Alliance (New Zealand political party)

The Alliance is a left-wing political party in New Zealand. It was formed at the end of 1991 by the linking of four smaller parties. The Alliance positions itself as a democratic socialist alternative to the centre-left New Zealand Labour Party. It was influential throughout the 1990s, but suffered a major setback after its founder and leader, Jim Anderton, left the party in 2002, taking with him several of its members of parliament (MPs). After the remaining MPs lost their seats in the 2002 general election, some commentators predicted the demise of the party.

The Alliance stood candidates in the 2005 general election but won less than 1% of the party vote. It contested Auckland City Council elections under the City Vision banner, in concert with the New Zealand Labour Party and Green Party. The Alliance ran 15 electorate candidates and a total of 30 candidates on the party list in the 2008 general election, increasing its party vote marginally from that in 2005. It was deregistered (can no longer contest for the party vote) at its own request on 26 May 2015, though the party never formally dissolved. On 1 June 2025 the party announced its relaunch to stand a candidate in the 2025 New Zealand local elections. On 21 January 2026 the Alliance announced it will be standing electorate candidates across the country in the 2026 New Zealand general election.