Whenever the terms Luddism and Luddites are used they are invariably used in a negative or derogatory manner. Even labour movement conscious Helen Clark used Luddism as an insultArguably, in my politically thinking time, Helen Clark is Aotearoa New Zealand’s most academically conscious prime minister of labour movement history. - Sponsor Promotion -Early Luddism understanding in New ZealandLuddism began in Nottinghamshire in 1811 extending to north-west England and Yorkshire. Early New Zealand newspapers were scathing of Luddism even though they only began to appear around 35 years after its demise. The first refence to Luddism was on 2 November 1850 in the Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle.