Call for Papers
Centenary seminar - 1912 Waihi goldminers’ strike
When 10-11 November 2012
Where Waihi Community Hall, Waihi, Aotearoa/NZ
Abstract deadline 29 February 2012
Call for Papers
The Labour History Project (Inc.) will hold a seminar at Waihi on the weekend of 10-11 November 2012 to mark the centenary of the 1912 Waihi strike. This strike, involving almost all the 1500 workers at the mine, was a pivotal event in New Zealand’s political history. It coincided with the rise to power of Massey's Reform government, which marked the end of a long era of Liberal politics. It resulted in the death of striker Fred Evans, still perhaps the greatest martyr of the New Zealand labour movement. Strike leaders Bob Semple, Peter Fraser, Bill Parry and Tim Armstrong went on to form the NZ Labour Party to advance workers’ interests in Parliament.
The seminar might address such issues as:
• the influence on the strike of churches, and the media
• the roles of key participants such as the IWW, the Federation of Labour, the women of Waihi, and the police
• the response of the mine owners
• the impact on race relations
• representations of the strike in literature and other cultural forms
• its significance for present-day Waihi and the country
• the role of international capital in the NZ mining industry
• the role of arbitration unions and strikebreakers in industrial action
• reclaiming history – educational perspectives.
The Labour History Project will explore the possibility of later publishing the seminar papers either in book form or electronically.
This seminar is being organised with the support of the Auckland Labour History Project and in conjunction with the Australian Mining History Association - www.mininghistory.asn.au - which will hold its annual conference at Waihi immediately beforehand. Papers of mutual interest will be scheduled for the period when the two events overlap.
A range of related cultural activities is being planned as part of the strike centenary commemoration.
Deadline for abstracts (max. 200 words) – 29 February 2012
Email abstracts and papers to - chair@lhp.org.nz
Waihi 1912 seminar planning committee – Karl Andersen, Hazel
Armstrong, Peter Clayworth, Mark Derby, Joce Jesson, Dean Parker, Collette Spalding, Maryan Street.
Contact - Waihi 1912 seminar
Labour History Project
PO Box 27-425 Wellington
Email chair@lhp.org.nz
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