• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

New Zealand - Political Parties

Since 1996, New Zealand has operated under the "Mixed Member Proportional" (MMP) system. Prior to 1996, New Zealand's voting system was the simple plurality, winner-takes-all voting system. In 1993, the then-National Government, bending to a growing public desire to move away from the plurality voting system, held a binding referendum in conjunction with the general election that year on whether to change the 1993 Electoral Act in order to establish a MMP system. The pro-MMP vote won by a comfortable margin, 54 percent to 46 percent.

Under MMP, each voter casts two votes, one for a local electorate MP (a constituency seat), and one for a political party. Prior to the election, each party submits a rank-order listing of its proportional candidates. Each registered party's total number of party votes decides its share of seats in Parliament. A person can be a "dual candidate" by standing for an electorate seat as well as being on the party list. A dual candidate who wins an electorate seat has his or her name deleted from the party list, and replaced by a lower ranked name.

In order to gain a share of Parliament seats, a party must first qualify either by winning at least five percent of all the party votes cast, or by winning at least one electorate (constituency) seat. Each qualified party is allocated enough party vote (list) seats to add to any electorate seats it has won so that its total number of seats is close to its share of all the eligible party votes cast. Parties fill their list seats by drawing off the allocated number of candidates in the order in which they appear on the party's list, and voters cannot change that order. The MPs chosen in this way are called list MPs.

Each party holds seats in the Parliament in proportion to its party vote, not the number of electorates it wins. If a party, usually a minor party, wins more local electoral seats than its percentage of the proportional vote, this makes it impossible for another party, usually a large party such a Labour or National, to hold the number of seats it should according to proportional principles within the original 120-seat Parliament. The solution is overhang. The Electoral Commission determines how many seats need to be added to 120 so that each party has no fewer seats than its proportional vote. These extra seats are the overhang. The overhang is a contentious issue because the greater the overhang, the higher the majority needed for a party to form a Government.

The New Zealand National Party (National Party) was the largest partner in the National-led Government. It had 59 members of Parliament. The New Zealand National Party was established in 1936 from the Reform-United Coalition. The party first entered Parliament that same year. The party has been in five Governments: 1949–1957, 1960–1972, 1975–1984, 1990–1999, and 2008- . The National Party seeks a safe, prosperous and successful New Zealand that creates opportunities for all New Zealanders to reach their personal goals and dreams. It believes this will be achieved by building a society based on the following values: Loyalty to country, its democratic principles and the Sovereign as Head of State; National and personal security; Equal citizenship and equal opportunity; Individual freedom and choice; Personal responsibility; Competitive enterprise and rewards for achievement; Limited government; Strong families and caring communities; and Sustainable development of the environment.

The New Zealand Labour Party was established in 1916 and first entered Parliament in 1919. The party has been in five Governments: 1935-1949, 1957-1960, 1972-1975, 1984-1990, and 1999-2008. The Fifth Labour Government maintained a commitment to strengthening the economy, supporting families, funding the very best education and health systems possible, supporting older New Zealanders, supporting the Maori renaissance which is such a strength to the country, and valuing the contribution of Pasifika, Asian, and all other peoples who now call New Zealand home.

The Greens, The Green Party of Aotearoa / New Zealand, first registered with the Electoral Commission in August 1995 and entered Parliament in 1995. The party has not been in Government. The Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand accepts Te Tiriti o Waitangi as the founding document of Aotearoa New Zealand; recognises Maori as Tangata Whenua in Aotearoa New Zealand. The basis of ecological wisdom is that human beings are part of the natural world. This world is finite, therefore unlimited material growth is impossible. Ecological sustainability is paramount. Non-violent conflict resolution is the process by which ecological wisdom, social responsibility and appropriate decision making will be implemented. This principle applies at all levels.

New Zealand First [NZ First] registered with the Electoral Commission in December 1994. The party first entered Parliament that same year. NZ First has been in one Government from 1996–1998. The Rt Hon Winston Peters was a Minister outside Cabinet in the Labour-led coalition 2005-2008. The party’s vision is to put New Zealanders first through enlightened economic and social policies, by controlling our own resources and by restoring faith in the democratic process.

The Maori Party registered with the Electoral Commission in July 2004 and first entered Parliament the same year on a by-election. The Maori Party had an agreement with the National-led government (2008-2011) and the co-leaders were Ministers outside Cabinet. With a further agreement for this Parliament, the Hon Tariana Turia and Hon Dr Pita Sharples are Ministers outside Cabinet in the National-led government from December 2011. The Maori Party is for all citizens of this country. The party’s founding was an initiative of Maori, te kakano i ruia mai i Rangiatea, for the benefit of all citizens of this land. The party’s policies and practices derive from kaupapa tuku iho that are values that provide for the wellbeing of all and are in a constant state of enrichment and refinement as insights are gathered from new experiences and discoveries. The party’s vision is of a nation of cultural diversity and richness where its unity is underpinned by the expression of tangata whenua-tanga by Maori, Te kakano i ruia mai i Rangiatea and the party’s commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi as the founding document of this nation and to its whakapapa is steadfast.

Mana formed in May 2011. The party registered with the Electoral Commission in June 2011 and first entered Parliament that same year on a by-election. Mana emerged from hui all over the country and from a competition to find a name that best describes the personal authority that people have to make our society one we can all be proud of, and the commitment it takes to make that happen. Mana is a concept that all New Zealanders are familiar with. Mana is the principle of independence recognised in Te Whakaputanga o Te Rangatiratanga o Nui Tireni. Mana embodies the principle of authority confirmed in Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Mana includes the principle of autonomy that is the driver behind Mana Motuhake.

United Future formed in 2000 after a merger of Future New Zealand (formerly the Christian Democrats) and the United Party. The party registered with the Electoral Commission in December 2001 and first entered Parliament that same year. United Future promotes a fair, democratic and open society, founded on the rule of law, integrity and justice. We are committed to the fundamental values of respect for life, liberty, equality and community.

Since the MMP system was introduced in 1996, there has never been a majority government (where one party holds the majority of seats in Parliament thereby allowing it to govern alone without a coalition with other parties). Since 1996, New Zealand has only ever had coalition governments (where one of the two major parties makes an informal agreement with one or more parties).

In order to form a Government under MMP, one party or bloc of parties must command a majority of the votes in the House of Representatives. When a majority is secured, a government is formed and the leader of the biggest party becomes Prime Minister (although formally the Prime Minister is selected by the Governor General). In past MMP elections, the post-election periods have been a contest between the two major parties, Labour and National, to be the first to secure enough minor party support to form a governing majority. The post-election negotiating period does not normally last more than couple of weeks.

The Labour-led governing arrangement was a coalition government formed with New Zealand First, United Future and the Progressive Party. The New Zealand National Party was the principal partner in the National-led Government. In 2011 the National Party made a confidence and supply agreement with ACT, a relationship accord and confidence and supply agreement with the Maori Party, and a confidence and supply agreement with United Future.

Many minor parties rely on MMP for their place in Parliament. In most MMP elections, there is usually a smaller party playing the role as kingmaker. Its decision to support one of the two main parties essentially decides the next government. Many New Zealanders are not comfortable with the hidden deals with minor parties that characterize MMP governments. There is some public anxiety that small parties are able to wield a disproportionate amount of, sometimes radical, influence on policy agendas. In a 2008 newspaper opinion piece, former New Zealand Prime Minister Mike Moore (Labour) criticized MMP as an "inherently unstable" electoral system which produces "squalid and sordid" post-election deals.