Parliament of New Zealand 340639 221251605 2008-06-23T18:41:25Z Muzi 637786 {{Infobox Parliament | name = Parliament of New Zealand | coa_pic = | coa_res = | coa-pic = | coa-res = | session_room = NZParliamentbuildings.JPG | session_res = | house_type = Unicameral | houses = [[New Zealand House of Representatives|House of Representatives]] | leader1_type = [[Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives|Speaker of the House of Representatives]] | leader1 = [[Margaret Wilson]] | party1 = [[New Zealand Labour Party|Labour Party]] | election1 = [[March 3]], [[2005]] | leader2_type = | leader2 = | party2 = | election2 = | members = '''120''' Representatives | p_groups = [[New Zealand Labour Party|Labour Party]]<br> [[New Zealand National Party|National Party]]<br> [[New Zealand First]]<br> [[ Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand|Green Party]]<br> [[Māori Party]]<br> [[United Future New Zealand|United Future]]<br> [[ACT New Zealand|ACT]]<br> [[The Kiwi Party|Kiwi Party]]<br> [[New Zealand Pacific Party|Pacific Party]]<br> [[New Zealand Progressive Party|Progressive Party]] | election3 = [[September 17]], [[2005]] | meeting_place = [[New_Zealand Parliament Buildings#Parliament House|Parliament House]], [[Wellington]], [[New Zealand]] | website = [http://www.parliament.nz/en-NZ www.parliament.nz/en-NZ] }} {{Politics of New Zealand}} The '''Parliament of New Zealand''' consists of the [[Monarchy in New Zealand|Queen of New Zealand]] and the [[New Zealand House of Representatives]] and, until 1951, the [[New Zealand Legislative Council]]. However most people incorrectly refer to the House of Representatives as 'Parliament'. The House of Representatives usually consists of 120 Members of Parliament (currently 121 due to an [[Overhang seat|overhang]]). MPs are directly elected by [[universal suffrage]]. New Zealand essentially follows the [[Westminster system]] of government, and is governed by a [[New Zealand Cabinet|cabinet]] and [[Prime Minister of New Zealand|Prime Minister]] chosen by the House of Representatives. [[New Zealand Parliament Buildings|Parliament]] is physically located in [[Wellington]], the capital city of New Zealand since 1865. == History == The Parliament was established by the British [[New Zealand Constitution Act 1852]] which established a [[bicameralism|bicameral]] legislature, but the upper house, the [[New Zealand Legislative Council|Legislative Council]], was abolished in [[1951]] so the legislature is now [[unicameralism|unicameral]]. Parliament received full control over all New Zealand affairs in [[1947]] with the passage of the [[Statute of Westminster Adoption Act 1947|Statute of Westminster Adoption Act]]. === Country Quota === One historical specialty of the New Zealand Parliament was the Country Quota, which gave greater representation to rural politics. From 1889 on (and even earlier in more informal forms), districts were weighted according to their urban/rural split (with any locality of less than 2,000 people considered rural). Those districts which had large rural proportions received a greater number of nominal votes than they actually contained voters - as an example, in 1927, [[Waipawa]], a district without any urban population at all, received an additional 4,153 nominal votes to its actual 14,838 - having the maximum factor of 28% extra representation. The country quota was in effect until it was abolished in 1945 by a mostly urban-elected Labour government, which went back to a one voter, one vote system.<ref name="NZHA90">''New Zealand Historical Atlas'' - McKinnon, Malcolm (Editor); [[David Bateman]], 1997, Plate 90</ref> ==Sovereignty== The New Zealand Parliament is sovereign with no institution able to over-ride its decisions. The ability of Parliament to act is, legally, unimpeded. The [[New Zealand Bill of Rights Act]] is a normal piece of legislation, it is not superior law. Parliament is limited in extending its term, deciding on who can vote, how they vote (via secret ballot), how the country should be divided into electorates, and the make up of the Representation Commission which decides on these electorates. These issues require either 75% of all MPs to support the bill or a [[Referendums in New Zealand|referendum]] on the issue. The entrenchment of these provisions was done through a normal Act of Parliament however. ==Houses == ===New Zealand House of Representatives=== [[Image:Bowen House Beehive Parliament.JPG|thumb|left|300px|[[New Zealand Parliament Buildings]] ]] {{main|New Zealand House of Representatives}} The New Zealand House of Representatives has been the New Zealand Parliament's sole chamber since [[1951]]. It is democratically elected every three years, with eighteen select committees to scrutinise legislation. ===Upper house=== The New Zealand Parliament does not have an [[upper house]]; it is [[Unicameralism|unicameral]] rather than [[Bicameralism|bicameral]]. There was an upper house up to [[1950]], and there have been occasional suggestions to create a new one. ====Legislative Council==== {{main|New Zealand Legislative Council}} The Legislative Council was intended to scrutinize and amend bills passed by the House of Representatives, although it could not initiate legislation or amend money bills. Despite occasional proposals for an elected Council, Members of the Legislative Council (MLCs) were appointed by the Governor, generally on the recommendation of the Prime Minister. At first, MLCs were appointed for life, but a term of seven years was introduced in [[1891]]. It was eventually decided that the Council was having no significant impact on New Zealand's legislative process, and the terms of its members expired on [[31 December]] [[1950]]. At the time of its abolition it had fifty-four members, including its own [[Speaker of the New Zealand Legislative Council|Speaker]]. ====Senate proposal==== The [[New Zealand National Party|National]] government of [[Jim Bolger]] proposed the establishment of an elected [[Senate]] when it came to power in [[1990]], thereby reinstating a [[bicameral]] system, and a Senate Bill was drafted. Senators would be elected by [[Single Transferable Vote|STV]], with a number of seats being reserved for [[Māori]], and would have powers similar to those of the old Legislative Council. The House of Representatives would continue to be elected by FPP. The intention was to include a question on a Senate in the second referendum on electoral reform. Voters would be asked, if they did not want a new voting system, whether or not they wanted a Senate.[http://www.cs.mu.oz.au/~lee/prsa/qn/69.html] However, following objections from the Labour opposition, which derided it as a [[Ignoratio elenchi#Red herring|red herring]], and other&nbsp;[http://www.casi.org.nz/submissions/smelref93.htm supporters of MMP], the Senate question was removed by the Select Committee on Electoral Reform, and the issue has not been pursued since. ==Passage of legislation== The New Zealand Parliament's model for passing [[Act of Parliament|Acts of Parliament]] is similar (but not identical) to that of other [[Westminster System]] governments. Laws are initially proposed in Parliament as bills. They become Acts after being approved three times by Parliamentary votes and then receiving [[Royal Assent]] from the [[Governor-General of New Zealand|Governor-General]]. The majority of bills are promulgated by the government of the day (that is, the party or parties that have a majority in Parliament). It is rare for government bills to be defeated, indeed the first to be defeated in the twentieth century was in 1998. It is also possible for individual MPs to promote their own bills, called member's bills; these are usually put forward by opposition parties, or by MPs who wish to deal with a matter that parties do not take positions on. ===House of Representatives=== {{see|New Zealand House of Representatives#Passage of legislation}} Within the House of Representatives, bills must pass through three readings and be considered by both a Select Committee and the Committee of the Whole House. ===Royal Assent=== {{see|Royal Assent#New Zealand}} If a Bill passes its third reading, it is passed by the Clerk of the House of Representatives to the Governor-General, who will (assuming constitutional conventions are followed) grant Royal Assent as a matter of course. Some constitutional lawyers, such as Professor [[Philip Joesph]], believe the Governor-General does retain the power to refuse Royal Assent to Bills in exceptional circumstances - specifically if democracy is to be abolished<ref>{{cite book|title=Constitutional and Administrative Law in New Zealand|isbn=9780864723994|author=[[Philip Joseph]]|publisher=Brookers|date=2002|edition=Second}}</ref>. Others, such as former law professor and Prime Minister Sir [[Geoffrey Palmer (politician)|Geoffrey Palmer]] and [[Matthew Palmer]] argue any refusal of Royal Assent would lead to a constitutional crisis<ref>{{cite book|title=Bridled Power: New Zealand's Constitution and Government|isbn=0195584635|author=Sir [[Geoffrey Palmer (politician)|Geoffrey Palmer]] and [[Matthew Palmer]]|publisher=Oxford University Press|date=2004|edition=Fourth}}</ref>. Refusal of Royal Assent has never occurred under any circumstances in New Zealand. Once Royal Assent has been granted, the Bill then becomes law. ==Terms of Parliament== Parliament is currently in its 48th term. {|border="2" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 95%;" width=70% |----- !Term !Elected in !Government |----- bgcolor=#EEEEEE |[[1st New Zealand Parliament|1st Parliament]] | align=center |[[New Zealand general election 1853|1853 election]] | align=center |No Parties |----- bgcolor=#EEEEEE |[[2nd New Zealand Parliament|2nd Parliament]] | align=center |[[New Zealand general election 1855|1855 election]] | align=center |No Parties |----- bgcolor=#EEEEEE |[[3rd New Zealand Parliament|3rd Parliament]] | align=center |[[New Zealand general election 1860-1861|1860 election]] | align=center |No Parties |----- bgcolor=#EEEEEE |[[4th New Zealand Parliament|4th Parliament]] | align=center |[[New Zealand general election 1866|1866 election]] | align=center |No Parties |----- bgcolor=#EEEEEE |[[5th New Zealand Parliament|5th Parliament]] | align=center |[[New Zealand general election 1871|1871 election]] | align=center |No Parties |----- bgcolor=#EEEEEE |[[6th New Zealand Parliament|6th Parliament]] | align=center |[[New Zealand general election 1875-1876|1875 election]] | align=center |No Parties |----- bgcolor=#EEEEEE |[[7th New Zealand Parliament|7th Parliament]] | align=center |[[New Zealand general election 1879|1879 election]] | align=center |No Parties |----- bgcolor=#EEEEEE |[[8th New Zealand Parliament|8th Parliament]] | align=center |[[New Zealand general election 1881|1881 election]] | align=center |No Parties |----- bgcolor=#EEEEEE |[[9th New Zealand Parliament|9th Parliament]] | align=center |[[New Zealand general election 1884|1884 election]] | align=center |No Parties |----- bgcolor=#EEEEEE |[[10th New Zealand Parliament|10th Parliament]] | align=center |[[New Zealand general election 1887|1887 election]] | align=center |No Parties |----- bgcolor=#FFFFDD |[[11th New Zealand Parliament|11th Parliament]] | align=center |[[New Zealand general election 1890|1890 election]] | align=center rowspan=7 |[[First Liberal Government of New Zealand|First Liberal]] |----- bgcolor=#FFFFDD |[[12th New Zealand Parliament|12th Parliament]] | align=center |[[New Zealand general election 1893|1893 election]] |----- bgcolor=#FFFFDD |[[13th New Zealand Parliament|13th Parliament]] | align=center |[[New Zealand general election 1896|1896 election]] |----- bgcolor=#FFFFDD |[[14th New Zealand Parliament|14th Parliament]] | align=center |[[New Zealand general election 1899|1899 election]] |----- bgcolor=#FFFFDD |[[15th New Zealand Parliament|15th Parliament]] | align=center |[[New Zealand general election 1902|1902 election]] |----- bgcolor=#FFFFDD |[[16th New Zealand Parliament|16th Parliament]] | align=center |[[New Zealand general election 1905|1905 election]] |----- bgcolor=#FFFFDD |[[17th New Zealand Parliament|17th Parliament]] | align=center |[[New Zealand general election 1908|1908 election]] |----- bgcolor=#DDFFDD |[[18th New Zealand Parliament|18th Parliament]] | align=center |[[New Zealand general election 1911|1911 election]] | align=center rowspan=5 |[[Reform Government of New Zealand|Reform]] |----- bgcolor=#DDFFDD |[[19th New Zealand Parliament|19th Parliament]] | align=center |[[New Zealand general election 1914|1914 election]] |----- bgcolor=#DDFFDD |[[20th New Zealand Parliament|20th Parliament]] | align=center |[[New Zealand general election 1919|1919 election]] |----- bgcolor=#DDFFDD |[[21st New Zealand Parliament|21st Parliament]] | align=center |[[New Zealand general election 1922|1922 election]] |----- bgcolor=#DDFFDD |[[22nd New Zealand Parliament|22nd Parliament]] | align=center |[[New Zealand general election 1925|1925 election]] |----- bgcolor=#FFFFDD |[[23rd New Zealand Parliament|23rd Parliament]] | align=center |[[New Zealand general election 1928|1928 election]] | align=center |United |----- bgcolor=#DDEEFF |[[24th New Zealand Parliament|24th Parliament]] | align=center |[[New Zealand general election 1931|1931 election]] | align=center |United-Reform Coalition |----- bgcolor=#FFE8E8 |[[25th New Zealand Parliament|25th Parliament]] | align=center |[[New Zealand general election 1935|1935 election]] | align=center rowspan=4|[[First Labour Government of New Zealand|First Labour]] |----- bgcolor=#FFE8E8 |[[26th New Zealand Parliament|26th Parliament]] | align=center |[[New Zealand general election 1938|1938 election]] |----- bgcolor=#FFE8E8 |[[27th New Zealand Parliament|27th Parliament]] | align=center |[[New Zealand general election 1943|1943 election]] |----- bgcolor=#FFE8E8 |[[28th New Zealand Parliament|28th Parliament]] | align=center |[[New Zealand general election 1946|1946 election]] |----- bgcolor=#DDEEFF |[[29th New Zealand Parliament|29th Parliament]] | align=center |[[New Zealand general election 1949|1949 election]] | align=center rowspan=3 |[[First National Government of New Zealand|First National]] |----- bgcolor=#DDEEFF |[[30th New Zealand Parliament|30th Parliament]] | align=center |[[New Zealand general election 1951|1951 election]] |----- bgcolor=#DDEEFF |[[31st New Zealand Parliament|31st Parliament]] | align=center |[[New Zealand general election 1954|1954 election]] |----- bgcolor=#FFE8E8 |[[32nd New Zealand Parliament|32nd Parliament]] | align=center |[[New Zealand general election 1957|1957 election]] | align=center |[[Second Labour Government of New Zealand|Second Labour]] |----- bgcolor=#DDEEFF |[[33rd New Zealand Parliament|33rd Parliament]] | align=center |[[New Zealand general election 1960|1960 election]] | align=center rowspan=4 |[[Second National Government of New Zealand|Second National]] |----- bgcolor=#DDEEFF |[[34th New Zealand Parliament|34th Parliament]] | align=center |[[New Zealand general election 1963|1963 election]] |----- bgcolor=#DDEEFF |[[35th New Zealand Parliament|35th Parliament]] | align=center |[[New Zealand general election 1966|1966 election]] |----- bgcolor=#DDEEFF |[[36th New Zealand Parliament|36th Parliament]] | align=center |[[New Zealand general election 1969|1969 election]] |----- bgcolor=#FFE8E8 |[[37th New Zealand Parliament|37th Parliament]] | align=center |[[New Zealand general election 1972|1972 election]] | align=center |[[Third Labour Government of New Zealand|Third Labour]] |----- bgcolor=#DDEEFF |[[38th New Zealand Parliament|38th Parliament]] | align=center |[[New Zealand general election 1975|1975 election]] | align=center rowspan=3 |[[Third National Government of New Zealand|Third National]] |----- bgcolor=#DDEEFF |[[39th New Zealand Parliament|39th Parliament]] | align=center |[[New Zealand general election 1978|1978 election]] |----- bgcolor=#DDEEFF |[[40th New Zealand Parliament|40th Parliament]] | align=center |[[New Zealand general election 1981|1981 election]] |----- bgcolor=#FFE8E8 |[[41st New Zealand Parliament|41st Parliament]] | align=center |[[New Zealand general election 1984|1984 election]] | align=center rowspan=2 |[[Fourth Labour Government of New Zealand|Fourth Labour]] |----- bgcolor=#FFE8E8 |[[42nd New Zealand Parliament|42nd Parliament]] | align=center |[[New Zealand general election 1987|1987 election]] |----- bgcolor=#DDEEFF |[[43rd New Zealand Parliament|43rd Parliament]] | align=center |[[New Zealand general election 1990|1990 election]] | align=center rowspan=2|[[Fourth National Government of New Zealand|Fourth National]] |----- bgcolor=#DDEEFF |[[44th New Zealand Parliament|44th Parliament]] | align=center |[[New Zealand general election 1993|1993 election]] |----- bgcolor=#DDEEFF |[[45th New Zealand Parliament|45th Parliament]] | align=center |[[New Zealand general election 1996|1996 election]] | align=center |Fourth National (in coalition) |----- bgcolor=#FFE8E8 |[[46th New Zealand Parliament|46th Parliament]] | align=center |[[New Zealand general election 1999|1999 election]] | align=center rowspan=3 |[[Fifth Labour Government of New Zealand|Fifth Labour (in coalition)]] |----- bgcolor=#FFE8E8 |[[47th New Zealand Parliament|47th Parliament]] | align=center |[[New Zealand general election 2002|2002 election]] |----- bgcolor=#FFE8E8 |[[48th New Zealand Parliament|48th Parliament]] | align=center |[[New Zealand general election 2005|2005 election]] |} ==See also== * [[New Zealand Parliament Buildings]] * [[New Zealand constitution|Constitution of New Zealand]] * [[Independence of New Zealand]] ==External links== * [http://www.parliament.nz Parliament of New Zealand] * [http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/gallery/672 Images from around Parliament Buildings] ==References== {{reflist}} <br/>{{New Zealand topics}} <!--Categories--> [[Category:New Zealand Parliament| ]] [[Category:Constitution of New Zealand]] [[Category:Parliaments by country|New Zealand]] <!--Other languages--> [[de:Neuseeländisches Parlament]] [[el:Κοινοβούλιο της Νέας Ζηλανδίας]] [[es:Parlamento de Nueva Zelanda]] [[fr:Parlement de Nouvelle-Zélande]] [[ru:Парламент Новой Зеландии]]