Eventually, however, the pace of reform began to slow, and calls arose for an independent workers' party.
A constitution was drawn up in late 1904, and the first conference was held in early 1905, with John Rigg elected as the first president.
It also had ambitions to establish a state owned and operated bank, unemployment benefits, a legal 40-hour working week, a minimum wage and expanding government pensions to include widows and orphans.
In the 1905 elections, the party stood 11 candidates: two in Auckland, four in Wellington, three in Christchurch, and one each in the Egmont and Invercargill electorates.
[7][8] This was the first time that any organised political party other than the Liberals had won a seat; the conservative opposition was still disorganised.
Particularly in Wellington, the IPLL had many candidates elected as city councillors and harbour board members such as Frank Moore and Alfred Hindmarsh.