By Samuel G. Beckton
Published in Studia Hibernica, January 2026.
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Abstract

As the third Irish Home Rule crisis intensified, Ulster Unionists began searching for allies across the British empire. This article highlights the role and influence of the anti-Home Rule movement in New Zealand from 1911 to 1914. New Zealanders from all sections of society demonstrated their commitment by raising £1,250, the Grand Orange Lodge of New Zealand published resolutions sympathetic to the Unionist cause, and Auckland sympathisers gathered 15,000 signatures for an anti-Home Rule petition and the establishing of an Ulster Volunteer contingent. News reports of these developments in New Zealand served as useful propaganda for Ulster Unionists. The article discusses how widespread and organised were these New Zealander sympathisers.

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