Key facts

• Constitutional monarchy: Head of State - Queen Elizabeth II of New Zealand, represented by Governor-General; performs important constitutional functions in life and work of parliament and government, including election-related.
• Constitution: “unwritten”, not supreme law, comprises various laws, Treaty of Waitangi, and conventions.
• Parliamentary democracy: single chamber “House of Representatives”, ordinarily of 120 members; Parliament cannot be overruled by the Courts.
• Elections: Periodic - maximum term three years, variable date set by Prime Minister; Franchise – 18 years, citizens and permanent residents; System - Mixed Member Proportional (MMP), St Laguë formula, 70 single-member electorate seats (63 general, 7 Māori) and 50 list seats, overhang (compensatory) seats.
• Responsible government: Government and executive formed from elected members; reliant on House of Representatives for support.

History highlights

1853 - First election for the House of Representatives; 37 MPs, First-Past-the-Post; Māori effectively excluded due to communal land ownership.

1867 - Four Mäori seats created as a temporary measure with universal suffrage for Māori males aged over 21; made permanent in 1876.

1881 - First general election with universal male suffrage.

1893 - Universal suffrage granted to women (including Māori) aged over 21.

1974 - Voting age reduced to 18.

1975 - Māori Electoral Option introduced.

1975 - Right to vote for all permanent residents.

1992 - Indicative referendum supports changing voting system; MMP preferred system.

1993 - Binding referendum introduces MMP; number of Māori electorate seats made variable depending on population and enrolment.

1996 - First MMP election.

NZ's democracy

New Zealand is a democracy in which the members of Parliament (MPs) are chosen in free and fair elections. Citizens and permanent residents (non-citizens granted an open-ended right to live in NZ) aged 18 years and over must enrol to vote. Voting is not compulsory. Turnout is high by international standards but trending lower.

New Zealand is a constitutional monarchy with an unwritten constitution. The Queen of New Zealand, Queen Elizabeth II, is Head of State represented by the Governor-General who is appointed for a five-year term. The Queen and the Governor-General remain politically neutral. The Governor-General plays important constitutional roles in the calling of elections, the life of parliament, and the formation of a government. The Governor-General may advise or warn the government or, in extreme circumstances, dismiss it and appoint a new government or call a general election.

Parliament consists of a single chamber, the “House of Representatives” (“the House”), together with the Head of State who does not personally attend the House. The term parliament is generally used to refer to just the House. Parliament is elected for a maximum three-year term using the Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) system which generally provides 120 MPs. MMP and parliament’s standing orders recognise parties and proportionality in many aspects of parliamentary business, such as the allocation of committee positions, speaking and oral question slots. Each parliamentary party holds a regular caucus meeting where decisions are made on how members will vote and otherwise contribute to parliamentary business.

The government is formed by the party or parties able to win important votes in parliament, and it is accountable to parliament for the decisions and actions of its executive members (Cabinet Ministers, who must be MPs) and the agencies they are responsible for. The government may assure itself of a majority in the House through agreements with one or more parties, including for coalition, support on confidence and supply, or agreement not to oppose the government on important votes. MPs of supporting parties may be Ministers or Associate Ministers in or outside Cabinet, with agreement on whether they are required to publicly support government decisions outside their portfolio areas. A new government may be sworn in before final election results are declared, provided the outcome is certain and apparent to the satisfaction of the Governor-General.

Much of parliament’s scrutiny role is carried out by select committees which consider new legislation; question ministers and agencies on their policies, plans and performance; as well as holding reviews or inquiries. Select committees also call for public submissions on draft legislation or matters under inquiry. Each committee has standing responsibility for a subject area and is made up of MPs from across the house. The government may not have a majority on, or chair, every committee.

Apart from the nationally elected central government, New Zealand has elected local government bodies. These include territorial local authorities (such as regional, city or district councils), district health boards, councils of public tertiary institutions, and school boards of trustees.

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