Maritime Union affiliates with Alliance Party, keeps door open to Labour

The Maritime Union is playing down a new affiliation with Alliance, insisting it remains loyal to the Labour Party.

In a joint announcement, Alliance’s leader Victor Billot said the union’s national council had “unanimously voted” to affiliate to his party.

“This historic and unprecedented decision unites one of the country’s most iconic and effective trade unions with the Alliance Party. I am humbled by the faith and support offered by the Maritime Union. This is the oldest union in New Zealand with a massive history and is the core of the organised working class,” he said.

Billot said the partnership was a “gamechanger” for the 2026 election and going forward, for ”advancing an uncompromising working class voice in New Zealand politics”.

Maritime Union national secretary Carl Findlay said it would maintain its long-standing affiliation to the Labour Party.

“I want to make it absolutely clear we are not cutting ties with the New Zealand Labour Party. The Seafarers and the Wharfies unions were two of the four pillars that started the Labour Party, so we are not walking away from the Labour Party.

“This is an MMP environment and, if Alliance can get up, it’s another strength to all of our bows for working people in New Zealand.

“This is a dual affiliation now we have signed up with the Alliance. It’s clear that we’re working in an MMP environment.

“Also, we obviously have shared values and we also share the socialist principles of the Alliance Party’s constitution.”

Findlay said the union appreciated Alliance’s commitment to domestic coastal shipping, infrastructure and public ownership protection from privatisation.

“I mean, there’s just an announcement today that DP World is sniffing around the Port of Lyttelton, which is the worst-kept secret ever. It will be interesting to see what the council wants to do there, but we will be pushing back against that.

“We believe, like the Alliance Party, that the ports should remain in the public’s contro.,”

Asked if the union did not see those values reflected in the Labour Party, Findlay said that Labour was “a big machine”.

“There’s different views from different people in that machine. We are one small part of it and we will keep pushing in there, asking them to subscribe to our agenda as well and they are… in certain areas.”

Findlay said the union’s decision to partner with Alliance was fairly recent.

“They [Alliance] were around for a long time years and years ago, and they are starting out again. They are just trying to put their best foot forward.

“We are the first union to come out in support of them. Hopefully, they get more support from other areas, which I am sure they have, from what I am hearing.

“They are very close to hitting the 500-member mark, which I’m sure they’ll get before everything kicks off, but you’ve gotta start somewhere. They are putting their best foot forward and we’re supporting them, and we look forward to working with them further in the future.”

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