The unintended consequences of the arbitration system

Eight years ago Jim Holt, Erik Olssen and the two authors of this paper met together over a long and relaxed dinner. Jim was in Christchurch to work on the McCullough diaries as it turned out, an important source in writing. Compulsory arbitration in New Zealand. Erik Oissen was doing parallel work on the Red Feds. Pat Walsh, as an analyst of industrial relations had a direct interest in labour history while Geoff Fougere's interest lay more generally in New Zealand political economy. At different times all four of us had been graduate students in the United States. The mix of shared and differing interests made for a pleasurable evening. Talk ranged widely over issues in New Zealand society, relationships between social science and history and the peculiarities of New Zealand academic life. In its own way, this paper is a continuation of that conversation.