Community in union : lessons in solidarity and social policy from the 1980 Kinleith dispute : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Social Policy at Massey University, Manawatū, Aotearoa New Zealand

Abstract

This thesis examined the key factors that influenced the success of the 1980 Kinleith Pulp and Paper Mill labour dispute in Tokoroa, Aotearoa New Zealand, with particular attention to the role of community solidarity and its relationship to social policy. Using a qualitative history-from-below methodology, the research analysed previously unpublished interview transcripts from the Kinleith ’80 documentary alongside contemporary oral history interviews to foreground the perspectives of rank-and-file workers, families, and community participants. In contrast to dominant top-down accounts that emphasise union leadership, state intervention, and wage policy, the findings demonstrated that the dispute was sustained and resolved through the interaction of multiple grassroots factors. These included a clearly articulated and widely understood pay-parity claim, leadership emerging from within the rank-and-file, and tactical learning from previous industrial disputes. Central to sustaining collective action were an extensive and inclusive welfare operation, the active involvement of women in organisational and decision-making roles, and a deliberate communication strategy that countered employer and government narratives while mobilising nationwide support. Community solidarity – understood as mutual concern within and between workplace, local, and external communities – was shown to be actively produced rather than automatic, and was strengthened by Māori and Pasifika values and practices, particularly in welfare provision. The thesis concluded that these historically specific conditions enabled a rare victory over both the employer and the state, contributing to the revocation of the Remuneration Act 1979, while offering enduring lessons for social policy and collective action.