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New Zealand - Government

New Zealand has a parliamentary system of government closely patterned on that of the United Kingdom and is a fully independent member of the Commonwealth. It has no written constitution.

New Zealand’s central government is formed from a democratically elected House of Representatives. The Government advises New Zealand’s head of state, Queen Elizabeth II (the Sovereign). The Queen is the source of all executive legal authority in New Zealand but acts on the advice of the Government in all but the most exceptional circumstances. This system is known as a constitutional monarchy. The Queen is represented in New Zealand by a Governor General.

Parliament consists of the House of Representatives and the Sovereign. The principal functions of Parliament are to enact laws and to hold the Government to account over its policies, actions and spending. Since 1996 members of Parliament have been elected using the Mixed Member Proportional representation system. There are currently eight political parties with parliamentary representation. The unicameral parliament (House of Representatives) usually has 120 seats, seven of which currently are reserved for Maori elected on a separate Maori roll. However, Maori also may run for, and have been elected to, non-reserved seats. Parliaments are elected for a maximum term of 3 years, although elections can be called sooner.

Executive authority is vested in a cabinet led by the prime minister, who is the leader of the political party or coalition of parties holding the majority of seats in parliament. All cabinet ministers must be members of parliament and are collectively responsible to it.

The judiciary consists of the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, High Courts, and District Courts. New Zealand law has three principal sources--English common law, certain statutes of the U.K. Parliament enacted before 1947, and statutes of the New Zealand parliament. In interpreting common law, the courts have been concerned with preserving uniformity with common law as interpreted in the United Kingdom.

Local government in New Zealand has only the powers conferred upon it by parliament. The country's 12 regional councils are directly elected, set their own tax rates, and have a chairperson elected by their members. Regional council responsibilities include environmental management, regional aspects of civil defense, and transportation planning.

New Zealand has a system of local government comprising 74 "territorial authorities"--15 city councils, 58 district councils in rural areas, and one county council for the Chatham Islands--are directly elected, raise local taxes at rates they themselves set, and are headed by popularly elected mayors. The territorial authorities may delegate powers to local community boards. These boards, instituted at the behest either local citizens or territorial authorities, advocate community views but cannot levy taxes, appoint staff, or own property.

Due to devolved decision-making, local authorities are largely independent of the central executive government. Local authorities fall into two main tiers: regional councils and territorial authorities (city and district councils). They have their own sources of income independent of central government, derived from taxes on land and property and council-owned enterprises.

The purpose of the Local Government Act 2002 is for local government to promote the social, economic, environmental and cultural well-being of communities and to enable democratic decision-making. A sustainable development approach and community planning are cornerstones of the Local Government Act. This Act requires local authorities to consult communities on their desired outcomes and prepare long-term Council Community Plans. The activities of local government include the provision of utility services, recreational assets, transportation services, and land and resource management.

Local authorities have the primary responsibility for regulating resource use in New Zealand. The mandate for this derives from a range of legislation, but in particular the Resource Management Act 1991. This Act integrated the provisions of more than 75 earlier laws and is founded on the principle of sustainable management of natural and physical resources. The Resource Management Act has undergone several reviews and amendments to keep up with changing needs and circumstances.