New Zealand elections
Encyclopedia
Members of New Zealand
's House of Representatives, commonly called "Parliament
", normally gain their parliamentary seats through nationwide general election
s, or (less frequently) in by-election
s. General elections normally occur at least every three years in New Zealand, and operate using the Mixed Member Proportional electoral system
. The Chief Electoral Office
and the Electoral Commission
co-ordinate the electoral system.
Local government politicians, including mayors, councillors and District Health Boards are voted in during the local elections, held every three years. These elections used both Single Transferable Vote
and First Past the Post systems in 2007.
requests a dissolution of Parliament and therefore a general election. Theoretically, this can happen at any time, although a convention exists whereby Prime Ministers do not call early elections unless they have no reasonable alternative.
Elections always take place on a Saturday, so as to minimise the effect of work or religious commitments that could inhibit people from voting. Voting (the casting of ballots) happens at various polling station
s, generally established in schools, church halls, sports clubs, or other such public places. Polling booths are also set up in hospitals and rest homes for use by patients. The 2005 election made use of 6,094 such polling stations. Voters may use any voting station in the country, but they would need to cast a special vote if they are voting outside their electorate.
Advance voting is available in the 2 weeks before election day if voters are unable to get to a polling place in their electorate on election day. If voters cannot physically get to a polling place, they may authorise another person to collect their ballot for them.
Overseas voters may vote by mail, fax, or in person at NZ embassies.
Voters are encouraged to bring with them the EasyVote card sent to them before each election, which specifies the voter's name, address, and position on the electoral roll (e.g. Christchurch East
338/23 means the voter is listed in the Christchurch East electorate roll, on line 23 of page 338). However, this is not required, voters may simply state their name and address to the official.
The voting process uses printed voting ballots, with voters marking their choices (one vote for a candidate and one vote for a party – see Electoral system of New Zealand
) with an ink pen provided for their use. The voter then places the voting paper in a sealed ballot box
. Voters can alternatively cast "special votes" if genuinely unable to attend a regular polling place in their correct electorate (for example, if they have travelled overseas, or have impaired mobility), or enrolled to vote after the rolls closed for printing (i.e. after Writ Day).
According to a survey commissioned by the Electoral Commission, 71% of voters voted in less than 5 minutes and 92% in less than 10 minutes. 98% of voters are satisfied with the waiting time.http://www.elections.org.nz/study/researchers/satisfaction/final-results-voter-and-non-voter-satisfaction-survey-2008.html
Campaigning is prohibited on election day. All election advertisements must be removed or covered by midnight on the night before the election. Opinion polling is also illegal on election day.
Local elections are by mail. Referenda may be done by mail or at polling stations at the government's discretion. The last two referenda in 2009 and 1999 were by mail and at polling stations respectively.
determines the timing of general elections by advising the Governor-General
when to issue the writs for a general election. Convention dictates that a general election should take place roughly three years after the previous general election – unless a major crisis arises or the Prime Minister loses the ability to command a majority in parliament. The 1910s, 1930s and 1940s saw three elections delayed due to World War I, the Great Depression
and World War II, respectively: the 1919, 1935
and 1943
elections would otherwise have taken place in 1917, 1934 and 1941 (Parliaments passed Acts extending their terms).
The term of Parliament and the timing of general elections is set out in the Constitution Act 1986 and the Electoral Act 1993. Under section 19 of the Constitution Act, Parliament must meet within six weeks of the return of the writs for a general election, while under section 17, the term of Parliament ends three years after the return of the writs, unless Parliament is dissolved earlier by the Governor-General. Section 125 of the Electoral Act requires that whenever Parliament expires or is dissolved, the Governor-General must issue a writ of election within seven days. Section 139 of the Electoral Act provides further constraints. The writ must be returned within 50 days of being issued, though the Governor-General may appoint an earlier return date in the writ itself. Furthermore, polling day must be between 20 and 27 days after the close of nominations. Thus, New Zealand law requires elections at least once every three years and two months, though elections are often held after three years, traditionally in November. The extra two months allow for some flexibility when returning to a fourth-quarter election after an early election, as happened in 2005 and 2008 after the 2002 snap election (see below).
Early or "snap" elections
have occurred at least three times in New Zealand's history: in 1951
, 1984
and 2002
. Early elections often provoke controversy, as they potentially give governing parties an advantage over opposition candidates. Note that of the three elections in which the government won an increased majority, two involved snap elections (1951 and 2002) – the other incumbent-boosting election took place in 1938
). The 1984 snap election backfired on the government of the day: many believe that the Prime Minister, Robert Muldoon
, called it while drunk. See Snap election, New Zealand. The 1996
election took place slightly early (on 12 October) to avoid holding a by-election after the resignation of Michael Laws
.
The Prime Minister's power to determine the election date can give the government some subtle advantages. For example, if governing parties believe that a section of the population will either vote against them or not at all, they might hold the election in early spring, when the weather may well keep less-committed voters away from the polls. Party strategists take the timing of important rugby union
matches into account, partly because a major match in the same weekend of the election will likely lower voting-levels, and partly because of a widespread belief that incumbent governments benefit from a surge of national pride when the All Blacks
(the New Zealand national rugby team) win and suffer when they lose.
Tradition associates elections with November – give or take a few weeks. After disruptions to the 36-month cycle, Prime Ministers tend to strive to restore it to a November base. The general election
was held on Saturday 26 November 2011.
To be eligible to enrol, a person must be 18 years or older, a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident and have lived in New Zealand for one or more years without leaving the country (with some exceptions).
The roll records the name, address and stated occupation of all voters, although individual electors can apply for "unpublished" status on the roll in special circumstances, such as when having their details printed in the electoral roll could threaten their personal safety. According to Elections New Zealand, "having the printed electoral rolls available for the public to view is a part of the open democratic process of New Zealand".
", or as "seats". Following the work of the 2007 Representation Commission review, New Zealand will have seventy geographical electorates. The Commission added one general electorate in Auckland called Botany
. The seventy electorates will include seven Māori electorates
specially set up for people of Māori ethnicity or ancestry who choose to place themselves on a separate electoral roll.
All electorates have roughly the same number of people in them – the Representation Commission periodically reviews and alters electorate boundaries to preserve this approximate balance. The number of people per electorate depends on the population of the South Island
– this, the less populous of the country's two main islands, has sixteen guaranteed electorates, so the ideal number of people per electorate equals the population of the South Island divided by sixteen. From this, the Commission determines the number of North Island
, Māori and list
seats, which may fluctuate accordingly.
Supplementing the geographically-based electorate seats, the system allows for fifty-one at-large "list seats". A nation-wide "party-vote" fills these seats from lists submitted by political parties; they serve to make a party's total share of seats in parliament reflect its share of the party vote. For example, if a party wins 20% of the party vote, but only ten electorate seats, it will win fourteen list-seats, so that it has a total of 24 seats: 20% of the 120 seats in parliament. (For further explanation see Electoral system of New Zealand
.)
The provisional results from polling places and advance votes will generally become available from 7:30pm, with advance vote results usually released by 8:30pm and all results by midnight. The ballots are then transported back to the Returning Officer for the electorate for a mandatory recount. The electoral rolls are checked to make sure no one votes more than once. Special and overseas votes are also included at this stage. The final count is usually completed in two weeks, occasionally producing surprise upsets. In 1999
the provisional result indicated that neither the Greens
or New Zealand First
would qualify for Parliament, but both parties qualified on the strength of extra special votes, and the major parties ended up with fewer list seats than expected. The final results of the election become official when confirmed by the Chief Electoral Officer.
Referenda by mail are scanned into a computer system but not counted until the close of polling. When the poll close at 7 pm, the scanned ballots are counted and the results announced soon after.
face and the Electoral Commission logo on his chest.
The first national elections in New Zealand took place in 1853, the year after the British government passed the New Zealand Constitution Act 1852
. Note that New Zealand claims to have become the first country in the world to have granted women's suffrage, although the accuracy of this claim depends on the definitions used (see Women's suffrage
).
and the Reform Party
, which later merged to form the National Party
, and the Labour Party
), as well as the number won by other candidates (either independents or members of smaller political parties).
* The United Party
(a regrouping of the Liberals) and the Reform Party contested the 1931 and 1935 elections as a coalition, but did not formally merge as the National Party until 1936.
** Due to major problems with the enrolment process, commentators generally consider that the 1978 election
had a significantly higher turnout than official figures indicate.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
's House of Representatives, commonly called "Parliament
Parliament
A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...
", normally gain their parliamentary seats through nationwide general election
Election
An election is a formal decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy operates since the 17th century. Elections may fill offices in the legislature, sometimes in the...
s, or (less frequently) in by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
s. General elections normally occur at least every three years in New Zealand, and operate using the Mixed Member Proportional electoral system
Electoral system of New Zealand
In 1994 New Zealand officially adopted mixed member proportional representation as its electoral system for the House of Representatives after many years of first-past-the-post voting. The first MMP election was held in 1996....
. The Chief Electoral Office
Chief Electoral Office (New Zealand)
The Chief Electoral Office of New Zealand conducts general elections, by-elections and referendums. It is part of the Ministry of Justice. In a general election year the Office employs returning officers for the 70 electorates...
and the Electoral Commission
Electoral Commission (New Zealand)
The Electoral Commission of New Zealand is a governmental body responsible for administering certain aspects of the country's electoral system....
co-ordinate the electoral system.
Local government politicians, including mayors, councillors and District Health Boards are voted in during the local elections, held every three years. These elections used both Single Transferable Vote
Single transferable vote
The single transferable vote is a voting system designed to achieve proportional representation through preferential voting. Under STV, an elector's vote is initially allocated to his or her most preferred candidate, and then, after candidates have been either elected or eliminated, any surplus or...
and First Past the Post systems in 2007.
Voting
New Zealand general elections occur when the Prime MinisterPrime 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...
requests a dissolution of Parliament and therefore a general election. Theoretically, this can happen at any time, although a convention exists whereby Prime Ministers do not call early elections unless they have no reasonable alternative.
Elections always take place on a Saturday, so as to minimise the effect of work or religious commitments that could inhibit people from voting. Voting (the casting of ballots) happens at various polling station
Polling station
A polling place or polling station is where voters cast their ballots in elections.Since elections generally take place over a one- or two-day span on a periodic basis, often annual or longer, polling places are often located in facilities used for other purposes, such as schools, churches, sports...
s, generally established in schools, church halls, sports clubs, or other such public places. Polling booths are also set up in hospitals and rest homes for use by patients. The 2005 election made use of 6,094 such polling stations. Voters may use any voting station in the country, but they would need to cast a special vote if they are voting outside their electorate.
Advance voting is available in the 2 weeks before election day if voters are unable to get to a polling place in their electorate on election day. If voters cannot physically get to a polling place, they may authorise another person to collect their ballot for them.
Overseas voters may vote by mail, fax, or in person at NZ embassies.
Voters are encouraged to bring with them the EasyVote card sent to them before each election, which specifies the voter's name, address, and position on the electoral roll (e.g. Christchurch East
Christchurch East
Christchurch East is a New Zealand Parliamentary electorate. It is currently held by Lianne Dalziel of the Labour Party.-History:The electorate was first created, as Christchurch City East, for the...
338/23 means the voter is listed in the Christchurch East electorate roll, on line 23 of page 338). However, this is not required, voters may simply state their name and address to the official.
The voting process uses printed voting ballots, with voters marking their choices (one vote for a candidate and one vote for a party – see Electoral system of New Zealand
Electoral system of New Zealand
In 1994 New Zealand officially adopted mixed member proportional representation as its electoral system for the House of Representatives after many years of first-past-the-post voting. The first MMP election was held in 1996....
) with an ink pen provided for their use. The voter then places the voting paper in a sealed ballot box
Ballot box
A ballot box is a temporarily sealed container, usually square box though sometimes a tamper resistant bag, with a narrow slot in the top sufficient to accept a ballot paper in an election but which prevents anyone from accessing the votes cast until the close of the voting period...
. Voters can alternatively cast "special votes" if genuinely unable to attend a regular polling place in their correct electorate (for example, if they have travelled overseas, or have impaired mobility), or enrolled to vote after the rolls closed for printing (i.e. after Writ Day).
According to a survey commissioned by the Electoral Commission, 71% of voters voted in less than 5 minutes and 92% in less than 10 minutes. 98% of voters are satisfied with the waiting time.http://www.elections.org.nz/study/researchers/satisfaction/final-results-voter-and-non-voter-satisfaction-survey-2008.html
Campaigning is prohibited on election day. All election advertisements must be removed or covered by midnight on the night before the election. Opinion polling is also illegal on election day.
Local elections are by mail. Referenda may be done by mail or at polling stations at the government's discretion. The last two referenda in 2009 and 1999 were by mail and at polling stations respectively.
General elections
New Zealand general elections generally occur every three years. Unlike some other countries, New Zealand has no fixed election-date for general elections, but rather the Prime MinisterPrime 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...
determines the timing of general elections by advising 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....
when to issue the writs for a general election. Convention dictates that a general election should take place roughly three years after the previous general election – unless a major crisis arises or the Prime Minister loses the ability to command a majority in parliament. The 1910s, 1930s and 1940s saw three elections delayed due to World War I, the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
and World War II, respectively: the 1919, 1935
New Zealand general election, 1935
The 1935 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament's 25th term. It resulted in the Labour Party's first electoral victory, with Michael Joseph Savage becoming the first Labour Prime Minister...
and 1943
New Zealand general election, 1943
The 1943 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament's 27th term. With the onset of World War II, elections were initially postponed, but it was eventually decided to hold a general election in September 1943, around two years after it...
elections would otherwise have taken place in 1917, 1934 and 1941 (Parliaments passed Acts extending their terms).
The term of Parliament and the timing of general elections is set out in the Constitution Act 1986 and the Electoral Act 1993. Under section 19 of the Constitution Act, Parliament must meet within six weeks of the return of the writs for a general election, while under section 17, the term of Parliament ends three years after the return of the writs, unless Parliament is dissolved earlier by the Governor-General. Section 125 of the Electoral Act requires that whenever Parliament expires or is dissolved, the Governor-General must issue a writ of election within seven days. Section 139 of the Electoral Act provides further constraints. The writ must be returned within 50 days of being issued, though the Governor-General may appoint an earlier return date in the writ itself. Furthermore, polling day must be between 20 and 27 days after the close of nominations. Thus, New Zealand law requires elections at least once every three years and two months, though elections are often held after three years, traditionally in November. The extra two months allow for some flexibility when returning to a fourth-quarter election after an early election, as happened in 2005 and 2008 after the 2002 snap election (see below).
Early or "snap" elections
Snap election
A snap election is an election called earlier than expected. Generally it refers to an election in a parliamentary system called when not required , usually to capitalize on a unique electoral opportunity or to decide a pressing issue...
have occurred at least three times in New Zealand's history: in 1951
New Zealand general election, 1951
The 1951 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament's 30th term. It saw the governing National Party remain in office, increasing its lead over the opposition Labour Party.-Background:...
, 1984
New Zealand general election, 1984
The 1984 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the 41st New Zealand Parliament. It marked the beginning of the Fourth Labour Government, with David Lange's Labour Party defeating long-serving Prime Minister Robert Muldoon of the National Party. It was also the...
and 2002
New Zealand general election, 2002
The 2002 New Zealand general election was held on 27 July 2002 to determine the composition of the 47th New Zealand Parliament. It saw the reelection of Helen Clark's Labour Party government, as well as the worst-ever performance by the opposition National Party.Arguably the most controversial...
. Early elections often provoke controversy, as they potentially give governing parties an advantage over opposition candidates. Note that of the three elections in which the government won an increased majority, two involved snap elections (1951 and 2002) – the other incumbent-boosting election took place in 1938
New Zealand general election, 1938
The 1938 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament's 26th term. It resulted in the governing Labour Party being re-elected, although the newly-founded National Party gained a certain amount of ground.-Background:The Labour Party had won...
). The 1984 snap election backfired on the government of the day: many believe that the Prime Minister, Robert Muldoon
Robert Muldoon
Sir Robert David "Rob" Muldoon, GCMG, CH served as the 31st Prime Minister of New Zealand from 1975 to 1984, as leader of the governing National Party. Muldoon had been a prominent member of the National party and MP for the Tamaki electorate for some years prior to becoming leader of the party...
, called it while drunk. See Snap election, New Zealand. The 1996
New Zealand general election, 1996
The 1996 New Zealand general election was held on 12 October 1996 to determine the composition of the 45th New Zealand Parliament. It was notable for being the first election to be held under the new Mixed Member Proportional electoral system, and produced a parliament considerably more diverse...
election took place slightly early (on 12 October) to avoid holding a by-election after the resignation of Michael Laws
Michael Laws
Michael Laws is a New Zealand politician, broadcaster and writer/columnist. He served two terms as a Member of the New Zealand Parliament, representing the National Party and New Zealand First . He was elected as Mayor of Wanganui in 2004, was re-elected in 2007 but announced his retirement from...
.
The Prime Minister's power to determine the election date can give the government some subtle advantages. For example, if governing parties believe that a section of the population will either vote against them or not at all, they might hold the election in early spring, when the weather may well keep less-committed voters away from the polls. Party strategists take the timing of important rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
matches into account, partly because a major match in the same weekend of the election will likely lower voting-levels, and partly because of a widespread belief that incumbent governments benefit from a surge of national pride when the All Blacks
All Blacks
The New Zealand men's national rugby union team, known as the All Blacks, represent New Zealand in what is regarded as its national sport....
(the New Zealand national rugby team) win and suffer when they lose.
Tradition associates elections with November – give or take a few weeks. After disruptions to the 36-month cycle, Prime Ministers tend to strive to restore it to a November base. The general election
New Zealand general election, 2011
The 2011 New Zealand general election on Saturday 26 November 2011 determined the membership of the 50th New Zealand Parliament.One hundred and twenty-one MPs were elected to the New Zealand House of Representatives, 70 from single-member electorates, including one overhang seat, and 51 from party...
was held on Saturday 26 November 2011.
Local elections
Unlike general elections, elections for the 75 city, district and regional councils of New Zealand have a fixed election date. Under section 10 of the Local Electoral Act 2001, elections must be held on the "second Saturday in October in every third year" from the date the Act came into effect in 2001. The last local body elections were held on 9 October 2010.Electoral roll
The electoral roll consists of a register of all enrolled voters, organised (primarily alphabetically by surname) within electorates. All persons who meet the requirements for voting must by law register on the electoral roll, even if they do not intend to vote.To be eligible to enrol, a person must be 18 years or older, a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident and have lived in New Zealand for one or more years without leaving the country (with some exceptions).
The roll records the name, address and stated occupation of all voters, although individual electors can apply for "unpublished" status on the roll in special circumstances, such as when having their details printed in the electoral roll could threaten their personal safety. According to Elections New Zealand, "having the printed electoral rolls available for the public to view is a part of the open democratic process of New Zealand".
Electorates
New Zealanders refer to voting districts as "electoratesNew Zealand electorates
An electorate is a voting district for elections to the Parliament of New Zealand. In informal discussion, electorates are often called seats. The most formal description, electoral district, is rarely seen outside of electoral legislation. Before 1996, all Members of Parliament were directly...
", or as "seats". Following the work of the 2007 Representation Commission review, New Zealand will have seventy geographical electorates. The Commission added one general electorate in Auckland called Botany
Botany (New Zealand electorate)
Botany is a New Zealand Parliamentary electorate, returning one Member of Parliament to the New Zealand House of Representatives. It was contested for the first time at the 2008 general election, and won by Pansy Wong for the National Party...
. The seventy electorates will include seven Māori electorates
Maori seats
In New Zealand politics, Māori electorates, colloquially also called Māori seats, are a special category of electorate that gives reserved positions to representatives of Māori in the New Zealand Parliament...
specially set up for people of Māori ethnicity or ancestry who choose to place themselves on a separate electoral roll.
All electorates have roughly the same number of people in them – the Representation Commission periodically reviews and alters electorate boundaries to preserve this approximate balance. The number of people per electorate depends on the population of the South Island
South Island
The South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean...
– this, the less populous of the country's two main islands, has sixteen guaranteed electorates, so the ideal number of people per electorate equals the population of the South Island divided by sixteen. From this, the Commission determines the number of North Island
North Island
The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island...
, Māori and list
Party-list proportional representation
Party-list proportional representation systems are a family of voting systems emphasizing proportional representation in elections in which multiple candidates are elected...
seats, which may fluctuate accordingly.
Supplementing the geographically-based electorate seats, the system allows for fifty-one at-large "list seats". A nation-wide "party-vote" fills these seats from lists submitted by political parties; they serve to make a party's total share of seats in parliament reflect its share of the party vote. For example, if a party wins 20% of the party vote, but only ten electorate seats, it will win fourteen list-seats, so that it has a total of 24 seats: 20% of the 120 seats in parliament. (For further explanation see Electoral system of New Zealand
Electoral system of New Zealand
In 1994 New Zealand officially adopted mixed member proportional representation as its electoral system for the House of Representatives after many years of first-past-the-post voting. The first MMP election was held in 1996....
.)
Vote-counting and announcement
Polling places close at 7.00 pm on election day. The process of the counting of the votes by hand at polling places then begins. Results (at this stage provisional ones) go to a central office in Wellington, for announcement as they arrive. Starting from 2002, a dedicated official website, "www.electionresults.govt.nz" has provided "live" election result updates.The provisional results from polling places and advance votes will generally become available from 7:30pm, with advance vote results usually released by 8:30pm and all results by midnight. The ballots are then transported back to the Returning Officer for the electorate for a mandatory recount. The electoral rolls are checked to make sure no one votes more than once. Special and overseas votes are also included at this stage. The final count is usually completed in two weeks, occasionally producing surprise upsets. In 1999
New Zealand general election, 1999
The 1999 New Zealand general election was held on 27 November 1999 to determine the composition of the 46th New Zealand Parliament. The governing National Party, led by Prime Minister Jenny Shipley, was defeated, being replaced by a coalition of Helen Clark's Labour Party and the smaller Alliance...
the provisional result indicated that neither the Greens
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...
or New Zealand First
New Zealand First
New Zealand First is a political party in New Zealand that was founded in 1993, following party founder Winston Peters' resignation from the National Party in 1992...
would qualify for Parliament, but both parties qualified on the strength of extra special votes, and the major parties ended up with fewer list seats than expected. The final results of the election become official when confirmed by the Chief Electoral Officer.
Referenda by mail are scanned into a computer system but not counted until the close of polling. When the poll close at 7 pm, the scanned ballots are counted and the results announced soon after.
Orange Guy
Orange Guy is the mascot used in all electoral related advertising by the Electoral Commission. He is an amorphous orange blob that usually takes on a human form, but can transformed into any object as the situation warrants. He has a smilieEmoticon
An emoticon is a facial expression pictorially represented by punctuation and letters, usually to express a writer’s mood. Emoticons are often used to alert a responder to the tenor or temper of a statement, and can change and improve interpretation of plain text. The word is a portmanteau word...
face and the Electoral Commission logo on his chest.
History of voting in New Zealand
-
- Main article: History of voting in New ZealandHistory of voting in New Zealand-Early local body elections:Probably the first notable election held in the new colony was the election of the first Wellington Town council pursuant to the Municipal Corporations Act in October 1842. It was open to all "Burgessers". These were undoubtedly male only, though it is not clear whether...
- Main article: History of voting in New Zealand
The first national elections in New Zealand took place in 1853, the year after the British government passed the New Zealand Constitution Act 1852
New Zealand Constitution Act 1852
The New Zealand Constitution Act 1852 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that granted self-government to the colony of New Zealand...
. Note that New Zealand claims to have become the first country in the world to have granted women's suffrage, although the accuracy of this claim depends on the definitions used (see Women's suffrage
Women's suffrage
Women's suffrage or woman suffrage is the right of women to vote and to run for office. The expression is also used for the economic and political reform movement aimed at extending these rights to women and without any restrictions or qualifications such as property ownership, payment of tax, or...
).
General elections
The following table lists all general elections held in New Zealand (note that elections for Māori seats initially took place at different times from elections for general seats). The table displays the dates of the elections, the officially recorded voter turnout, and the number of seats in Parliament at the time. On the right the table shows the number of seats won by the four most dominant parties in New Zealand's history (the Liberal PartyNew Zealand Liberal Party
The New Zealand Liberal Party is generally regarded as having been the first real political party in New Zealand. It governed from 1891 until 1912. Out of office, the Liberals gradually found themselves pressed between the conservative Reform Party and the growing Labour Party...
and the Reform Party
New Zealand Reform Party
The Reform Party, formally the New Zealand Political Reform League, was New Zealand's second major political party, having been founded as a conservative response to the original Liberal Party...
, which later merged to form 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 the Labour Party
New Zealand Labour Party
The New Zealand Labour Party is a New Zealand political party. It describes itself as centre-left and socially progressive and has been one of the two primary parties of New Zealand politics since 1935....
), as well as the number won by other candidates (either independents or members of smaller political parties).
| Term | Election | Date(s) | Official turnout | Total seats | Liberal | Reform | Labour | Others | Indep. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United | |||||||||
| National | |||||||||
| First past the post First-past-the-post First-past-the-post voting refers to an election won by the candidate with the most votes. The winning potato candidate does not necessarily receive an absolute majority of all votes cast.-Overview:... (FPP) |
|||||||||
| 1st 1st New Zealand Parliament The 1st New Zealand Parliament was a term of the Parliament of New Zealand. It opened on 24 May 1854, following New Zealand's first general election . It was dissolved on 15 September 1855 in preparation for that year's election... |
1853 election New Zealand general election, 1853 The 1853 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament's 1st term. It was the first national election ever held in New Zealand, although Parliament did not yet have full authority to govern the colony, which was part of the British Empire at... |
4 July – 1 October | No record | 37 | - | - | - | - | 37 |
| 2nd 2nd New Zealand Parliament The 2nd New Zealand Parliament was a term of the Parliament of New Zealand. It opened on 15 April 1856, following New Zealand's 1855 election. It was dissolved on 5 November 1860 in preparation for 1860–61 election... |
1855 election New Zealand general election, 1855 The 1855 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament's 2nd term. It was the second national election ever held in New Zealand, and the first one which elected a Parliament that had full authority to govern the colony.-Background:The first... |
28 October – 28 December | No record | 37 | - | - | - | - | 37 |
| 3rd 3rd New Zealand Parliament The 3rd New Zealand Parliament was a term of the Parliament of New Zealand. Elections for this term were held between 12 December 1860 and 28 March 1861 in 43 electorates to elect 53 MPs... |
1860–1861 election | 12 December – 28 March | No record | 53 | - | - | - | - | 53 |
| 4th 4th New Zealand Parliament The 4th New Zealand Parliament was a term of the Parliament of New Zealand.Elections for this term were held in 61 electorates between 12 February and 6 April 1866 to elect 70 MPs. Parliament was prorogued in late 1870. During the term of this Parliament, two Ministries were in power... |
1866 election New Zealand general election, 1866 The New Zealand general election of 1866 was held between 12 February and 6 April to elect 70 MPs to the fourth term of the New Zealand Parliament. 13,196 votes were cast.... |
12 February – 6 April | No record | 70 | - | - | - | - | 70 |
| 5th 5th New Zealand Parliament The 5th New Zealand Parliament was a term of the Parliament of New Zealand.Elections for this term were held in 68 European electorates between 14 January and 23 February 1871. Elections in the four Māori electorates were held on 1 and 15 January 1871. A total of 78 MPs were elected. Parliament was... |
1871 election | 14 January – 23 February | No record | 78 | - | - | - | - | 78 |
| 6th 6th New Zealand Parliament The 6th New Zealand Parliament was a term of the Parliament of New Zealand.Elections for this term were held in 69 European electorates between 20 December 1875 and 29 January 1876. Elections in the four Māori electorates were held on 4 and 15 January 1876. A total of 88 MPs were elected.... |
1875–1876 election | 30 December – 28 March | No record | 88 | - | - | - | - | 88 |
| 7th 7th New Zealand Parliament The 7th New Zealand Parliament was a term of the Parliament of New Zealand.Elections for this term were held in 69 European electorates between 28 August and 15 September 1879. Elections in the four Māori electorates were held on 1 and 8 September of that year. A total of 88 MPs were elected.... |
1879 election New Zealand general election, 1879 The New Zealand general election of 1879 was held between 28 August and 15 September to elect a total of 88 MPs to the 7th session of the New Zealand Parliament. The Māori vote was held on 1 and 8 September. A total number of 82,271 voters turned out to vote.The election came about when George... |
28 August – 15 September | 66.5% | 88 | - | - | - | - | 88 |
| 8th 8th New Zealand Parliament The 8th New Zealand Parliament was a term of the Parliament of New Zealand.Elections for this term were held in 4 Māori electorates and xx general electorates on 8 and 9 December 1881, respectively. A total of 95 MPs were elected. Parliament was prorogued in June 1884... |
1881 election New Zealand general election, 1881 The New Zealand general election of 1881 was held 9 December to elect a total of 95 MPs to the 8th session of the New Zealand Parliament. The Māori vote was held on 8 December... |
9 December | 66.5% | 95 | - | - | - | - | 95 |
| 9th 9th New Zealand Parliament The 9th New Zealand Parliament was a term of the Parliament of New Zealand.Elections for this term were held in 4 Māori electorates and xx general electorates on 21 and 22 July 1884, respectively. A total of 95 MPs were elected. Parliament was prorogued in July 1887... |
1884 election New Zealand general election, 1884 The New Zealand general election of 1884 was held on 22 July to elect a total of 95 MPs to the 9th session of the New Zealand Parliament. The Māori vote was held on 21 July. A total number of 137,686 voters turned out to vote.-References:... |
22 June | 60.6% | 95 | - | - | - | - | 95 |
| 10th 10th New Zealand Parliament The 10th New Zealand Parliament was a term of the Parliament of New Zealand.Elections for this term were held in 4 Māori electorates and 91 European electorates on 7 and 26 September 1887, respectively. A total of 95 MPs were elected. Parliament was prorogued in October 1890... |
1887 election New Zealand general election, 1887 The New Zealand general election of 1887 was held on 26 September to elect 95 MPs to the tenth session of the New Zealand Parliament. The Māori vote was held on 7 September. 175,410 votes were cast.... |
26 September | 67.1% | 95 | - | - | - | - | 95 |
| 11th 11th New Zealand Parliament The 11th New Zealand Parliament was a term of the Parliament of New Zealand.Elections for this term were held in 4 Māori electorates and 62 European electorates on 27 November and 5 December 1890, respectively... |
1890 election New Zealand general election, 1890 The New Zealand general election of 1890 was one of New Zealand's most significant. It marked the beginning of party politics in New Zealand with the formation of the First Liberal government, which was to enact major welfare, labour and electoral reforms, including giving the vote to women.It was... |
5 December | 80.4% | 74 | - | - | - | - | 74 |
| 12th | 1893 election New Zealand general election, 1893 The New Zealand general election of 1893 was held on Tuesday, 28 November in the general electorates, and on Wednesday, 20 December in the Māori electorates to elect a total of 74 MPs to the 12th session of the New Zealand Parliament... |
28 November | 75.3% | 74 | 51 | - | - | - | 23 |
| 13th | 1896 election New Zealand general election, 1896 The New Zealand general election of 1896 was held on Wednesday, 4 December in the general electorates, and on Thursday, 19 December in the Māori electorates to elect a total of 74 MPs to the 13th session of the New Zealand Parliament... |
4 December | 76.1% | 74 | 39 | - | - | - | 35 |
| 14th | 1899 election New Zealand general election, 1899 The New Zealand general election of 1899 was held on Wednesday, 6 December in the general electorates, and on Tuesday, 19 December in the Māori electorates to elect a total of 74 MPs to the 14th session of the New Zealand Parliament. A total number of 373,744 voters turned out to... |
6 December | 77.6% | 74 | 49 | - | - | - | 25 |
| 15th | 1902 election New Zealand general election, 1902 The New Zealand general election of 1902 was held on Tuesday, 25 November in the general electorates, and on Monday, 22 December in the Māori electorates to elect a total of 80 MPs to the 15th session of the New Zealand Parliament... |
25 November | 76.7% | 80 | 47 | - | - | - | 33 |
| 16th | 1905 election New Zealand general election, 1905 The New Zealand general election of 1905 was held on Wednesday, 6 December in the general electorates, and on Wednesday, 20 December in the Māori electorates to elect a total of 80 MPs to the 16th session of the New Zealand Parliament... |
6 December | 83.3% | 80 | 58 | - | - | - | 22 |
| Two-round system Two-round system The two-round system is a voting system used to elect a single winner where the voter casts a single vote for their chosen candidate... period |
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| 17th | 1908 election New Zealand general election, 1908 The New Zealand general election of 1908 was held on Tuesday, 17 November, 24 November and 1 December in the general electorates, and on Wednesday, 2 December in the Māori electorates to elect a total of 80 MPs to the 17th session of the New Zealand Parliament... |
17 November, 24 November, 1 December | 79.8% | 80 | 50 | - | - | 1 | 29 |
| 18th | 1911 election New Zealand general election, 1911 The New Zealand general election of 1911 was held on Thursday, 7 and 14 December in the general electorates, and on Tuesday, 19 December in the Māori electorates to elect a total of 80 MPs to the 18th session of the New Zealand Parliament... |
7 December, 14 December | 83.5% | 80 | 33 | 37 | - | 4 | 6 |
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| 19th 19th New Zealand Parliament The 19th New Zealand Parliament was a term of the Parliament of New Zealand. It opened on 24 June 1915, following the 1914 election. It was dissolved on 27 November 1919 in preparation for 1919 election.... |
1914 election New Zealand general election, 1914 The New Zealand general election of 1914 was held on 10 December to elect a total of 80 MPs to the 19th session of the New Zealand Parliament. A total number of 616,043 voters were registered, of which 84.7% voters turned out to vote.... |
10 December | 84.7% | 80 | 33 | 41 | - | 5 | 1 |
| 20th | 1919 election | 17 December | 80.5% | 80 | 21 | 47 | 8 | - | 4 |
| 21st | 1922 election New Zealand general election, 1922 The New Zealand general election of 1922 was held on Monday, 6 December in the Māori electorates, and on Tuesday, 7 December in the general electorates to elect a total of 80 MPs to the 21st session of the New Zealand Parliament... |
7 December | 88.7% | 80 | 22 | 37 | 17 | - | 4 |
| 22nd 22nd New Zealand Parliament The 22nd New Zealand Parliament was a term of the Parliament of New Zealand. Its composition was determined by the 1925 elections, and it sat until the 1928 elections.... |
1925 election New Zealand general election, 1925 The New Zealand general election of 1925 was held 4 November to elect a total of 80 MPs to the 22nd session of the New Zealand Parliament... |
4 November | 90.9% | 80 | 11 | 55 | 12 | - | 2 |
| 23rd | 1928 election New Zealand general election, 1928 The New Zealand general election of 1928 was held on Tuesday, 13 November in the Māori electorates, and on Wednesday, 14 November in the general electorates to elect a total of 80 MPs to the 23rd session of the New Zealand Parliament... |
14 November | 88.1% | 80 | 27 | 27 | 19 | 1 | 6 |
| 24th 24th New Zealand Parliament The 24th New Zealand Parliament was a term of the Parliament of New Zealand. It opened on 23 February 1932, following the 1931 election. It was dissolved on 1 November 1935 in preparation for the 1935 election... |
1931 election New Zealand general election, 1931 The 1931 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament's 24th term. It resulted in the newly formed coalition between the United Party and the Reform Party remaining in office as the Liberal-Reform Government, although the opposition Labour... |
2 December | 83.3% | 80 | 19 |
28 |
24 | 1 | 8 |
| 25th 25th New Zealand Parliament The 25th New Zealand Parliament was a term of the Parliament of New Zealand. It opened on 25 March 1936, following the 1935 election. It was dissolved on 16 September 1938 in preparation for the 1938 election.... |
1935 election New Zealand general election, 1935 The 1935 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament's 25th term. It resulted in the Labour Party's first electoral victory, with Michael Joseph Savage becoming the first Labour Prime Minister... |
27 November | 90.8% | 80 | 7 |
9 |
53 | 4 | 7 |
| 26th | 1938 election New Zealand general election, 1938 The 1938 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament's 26th term. It resulted in the governing Labour Party being re-elected, although the newly-founded National Party gained a certain amount of ground.-Background:The Labour Party had won... |
15 October | 92.9% | 80 | 25 | 53 | - | 2 | |
| 27th | 1943 election New Zealand general election, 1943 The 1943 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament's 27th term. With the onset of World War II, elections were initially postponed, but it was eventually decided to hold a general election in September 1943, around two years after it... |
25 September | 82.8% | 80 | 34 | 45 | - | 1 | |
| 28th | 1946 election New Zealand general election, 1946 The 1946 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament's 28th term. It saw the governing Labour Party re-elected, but by a substantially narrower margin than in the three previous elections... |
27 November | 93.5% | 80 | 38 | 42 | - | - | |
| 29th 29th New Zealand Parliament The 29th New Zealand Parliament was a term of the Parliament of New Zealand. It opened in 1950, following the 1949 general election. It was dissolved in 1951 in preparation for the 1951 general election. The governing Labour Party had been defeated in the election by the National Party... |
1949 election New Zealand general election, 1949 The 1949 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament's 29th term. It saw the governing Labour Party defeated by the opposition National Party... |
30 November | 93.5% | 80 | 46 | 34 | - | - | |
| 30th | 1951 election New Zealand general election, 1951 The 1951 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament's 30th term. It saw the governing National Party remain in office, increasing its lead over the opposition Labour Party.-Background:... |
1 September | 89.1% | 80 | 50 | 30 | - | - | |
| 31st | 1954 election New Zealand general election, 1954 The 1954 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament's 31st term. It saw the governing National Party remain in office, but with a slightly reduced majority... |
13 November | 91.4% | 80 | 45 | 35 | - | - | |
| 32nd | 1957 election New Zealand general election, 1957 The 1957 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament's 32nd term. It saw the governing National Party narrowly defeated by the Labour Party... |
30 November | 92.9% | 80 | 39 | 41 | - | - | |
| 33rd | 1960 election New Zealand general election, 1960 The 1960 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament's 33rd term. It saw the governing Labour Party defeated by the National Party, putting an end to the short second Labour government.-Background:... |
26 November | 89.8% | 80 | 46 | 34 | - | - | |
| 34th | 1963 election New Zealand general election, 1963 The 1963 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament's 34th term. The results were almost identical to those for the previous election, and the governing National Party remained in office.... |
30 November | 89.6% | 80 | 45 | 35 | - | - | |
| 35th | 1966 election New Zealand general election, 1966 The 1966 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament's 35th term. It saw the governing National Party win a third consecutive term in office... |
26 November | 86.0% | 80 | 44 | 35 | 1 | - | |
| 36th | 1969 election New Zealand general election, 1969 The 1969 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament's 36th term. It saw the governing National Party win a fourth consecutive term, under Prime Minister Keith Holyoake.-The Election:... |
29 November | 88.9% | 84 | 45 | 39 | - | - | |
| 37th | 1972 election New Zealand general election, 1972 The New Zealand general election of 1972 was held to elect MPs to the 37th session of the New Zealand Parliament. The Labour Party, led by Norman Kirk, defeated the governing National Party.-Background:... |
25 November | 89.1% | 87 | 32 | 55 | - | - | |
| 38th | 1975 election New Zealand general election, 1975 The 1975 New Zealand general election was held to elect MPs to the 38th session of the New Zealand Parliament. It was the first election in New Zealand where 18-20 year olds and all permanent residents of New Zealand were eligible to vote, although only citizens were able to be... |
29 November | 82.5% | 87 | 55 | 32 | - | - | |
| 39th 39th New Zealand Parliament The 39th New Zealand Parliament was a term of the Parliament of New Zealand which began with the general election held on 25 November 1978, and finished with the general election held on 28 November 1981... |
1978 election New Zealand general election, 1978 The 1978 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to elect the 39th New Zealand Parliament. It saw the governing National Party, led by Robert Muldoon, retain office, although the opposition Labour Party managed to win the largest share of the vote... |
25 November | 69.2%** | 92 | 51 | 40 | 1 | - | |
| 40th 40th New Zealand Parliament The 40th New Zealand Parliament was a term of the Parliament of New Zealand. Its composition was determined by the 1981 elections, and it sat until the 1984 elections.... |
1981 election New Zealand general election, 1981 The 1981 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the 40th New Zealand Parliament. It saw the governing National Party, led by Robert Muldoon, win a third term in office, although the opposition Labour Party, led by Bill Rowling, actually won the largest share of... |
28 November | 91.4% | 92 | 47 | 43 | 2 | - | |
| 41st 41st New Zealand Parliament The 41st New Zealand Parliament was a term of the Parliament of New Zealand. Its composition was determined by the 1984 elections, and it sat until the 1987 elections.... |
1984 election New Zealand general election, 1984 The 1984 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the 41st New Zealand Parliament. It marked the beginning of the Fourth Labour Government, with David Lange's Labour Party defeating long-serving Prime Minister Robert Muldoon of the National Party. It was also the... |
14 July | 93.7% | 95 | 37 | 56 | 2 | - | |
| 42nd 42nd New Zealand Parliament The 42nd New Zealand Parliament was a term of the Parliament of New Zealand. Its composition was determined by the 1987 elections, and it sat until the 1990 elections.... |
1987 election New Zealand general election, 1987 The 1987 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the 43rd sitting of the New Zealand Parliament. The governing New Zealand Labour Party, led by Prime Minister David Lange, was re-elected for a second term, although the Opposition National Party made gains... |
15 August | 89.1% | 97 | 40 | 57 | - | - | |
| 43rd 43rd New Zealand Parliament The 43rd New Zealand Parliament was a term of the Parliament of New Zealand. Its composition was determined by the 1990 elections, and it sat until the 1993 elections.... |
1990 election New Zealand general election, 1990 The 1990 New Zealand general election was held on 27 October to determine the composition of the 43rd New Zealand parliament. The governing Labour Party was defeated, ending its controversial two terms in office... |
27 October | 85.2% | 97 | 67 | 29 | 1 | - | |
| 44th 44th New Zealand Parliament The 44th New Zealand Parliament was a term of the Parliament of New Zealand. Its composition was determined by the 1993 elections, and it sat until the 1996 elections.... |
1993 election New Zealand general election, 1993 The 1993 New Zealand general election was held on 6 November 1993 to determine the composition of the 44th New Zealand Parliament. It saw the governing National Party, led by Jim Bolger, win a second term in office, despite a major swing back towards the Labour Party. The new Alliance and New... |
6 November | 85.2% | 99 | 50 | 45 | 4 | - | |
| MMP Mixed member proportional representation Mixed-member proportional representation, also termed mixed-member proportional voting and commonly abbreviated to MMP, is a voting system originally used to elect representatives to the German Bundestag, and nowadays adopted by numerous legislatures around the world... era |
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| 45th 45th New Zealand Parliament The 45th New Zealand Parliament was a term of the Parliament of New Zealand. Its composition was determined by the 1996 elections, and it sat until the 1999 elections.... |
1996 election New Zealand general election, 1996 The 1996 New Zealand general election was held on 12 October 1996 to determine the composition of the 45th New Zealand Parliament. It was notable for being the first election to be held under the new Mixed Member Proportional electoral system, and produced a parliament considerably more diverse... |
12 October | 88.3% | 120 | 44 | 37 | 39 | - | |
| 46th 46th New Zealand Parliament The 46th New Zealand Parliament was a term of the Parliament of New Zealand. Its composition was determined by the 1999 elections, and it sat until the 2002 elections.... |
1999 election New Zealand general election, 1999 The 1999 New Zealand general election was held on 27 November 1999 to determine the composition of the 46th New Zealand Parliament. The governing National Party, led by Prime Minister Jenny Shipley, was defeated, being replaced by a coalition of Helen Clark's Labour Party and the smaller Alliance... |
27 November | 84.1% | 120 | 39 | 49 | 32 | - | |
| 47th 47th New Zealand Parliament The 47th New Zealand Parliament was a term of the Parliament of New Zealand. Its composition was determined by the 2002 elections, and it sat until 11 August 2005.... |
2002 election New Zealand general election, 2002 The 2002 New Zealand general election was held on 27 July 2002 to determine the composition of the 47th New Zealand Parliament. It saw the reelection of Helen Clark's Labour Party government, as well as the worst-ever performance by the opposition National Party.Arguably the most controversial... |
27 July | 77.0% | 120 | 27 | 52 | 41 | - | |
| 48th 48th New Zealand Parliament The 48th New Zealand Parliament was a term of the Parliament of New Zealand. Its composition was determined at a general election held on 17 September 2005. The new parliament met for the first time on 7 November 2005... |
2005 election New Zealand general election, 2005 The 2005 New Zealand general election held on 17 September 2005 determined the composition of the 48th New Zealand Parliament. No party won a majority in the unicameral House of Representatives, but the Labour Party of Prime Minister Helen Clark secured two more seats than nearest rival, the... |
17 September | 80.9% | 121 | 48 | 50 | 23 | - | |
| 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... |
2008 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... |
8 November | 78.69% | 122 | 58 | 43 | 21 | - | |
| 50th 50th New Zealand Parliament The 50th New Zealand Parliament will be elected at the 2011 election. It will contain 121 members , and will serve from 26 November 2011 until another election is called, no later than early 2015.... |
2011 election New Zealand general election, 2011 The 2011 New Zealand general election on Saturday 26 November 2011 determined the membership of the 50th New Zealand Parliament.One hundred and twenty-one MPs were elected to the New Zealand House of Representatives, 70 from single-member electorates, including one overhang seat, and 51 from party... |
26 November | TBC | TBC | 60 | 34 | 27 | - | |
United Party (New Zealand)
The United Party of New Zealand, a party formed out of the remnants of the Liberal Party, formed a government between 1928 and 1935, and in 1936 merged with the Reform Party to establish the National Party...
(a regrouping of the Liberals) and the Reform Party contested the 1931 and 1935 elections as a coalition, but did not formally merge as the National Party until 1936.
New Zealand general election, 1978
The 1978 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to elect the 39th New Zealand Parliament. It saw the governing National Party, led by Robert Muldoon, retain office, although the opposition Labour Party managed to win the largest share of the vote...
had a significantly higher turnout than official figures indicate.
Local elections
The following pages give access to results of local elections:- New Zealand local elections, 2004
- New Zealand local elections, 2007New Zealand local elections, 2007Triennial elections for all 73 cities, districts, twelve Regional Councils and all District Health Boards in New Zealand were held on 13 October 2007...
- New Zealand local elections, 2010New Zealand local elections, 2010The 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:...
See also
- Electoral calendar
- Electoral system
- Electoral reform in New ZealandElectoral reform in New ZealandElectoral 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 :...
- Electoral system of New ZealandElectoral system of New ZealandIn 1994 New Zealand officially adopted mixed member proportional representation as its electoral system for the House of Representatives after many years of first-past-the-post voting. The first MMP election was held in 1996....
- History of voting in New ZealandHistory of voting in New Zealand-Early local body elections:Probably the first notable election held in the new colony was the election of the first Wellington Town council pursuant to the Municipal Corporations Act in October 1842. It was open to all "Burgessers". These were undoubtedly male only, though it is not clear whether...
- Mixed Member Proportional
- Referendums in New ZealandReferendums in New ZealandReferendums are held only occasionally by the Government of New Zealand. Ten referendums have been held so far...
- New Zealand by-electionsNew Zealand by-electionsBy-elections in New Zealand occur to fill vacant seats in the New Zealand Parliament. The death, resignation, or expulsion of a sitting electorate MP can cause a by-election...
External links
- Electoral Commission website
- Official election results website
- New Zealand Election Study – analysis of elections by the University of AucklandUniversity of AucklandThe University of Auckland is a university located in Auckland, New Zealand. It is the largest university in the country and the highest ranked in the 2011 QS World University Rankings, having been ranked worldwide...
- Adam Carr's Election Archive