The House of Representatives is the sole chamber of the New Zealand Parliament. The House passes laws, provides ministers to form the Cabinet, and supervises the work of government. It is also responsible for adopting the state's budgets and approving the state's accounts.
The House of Representatives is a democratic body consisting of representatives known as members of parliament (MPs). There are normally 120 MPs, though there are currently 123 due to overhang seats. Elections take place usually every three years using a mixed-member proportional representation system, which combines first-past-the-post elected seats with closed party lists. 72 MPs are elected directly in single-member electoral districts and further seats are filled by list MPs based on each party's share of the party vote. A government may be formed from the single party or coalition of parties that has the support of a majority of MPs. If no majority is possible, a minority government can be formed with a confidence and supply arrangement. If a government is unable to maintain the confidence of the House then an early general election can be called.
The House of Representatives was created by the New Zealand Constitution Act 1852 (effective 1853), an act of the British Parliament, which established a bicameral legislature; the upper chamber, the Legislative Council, was abolished in 1950. Parliament received full control over all New Zealand affairs in 1947 with the passage of the Statute of Westminster Adoption Act. The debating chamber of the House of Representatives is located inside Parliament House in Wellington, the capital city. Sittings of the House are usually open to the public, but the House may at any time vote to sit in private. Proceedings are broadcast through Parliament TV and the AM Network.
Constitutional function
The New Zealand House of Representatives takes the British House of Commons as its model. The New Zealand Parliament is based, in practice, on the Westminster system (that is, the procedures of the British Parliament). As a democratic institution, the primary role of the House of Representatives is to provide representation for the people and to pass legislation on behalf of the people (see § Passage of legislation).
The House of Representatives also plays an important role in responsible government. The New Zealand Government (that is, the executive), directed by the Cabinet, draws its membership exclusively from the House. A government is formed when a party or coalition can show that it has the "confidence" of the House, meaning the support of a majority of members of parliament. This can involve making agreements among several parties. Some may join a coalition government, while others may stay outside the government but agree to support it on confidence votes. The prime minister (leader of the government) is answerable to, and must maintain the support of, the House of Representatives; thus, whenever the office of prime minister falls vacant, the governor-general appoints the person who is most likely to command the support of the House. If the House of Representatives loses confidence in the Cabinet, and therefore in the government, then it can dissolve the government if a vote of no-confidence is passed.
Members and elections
The House of Representatives normally consists of 120 members, who bear the title "Member of Parliament" (MP). They were previously known as "Members of the House of Representatives" (MHRs) until the passing of the Parliamentary and Executive Titles Act 1907 when New Zealand became a Dominion, and even earlier as "Members of the General Assembly" (MGAs).
All MPs are democratically elected, and usually enter the House following a general election. Once sworn in, MPs normally continue to serve until the next dissolution of parliament and subsequent general election, which must take place at least every three years. Early general elections (sometimes termed "snap elections") are possible at the discretion of the prime minister, especially if a minority government is unable to retain the confidence of the House. Members who change their party allegiance during a term—known as "waka-jumping"—may be expelled from the House. Members may also be expelled in cases of criminal activity or other serious misconduct. Some expulsions have been challenged through the courts. Casual vacancies in electorates are filled through by-elections; if a list member's seat becomes vacant then the next available person on their party's list is appointed to the position. List MPs are free to stand in electorate by-elections and in the case of successful contest their own seat will be filled 'in turn'.
To be an MP a person must be a New Zealand citizen (by birth or naturalisation) at the time of the election and not be disqualified from enrolling to vote; unlike certain other countries, bankruptcy is not grounds for disqualification from office. Party list candidates are always nominated by political parties.
The annual salary of each MP has been $168,600 since October 2023, and members may receive additional salaries in right of other offices they hold (for instance, the speaker, whips, and chairpersons of select committees) as recognised by Remuneration Authority determinations. MPs' pay is rather more than double average weekly earnings, which in 2023 were $1,558 ($81,239 per annum). In 1930 it was said, "politics represent sacrifice to the best anti-Labour candidates", at a time when MPs were paid £550, also a bit more than double the average male wage of £4 12s a week (£240 per annum).
Number of members The House started with 37 members in 1854, with numbers progressively increasing to 95 by 1882, before being reduced to 74 in 1891. Numbers slowly increased again to 99 by 1993. In 1996 numbers increased to at least 120 with the introduction of MMP elections (i.e. 120 plus any overhang seats; there has been at least one overhang seat in five of the 10 MMP elections held since 1996). The year in which each change in the number of members took effect is shown in the following table.
YearNumber of seats 1854 37"Proclamation (from the Government Gazette, March 10)". New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian. 12 March 1853. p. 3. 1860 41Electoral Districts Act 1858 1861 53Representation Act 1860 1863 57Representation Act 1862 1866 70Representation Act 1865 1868 74Maori Representation Act 1867 1871 78Representation Act 1870 1876 88Representation Act 1875 1882 95Representation Act 1881 1891 74Representation Acts Amendment Act 1887 1902 80Representation Act 1900 1970 841 1973 871 1976 922 1984 952 1987 972 1993 992 1996 120 + any overhang seatsElectoral Act 1993 Table notes 1 The total number of seats from 1969 to 1975 was calculated by the formula stated in the Electoral Amendment Act 1965: 4M+(PN/(PS/25)) where: 4M = 4 Māori seats; PN = European population of the North Island; PS = European population of the South Island.Electoral Amendment Act 1965
2 The total number of seats from 1976 to 1995 was calculated by the formula stated in the Electoral Amendment Act 1975: (PM/(PS/25))+(PN/(PS/25)) where: PM = Māori population; PN = European population of the North Island; PS = European population of the South Island.Electoral Amendment Act 1975
Electoral system
Voting is not compulsory, but voter turnout is high compared to other democratic countries. Universal suffrage exists for those 18 or older; New Zealand citizens and others who are permanently residing in New Zealand are usually eligible to vote. New Zealand was the first self-governing nation to enfranchise women, starting from the .Else, Anne; ed. (1993). Women Together A History of Women's Organizations in New Zealand. Wellington: Daphne Brasell. There are a few disqualifications; for example, mentally-impaired persons detained in hospital and prisoners sentenced to a term of over three years are ineligible to vote.
Parliamentary elections are conducted by secret ballot—for European New Zealanders since and Māori seats since . Almost all general elections between and were held under the first-past-the-post voting system, with the exception of the 1908 and 1911 elections, which used a two-round system. Since , a form of proportional representation called mixed-member proportional (MMP) has been used. Under the MMP system each person has two votes; one is for electorate seats (including some reserved for Māori), and the other is for a party. there are 72 electorate seats (which includes seven Māori electorates), and the remaining 48 seats are apportioned (from party lists) so that representation in parliament reflects the party vote, although a party has to win one electorate or 5 percent of the total party vote before it is eligible for these seats. After the introduction of proportional representation, no single party won an outright majority until the 2020 election when Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern led the Labour Party to win 65 of the 120 seats.
Last election and current composition The 2023 general election was the most recent, and the 54th New Zealand Parliament first sat on 5 December 2023. It consists of 123 members, representing six parliamentary parties. Of these current MPs, 54 () are women—the second-highest number since women were first allowed to stand for Parliament in , after the high of 61 () achieved during the term of the 53rd parliament.
Based on British tradition, the longest continuously serving member in the House holds the unofficial title "father [or mother] of the House". The current Father of the House is Gerry Brownlee, the current speaker, who has served continuously since . He became the Father of the House following the departure of former speaker Trevor Mallard, who had served in the House since . The current Mother of the House, as the longest continuously serving female MP, is Judith Collins who was first elected in 2002.
Officials and officers
The House of Representatives elects one of its members as a presiding officer, known as the speaker of the House, at the beginning of each new parliamentary term, and also whenever a vacancy arises. It is the speaker's role to apply the rules of the House (called the Standing Orders), and oversee procedures and the day-to-day operation of the chamber. The speaker responds to points of order from other members of the House. When presiding, the speaker is obliged to remain impartial. Additionally, since 1992, the House elects a deputy speaker from amongst its members; the deputy may preside when the speaker is absent. Up to two assistants are also appointed from amongst the members of the House.
Several political party-based roles are filled by elected MPs. The prime minister is the leader of the largest government party and leads the government's contribution to major debates in the House. The leader of the Official Opposition is the MP who leads the largest opposition party. The leader of the House is an MP appointed by the prime minister to arrange government business and the legislative programme of Parliament. Whips (called musterers by the Green Party) are organisers and administrators of the MPs in each of the political parties in the House. The whips make sure that members of their caucus are in the House during crucial votes.
Officers of the House who are not MPs include the clerk of the House, the deputy clerk, the chief parliamentary counsel (a lawyer who helps to draft bills), and several other junior clerks. These are non-partisan roles. The most senior of these officers is the clerk of the House, who is responsible for several key administrative tasks, such as "advising members on the rules, practices and customs of the House".