International Socialist Organisation, NZ

International Socialist Organisation, NZ For Workers' Power and International Socialism! The ISO is a group of revolutionary activists in Aotearoa. www.iso.org.nz We oppose all immigration controls.

Socialism
Capitalism is a system of crisis, exploitation and war in which production is for profit, not human need. Although workers create society's wealth, they have no control over its production or distribution. A new society can only be built when workers collectively seize control of that wealth and create a new state in which they will make the decisions about the economy, social life and t

he environment. Workers' Power
Only the working class has the power to create a society free from exploitation, oppression and want. Liberation can be won only through the struggles of workers themselves, organised independently of all other classes and fighting for real workers' power - a new kind of state based on democratically elected workers' councils. China and Cuba, like the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, have nothing to do with socialism. They are repressive state capitalist regimes. We support the struggles of workers against every ruling class. Revolution Not Reformism
Despite the claims of Labour, Alliance and trade union leaders, the structures of the present parliament, army, police and judiciary cannot be taken over and used by the working class. They grew up under capitalism and are designed to protect the ruling class against workers. There is no parliamentary road to socialism. Internationalism
Workers in every country are exploited by capitalism, so the struggle for socialism is part of a worldwide struggle. We oppose everything that divides workers of different countries. We campaign for solidarity with workers in other countries. We oppose imperialism and support all genuine national liberation struggles. Liberation From Oppression
We fight for democratic rights. We are opposed to the oppression of women, Mäori, Pacific Islanders, g**s and le****ns. These forms of oppression are used to divide the working class. We support the right of all oppressed groups to organise for their own defence. All these forms of liberation are essential to socialism and impossible without it. Tino Rangatiratanga
We support the struggle for tino rangatiratanga. Mäori capitalists and politicians have no interest in achieving tino rangatiratanga for working class Mäori. The Government and corporate warriors' approach to Treaty claims has benefited a Mäori elite while doing little for working class Mäori. Tino rangatiratanga cannot be achieved within capitalism. It will only become a reality with the establishment of a workers' state and socialist society. Revolutionary Organisation
To achieve socialism, the most militant sections of the working class have to be organised into a revolutionary socialist party. Such a party can only be built by day-to-day activity in the mass organisations of the working class. We have to prove in practice to other workers that reformist leaders and reformist ideas are opposed to their own interests. We have to build a rank and file movement within the unions. We are beginning to build such a party, linking the ideas of revolutionary socialism to workers' struggles against the system. If you agree with our ideas and want to fight for socialism, we urge you to join us.

“The Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand is currently the most left-wing it has ever been. It is the largest pole of att...
17/06/2026

“The Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand is currently the most left-wing it has ever been. It is the largest pole of attraction for radicals and even socialists in the New Zealand political landscape.

But their project is fundamentally incapable of achieving the better world we need. Despite their radical rhetoric, the Greens are committed to the root cause of the problems they seek to address: and that root cause is capitalism.”

This piece is one in a series of profiles of electoral parties in the lead up to the 2026 General Election. The Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand is currently the most left-wing it has ever been. It is the largest pole of attraction for radicals and even socialists in the New Zealand political lan...

16/06/2026

ISO member and Associate Professor of politics at Otago Brian Roper's speech from the 28 May fees free rally in Dunedin.

Video description:
A man in all black and a warriors cap with a microphone and a clipboard gives a speech at a protest.

“The world economy was already in trouble before the US and Israel attack on Iran commencing February 2026. The war will...
14/06/2026

“The world economy was already in trouble before the US and Israel attack on Iran commencing February 2026. The war will accelerate a world-wide economic crisis that will inevitably mean attacks on workers and suffering among the peoples of the Global South.”

The world economy was already in trouble before the US and Israel attack on Iran commencing February 2026. Writing in May, the nature of the conflict may well have changed by the time these words are read. In any event, however, the restrictions so far on shipping through the Straits of Hormuz will....

Today ISO marched in solidarity with Trans people, backing the words in our submission on the “Definitions of Woman and ...
13/06/2026

Today ISO marched in solidarity with Trans people, backing the words in our submission on the “Definitions of Woman and Man” Bill with actions.
We understand attacks against Trans people as linked to the way capitalism seeks to control women.
A system built around profit needs a steady supply of workers to continue generating its massive surpluses. It channels women into the role of reproducer, enforces restrictive measures over their bodies and establishes expectations around sexuality and gender roles.
As Q***r, Trans, and Non-binary people obfuscate these boundaries, the ruling class makes a concerted effort to oppress them.
In times of crisis, we often see attacks against LGBTQI+ people coinciding with rhetoric around fertility rates and the family. In the last few years we’ve seen the “Manosphere” become mainstream, galvanising the gender hierarchy.
These are not just trends, but a concerted attack by the ruling class. We will beat this Bill, but that won’t be the end of it. We need to ensure that our communities are united to protect our Q***r, Trans, and Intersex whānau. We need to build a revolutionary working class movement to fight back against this onslaught of capitalist barbarism.
🔗 Read our submission on the Bill here: https://iso.org.nz/2026/06/12/against-the-definitions-of-woman-and-man-bill/

“Are you a “blue-collar hard-working Kiwi” or a “weirdo with purple hair?” NZ First, Winston Peters claimed, is the only...
12/06/2026

“Are you a “blue-collar hard-working Kiwi” or a “weirdo with purple hair?” NZ First, Winston Peters claimed, is the only party that “understands what a worker is.”
NZ First is trying to exploit a real social misery. A wave of factory closures all fit the traditional image of “blue collar” factory work. And, importantly, these are job losses happening on New Zealand First’s watch.
Rather than glorifying a mythical (White, male, blue-collar) “worker” we should look to real potential for unity in struggle across all those who labour.”

Are you a “blue-collar hard-working Kiwi” or a “weirdo with purple hair?” New Zealand First, Winston Peters claimed in his March State of the Nation speech, is the only party that “understands what a worker is.” Colour, of collar and of fringe, has a lot to do with it in Peters’ claime...

“What is Nationalism, and why do socialists oppose it? Nationalism enables war-making and is at the root of anti-migrant...
08/06/2026

“What is Nationalism, and why do socialists oppose it? Nationalism enables war-making and is at the root of anti-migrant violence.

This is not to say that we advocate cultural homogeneity. We envisage a world where people are restored to an unaliented relationship with their land, where diverse histories and languages are protected as taonga, and where a multitude of collective identities and practices can flourish unhindered by the repressive edicts of nationalism.”

What is Nationalism, and why do socialists oppose it? While often presented as timeless, the nation-state is a relatively new phenomenon. The evolution of modern nation-states in Europe in the 19th century is tied to the rise of capitalism. Nation-builders instituted new forms of governance and terr...

“The “Cold War” is considered to be over,  but we remain on the brink of global destruction for a variety of reasons; an...
05/06/2026

“The “Cold War” is considered to be over, but we remain on the brink of global destruction for a variety of reasons; and at the root of all of those reasons is still the system of capitalism which persists despite our efforts.”

War, and consequent death of both soldiers and non-combatants, has been a miserable feature of much of human history. It’s only relatively late in our history, however, that we have faced the possibility of such conflicts bringing about our complete demise as a species. And even if anyone were to ...

02/06/2026
"ACT is a renewed and stronger proponent for the dominance of capital in a world that is struggling under the weight of ...
01/06/2026

"ACT is a renewed and stronger proponent for the dominance of capital in a world that is struggling under the weight of capitalism’s cyclical stagnation. For radical capitalists, ACT is the obvious choice."

This piece is one in a series of profiles of electoral parties in the lead up to the 2026 General Election. From attacks on the public service and pay equity to the farcical Treaty Principles Bill, the ACT Party has done much to throw us further to the grinding gears of capitalism. Their role in [.....

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