Fifth National Government of New Zealand

The Fifth National Government of New Zealand is the current government of New Zealand

Governments of New Zealand

The Government of New Zealand , formally Her Majesty's Government in New Zealand, is based on the Westminster system of responsible government...

. It is led by Prime Minister John Key

John Key

John Phillip Key is the 38th Prime Minister of New Zealand, in office since 2008. He has led the New Zealand National Party since 2006....

.

After the 2008 general election

New Zealand general election, 2008

The 2008 New Zealand general election was held on 8 November 2008 to determine the composition of the 49th New Zealand parliament. The conservative National Party, headed by its Parliamentary leader John Key, won a plurality of votes and seats, ending 9 years of government dominated by the social...

the National Party

New Zealand National Party

The New Zealand National Party is the largest party in the New Zealand House of Representatives and in November 2008 formed a minority government with support from three minor parties.-Policies:...

and its allies were able to form a government, taking over from Helen Clark

Helen Clark

Helen Elizabeth Clark, ONZ is a New Zealand political figure who was the 37th Prime Minister of New Zealand for three consecutive terms from 1999 to 2008...

's Fifth Labour Government

Fifth Labour Government of New Zealand

The Fifth Labour Government of New Zealand was the government of New Zealand between 10 December 1999 and 19 November 2008.-Overview:The fourth National government, in power since 1990, was widely unpopular by 1999, with much of the public antagonised by a series of free-market economic reforms,...

. The National party holds 58 seats in the current Parliament of New Zealand

Parliament of New Zealand

The Parliament of New Zealand consists of the Queen of New Zealand and the New Zealand House of Representatives and, until 1951, the New Zealand Legislative Council. The House of Representatives is often referred to as "Parliament".The House of Representatives usually consists of 120 Members of...

. The Government has confidence and supply agreements with the Act, United Future and Māori Parties

Maori Party

The Māori Party, a political party in New Zealand, was formed on 7 July 2004. The Party is guided by eight constitutional "kaupapa", or Party objectives. Tariana Turia formed the Māori Party after resigning from the Labour Party where she had been a Cabinet Minister in the Fifth Labour-led...

, which gives the Government a significant majority on major legislation. The National Party has also signed a memorandum of understanding

Memorandum of understanding

A memorandum of understanding is a document describing a bilateral or multilateral agreement between parties. It expresses a convergence of will between the parties, indicating an intended common line of action. It is often used in cases where parties either do not imply a legal commitment or in...

with the Green Party

Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand

The Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand is a political party that has seats in the New Zealand parliament. It focuses firstly on environmentalism, arguing that all other aspects of humanity will cease to be of concern if there is no environment to sustain it...

Economic

The Government was elected in the context of the late 2000s recession

Late 2000s recession

The late-2000s recession, sometimes referred to as the Great Recession or Lesser Depression or Long Recession, is a severe ongoing global economic problem that began in December 2007 and took a particularly sharp downward turn in September 2008. The Great Recession has affected the entire world...

The Fifth Labour Government's Emissions Trading Scheme
Climate Change Response (Emissions Trading) Amendment Act 2008
The Climate Change Response Amendment Act 2008 was a statute enacted in September 2008 by the Fifth Labour Government of New Zealand that established the first version of the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme, a national all-sectors all-greenhouse gases uncapped emissions trading...

was delayed and the Emissions Trading Scheme Review Committee
Emissions Trading Scheme Review Committee
The Emissions Trading Scheme Review Committee was a special committee of the Parliament of New Zealand which conducted a review of the Fifth Labour Government's Emissions Trading Scheme between December 2008 and late August 2009.-Background:...

was set up to review it in accordance with the coalition agreement with the ACT Party.
Personal tax cuts.
Increased GST from 12.5% to 15%.
Increased the minimum wage from $12.50 per hour to $13 per hour.
Suspended payments to the New Zealand Superannuation Fund
New Zealand Superannuation Fund
The New Zealand Superannuation Fund is a sovereign wealth fund in New Zealand. New Zealand currently provides universal superannuation for people over 65 years of age and the purpose of the Fund is to partially pre-fund the future cost of the New Zealand Superannuation pension, which is expected to...

.
Introduced the nine day working fortnight for businesses who were considering laying off staff.
Capped employers contributions to KiwiSaver
KiwiSaver
The KiwiSaver scheme is a New Zealand voluntary long-term savings scheme which came into operation from Monday, 2 July 2007. The main purpose of the KiwiSaver fund is for retirement savings....

at 2%, the amount was due to increase to 4% by 2011. Employees now have the option to contribute as little as 2% of their income to Kiwisaver where previously the smallest contribution amount was 4%.

Constitutional

Repealed the Electoral Finance Act 2007
Introduced the Governor-General Act 2010
Governor-General Act 2010
The Governor-General Act 2010 is an Act of the New Zealand Parliament. It reformed the Governor-General of New Zealand's financial programme.- Background :...

, to reform the Governor-General
Governor-General of New Zealand
The Governor-General of New Zealand is the representative of the monarch of New Zealand . The Governor-General acts as the Queen's vice-regal representative in New Zealand and is often viewed as the de facto head of state....

's salary and allowances.
A second referendum in 2011
New Zealand voting method referendum, 2011
The New Zealand voting system referendum, 2011, was a referendum on whether to keep the existing mixed member proportional voting system, or to change to another voting system, for electing Members of Parliament to New Zealand's House of Representatives...

on electoral reform
Electoral reform in New Zealand
Electoral reform in New Zealand has, in recent years, become a political issue as major changes have been made to both Parliamentary and local government electoral systems.- Parliamentary Electoral Reform :...

.
A Constitutional Review (as part of confidence and supply agreement with the Māori Party
Maori Party
The Māori Party, a political party in New Zealand, was formed on 7 July 2004. The Party is guided by eight constitutional "kaupapa", or Party objectives. Tariana Turia formed the Māori Party after resigning from the Labour Party where she had been a Cabinet Minister in the Fifth Labour-led...

) starting in 2011.

Social Policy

Introduced the 90 day working bill in December 2008 which allowed employers with less than 20 staff to sack an employee within the first 90 days of employment for no particular reason. In 2010 the bill was extended to all employers.
Allowed employees to cash in their fourth week of annual leave, employees can now take 3 weeks holiday and be paid for the fourth while still working. The fourth week of annual leave was introduced by the previous government.
A lifetime limit on student loans was introduced: if a student has studied more than 7 EFTS within their lifetime the student can no longer take out any further loans. Students receiving New Zealand Superannuation or Veterans Pension can no longer receive the Student Allowance at the same time. Students are now required to pass more than half of their studies each year to receive a Student Loan or Allowance the following year, previously this requirement only affected the Student Allowance.

National identity

Restored titles ('Sir' and 'Dame') in the New Zealand honours system.
Officially ended appointments to the Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...

, which would have meant that no new designations of "The Right Honourable
The Right Honourable
The Right Honourable is an honorific prefix that is traditionally applied to certain people in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the Anglophone Caribbean and other Commonwealth Realms, and occasionally elsewhere...

" would be made, and that instead minsters will be known simply as "The Honorable". However on 2 August 2010 it was announced by the Queen of New Zealand that those appointed to offices of Governor-General, Prime Minister, Speaker, and Chief Justice would be given the title "The Right Honourable" for life, "to preserve an important mark of distinction for the holder's of the nation's highest public offices". Prime Minister John Key said "he appreciated the title" and also stated "Her Majesty believes it is appropriate also to acknowledge the service of the Governor-General, the Queen's representative in New Zealand, the Speaker, the highest officer in the House of Representatives, and the Chief Justice, the head of the judicial branch of government".

Local government

Merged four city councils, three district councils and the Auckland Regional Council
Auckland Regional Council
The Auckland Regional Council was the regional council of the Auckland Region. Its predecessor the Auckland Regional Authority was formed in 1963 and became the ARC in 1989...

into one unitary "Super City
Auckland Council
The Auckland Council is the council for the Auckland Region in New Zealand. It began operating on 1 November 2010, combining the functions of the existing regional council and the region's seven previous city and district councils into one "super council" or "super city" governed by a mayor, 20...

", on recommendations by the Royal Commission
Royal Commission on Auckland Governance
The Royal Commission on Auckland Governance was established by the New Zealand Government to investigate the local government arrangements of Auckland....

Sacking of Environment Canterbury's Councillors and replacement by expert commissioners appointed by the National Government. Postponement of elections in 2010
New Zealand local elections, 2010
The 2010 New Zealand local elections were triennial elections to select local government officials and district health board members. All elections are conducted by postal ballot, with election day being Saturday 9 October 2010.Elected were:...

for Environment Canterbury councillors with elections pending in 2013 in order to ensure a Water Management Plan for Christchurch would be created.

Electoral results

The following table shows the total votes* for National, plus parties supporting the National-led government. For more details of electoral results, see the relevant election articles.

Election	Parliament	Seats*	Total votes*	Percentage	Seats won*	Majority
2008 New Zealand general election, 2008 The 2008 New Zealand general election was held on 8 November 2008 to determine the composition of the 49th New Zealand parliament. The conservative National Party, headed by its Parliamentary leader John Key, won a plurality of votes and seats, ending 9 years of government dominated by the social...	49th 49th New Zealand Parliament The 49th New Zealand Parliament was elected at the 2008 election. It consists of 122 members, including an overhang of two seats caused by the Māori Party having won two more electorate seats than its share of the party vote would otherwise have given it. The Parliament will serve from 2008 until...	122	1,215,371	51.84%	69	8

* 'Votes' means party votes only. 'Seats' means both list and electorate seats.

Following the 2008 election, National gained support on matters of confidence and supply from ACT, the Māori Party
Maori Party
The Māori Party, a political party in New Zealand, was formed on 7 July 2004. The Party is guided by eight constitutional "kaupapa", or Party objectives. Tariana Turia formed the Māori Party after resigning from the Labour Party where she had been a Cabinet Minister in the Fifth Labour-led...

and United Future.

Prime Minister

John Key

John Phillip Key is the 38th Prime Minister of New Zealand, in office since 2008. He has led the New Zealand National Party since 2006....

has been Prime Minister

Prime Minister of New Zealand

The Prime Minister of New Zealand is New Zealand's head of government consequent on being the leader of the party or coalition with majority support in the Parliament of New Zealand...

since the government was elected in the 2008 elections

New Zealand general election, 2008

Cabinet Ministers

Ministry	Minister	Term(s)
Deputy Prime Minister Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand The Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand is second most senior officer in the Government of New Zealand, although this seniority does not necessarily translate into power....	Bill English Bill English Simon William "Bill" English is the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Finance and Minister of Infrastructure of New Zealand.English entered parliament in 1990 as a National party MP representing the Wallace electorate...	2008 -
Minister of Finance Minister of Finance (New Zealand) The Minister of Finance is a senior figure within the government of New Zealand. The position is often considered to be the most important Cabinet role after that of the Prime Minister....		2008 -
Minister for Economic Development	Gerry Brownlee Gerry Brownlee Gerard Anthony "Gerry" Brownlee is a New Zealand politician. He served from 17 November 2003 to 27 November 2006 as deputy-leader of the National Party – during that period the second-largest party in the New Zealand Parliament, and thus forming the core of the Opposition...	2008 -
Minister of Justice Minister of Justice (New Zealand) The Minister of Justice is a minister in the government of New Zealand. The minister has responsibility for the formulation of justice policy and for the administration of law courts....	Simon Power Simon Power Simon James Power is a New Zealand politician. He is a prominent member of the National Party and a cabinet minister. He currently holds the posts of Minister of Justice, Minister for State Owned Enterprises, Minister of Commerce, Minister Responsible for the Law Commission andAssociate Minister...	2008 -
Minister of Health Minister of Health (New Zealand) The Minister of Health is a minister in the government of New Zealand with responsibility for the New Zealand Ministry of Health and the District Health Boards.The present Minister is Tony Ryall, a member of the National Party.-History:...	Tony Ryall Tony Ryall Anthony Boyd Williams "Tony" Ryall is New Zealand politician. He has represented voters and the National Party in the New Zealand Parliament since 1990. Since November 2008 he has served as a cabinet minister, holding the posts of Minister of Health and Minister of State Services...	2008 -
Minister for the Environment	Nick Smith Nick Smith (New Zealand) Nicolas Rex "Nick" Smith is a New Zealand politician and a member of the New Zealand Parliament as a National Party MP...	2008 -
Minister of Police	Judith Collins Judith Collins Judith Anne Collins is a New Zealand National Party politician and a lawyer. She is a front bench Cabinet minister with the portfolios of Police, Corrections and Veterans' Affairs in the Fifth National Government....	2008 -
Minister of Education Minister of Education (New Zealand) The Minister of Education is a minister in the government of New Zealand with responsibility for the country's schools, and is in charge of the Ministry of Education.The present Minister is Anne Tolley, a member of the National Party.-History:...	Anne Tolley Anne Tolley Anne Merrilyn Tolley is a politician representing the New Zealand National Party. With the formation of the Fifth National Government in late 2008, she became the Minister of Education, the first woman ever to assume the role.Tolley is the Member for the East Coast electorate, representing...	2008 -
Attorney-General Attorney-General (New Zealand) The Attorney-General is a political office in New Zealand. It is simultaneously a ministerial position and an administrative office, and has responsibility for supervising New Zealand law and advising the government on legal matters...	Christopher Finlayson	2008 -
Minister of Agriculture	David Carter David Carter (politician) David Cunningham Carter is a New Zealand politician, currently a government cabinet minister. He is a member of the National Party.-Early life:...	2008 -
Minister of Foreign Affairs Minister of Foreign Affairs (New Zealand) The Minister of Foreign Affairs is a major ministerial portfolio in the government of New Zealand.The current Minister of Foreign Affairs is Murray McCully, who was National Party Spokeperson of Foreign Affairs and Shadow Minister of Foreign Affairs. There are also Associate Minister roles...	Murray McCully Murray McCully Murray Stuart McCully is a New Zealand politician. He is a member of the National Party, and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister for Sport and Recreation, and Minister for the Rugby World Cup.-Early life:...	2008 -
Minister of Trade	Tim Groser Tim Groser Timothy John Groser is a current New Zealand politician and former diplomat.-Early years:He was born in Perth, Scotland and came to New Zealand with his parents in 1958...	2008 -
Minister of Defence	Wayne Mapp Wayne Mapp Wayne Daniel Mapp is a New Zealand politician, representing the National Party in the New Zealand Parliament. He has served as the MP for the North Shore electorate since the 1996 elections. Before entering politics, he lectured in commercial law at University of Auckland.-Early years:He gained...	2008 -
Minister of Transport	Steven Joyce Steven Joyce Steven Leonard Joyce is a New Zealand politician, who entered the New Zealand House of Representatives in 2008 as a member of the New Zealand National Party...	2008 -
Minister for Courts	Georgina te Heuheu Georgina Te Heuheu Georgina Manunui te Heuheu QSO is a Māori descent of Tūhoe, Tūwharetoa, Te Arawa and Ngāti Awa. MP in the New Zealand National Party and a Cabinet Minister in the New Zealand Government.-Early life:...	2008 -
Minister for Social Development	Paula Bennett Paula Bennett Paula Lee Bennett is a New Zealand politician and member of parliament for the National Party. She is a Cabinet minister with the roles of Minister for Social Development and Employment, Minister for Disability Issues and Minister of Youth Affairs.-Early life:Bennett was born in 1969 to Bob...	2008 -
Minister of Fisheries	Phil Heatley	2008 -
Minister for Ethnic Affairs	Pansy Wong Pansy Wong Pansy Yu Fong Wong is a former New Zealand politician. She was New Zealand's first Asian MP, serving as a member of parliament for the National Party from 1996 to 2011...	2008 - 2010
Minister for Ethnic Affairs	Hekia Parata, Lady Gardiner Hekia Parata Hon. Hekia Parata, Lady Gardiner is a New Zealand politician and member of the New Zealand House of Representatives, having been elected to parliament in the 2008 general election...	2011-
Minister of Immigration	Jonathan Coleman	2008 -
Minister of Labour	Kate Wilkinson Kate Wilkinson (politician) Catherine Joan "Kate" Wilkinson is a New Zealand politician, and currently serves as a member of Parliament.- Biography :...	2008 -

Ministers outside Cabinet

Ministry	Minister	Term(s)
Minister of Customs	Maurice Williamson Maurice Williamson Maurice Donald Williamson is a New Zealand politician, representing Pakuranga in the House of Representatives as a member of the National Party...	2008 -
Minister of Internal Affairs	Richard Worth Richard Worth Richard Westwood Worth, OBE, VRD, KStJ is a former New Zealand politician. He was a member of the National Party parliamentary caucus until he resigned on Friday 12 June 2009.-Background:...	2008 - June 2009
Minister of Internal Affairs	Nathan Guy Nathan Guy Nathan Guy is a New Zealand politician, and currently serves as a member of Parliament representing the National Party.-Background:...	June 2009 -
Minister of Civil Defence	John Carter John Carter (New Zealand) John McGregor Carter is a New Zealand politician, and member of the National Party. He represented the Bay of Islands, Far North and Northland electorates from 1987 until June 2011...	2008 - July 2011
Minister of Civil Defence	Craig Foss Craig Foss Craig Foss is a New Zealand politician, and currently serves as a Member of Parliament.-Early years:Foss was born on 4 July 1963 in Lower Hutt, and attended Victoria University of Wellington, completing a BCA...	July 2011-
Minister of Local Government	Rodney Hide Rodney Hide Rodney Hide is a New Zealand politician who was leader of the political party ACT New Zealand from 2004 to 2011. From 2005 to 2011 he represented the electorate of Epsom as its Member of Parliament. Rodney Hide was Minister of Local Government, Associate Minister of Commerce and Minister of...	2008 -
Minister of Consumer Affairs	Heather Roy Heather Roy Heather Roy , is a New Zealand politician and has served as an ACT Member of Parliament since 2002. From 2006 until 17 August 2010, Roy was ACT's Deputy Leader...	2008 - 2010
Minister of Consumer Affairs	John Boscawen John Boscawen John Boscawen is an ACT New Zealand member of the New Zealand House of Representatives and as of May 2011, ACT's Parliamentary Leader and former Minister of Consumer Affairs of New Zealand. He came to parliament in the 2008 general election as a list MP, having been ranked fourth...	2010- May 2011
Minister of Māori Affairs Minister of Maori Affairs The Minister of Māori Affairs is the minister of the New Zealand government with broad responsibility for government policy towards Māori, the first inhabitants of New Zealand. The current Minister of Māori Affairs is Dr. Pita Sharples.-Role:...	Pita Sharples Pita Sharples Pita Russell Sharples, CBE, , a Māori academic and politician, currently co-leads the Māori Party. He currently is the member for Tamaki Makaurau in New Zealand's Parliament.-Early life:...	2008 -
Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector	Tariana Turia Tariana Turia Tariana Turia is a New Zealand politician. She gained considerable prominence during the foreshore and seabed controversy, and eventually broke with her party as a result...	2008 -
Minister of Revenue	Peter Dunne Peter Dunne Peter Dunne is a New Zealand politician and Member of Parliament who leads the United Future political party. He has served as a Cabinet minister in governments dominated by the centre-left Labour Party as well as by the centre-right National Party...	2008 -

External links

National's Ministry focused on growth, prosperity Beehive Press Release, 19 November 2009.
National-ACT agreement announced Beehive Press Release, 19 November 2009.
National-United Future agreement announced Beehive Press Release, 19 November 2009.
National-Maori Party agreement announced Beehive Press Release, 19 November 2009.
Memorandum of Understanding between the New Zealand National Party and the Green Party of Aotearoa 8 April 2009.

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