The party was founded by members of the 'Clarionettes', a group of about 190 English Socialist immigrants recruited through William Ranstead's weekly publication.

Robert Rivers La Monte from America was (briefly) an organiser for the party: he was a member of the "Wobblies": the IWW Industrial Workers of the World.

The party received new vigor with the entry of several radical unionists from Australia including Paddy Webb, Bob Semple, Michael Joseph Savage and Harry Holland.

[1] Others of the Australian cohort, while less radical and active in attempts to enter the political sphere, were still invested in significant social change; Thomas Eagle, who was a carpenter by trade, was an example of those members who stood as representational of the local and regional labouring workforce, and championed issues for such groups accordingly, such as the open accessibility of education and resources to all people.

[1] Many of the early leaders were from the UK and Australia, where radical ideologies were not uncommon among political parties, but were seen as "out of touch" in New Zealand, where more moderate platforms were the norm.