Electoral reform in New Zealand
Encyclopedia
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
.
from 1914 to 1996 consistently used the British system of 'first past the post' (FPP) for parliamentary elections (bloc voting
and runoff voting
were also used in some elections before 1914). This system had consistently favoured the two largest parties, since 1936 being National
and Labour
. In 1978
and 1981
, National won more seats even though Labour won more votes. Both parties would focus their efforts on marginal electoral seats, and 'safe' seats with large working class or farming populations were taken for granted.
In 1984
, Labour was elected to power. Deputy Prime Minister Geoffrey Palmer, also Minister of Justice, established the Royal Commission on the Electoral System
in 1985. The Royal Commission's report, in 1986, entitled Towards a Better Democracy recommended the adoption of Mixed Member Proportional. Initially, the report was largely ignored outside of academic circles. The Electoral Reform Coalition
was formed to lobby the government for a referendum on the electoral system.
At the 1987 election
, Prime Minister David Lange
promised to hold a referendum on changing to MMP at, or before, the next election. In May 1990 Labour member John Terris
submitted a private members bill to force a binding referendum on the electoral system. However, this bill was defeated. At the 1990 election
National, under Jim Bolger
, promised to hold a referendum before the 1993 election
.
Source: Nohlen et al
An overwhelming majority of those favouring a new electoral system voted for MMP. The percentages of the vote cast for the four possible electoral system options offered in the second question were:
Source: Nohlen et al
The second, binding, referendum was held in conjunction with the general election
on 6 November 1993. Many senior politicians and businesspeople were opposed to MMP: Bill Birch
, then a senior National Cabinet Minister, had said MMP would be "a catastrophic disaster for democracy", and Ruth Richardson
, former Minister of Finance in Jim Bolger
's government said MMP "would bring economic ruin". Peter Shirtcliffe
, chairman of Telecom New Zealand
at the time and leader of the Campaign for Better Government (CBG), a group opposed to MMP, said MMP "would bring chaos".
The Electoral Reform Coalition (ERC) was the main advocate for the adoption of MMP, and had support from several people, including the late Green Party
co-leader Rod Donald
. MMP faced an uphill battle, as acknowledged in the pro-MMP poster to the side, since the proposed model was for increase in the number of MPs from 99 to 120. The CBG responded to the increase in MPs with a controversial television advertisement showing 21 faceless list MPs with paper bags over their heads.
The ERC also had a "David and Goliath" battle financially - with the CBG being backed by a large business lobby, they had large amounts of money to spend. While the CBG could spend large on television, radio and full-page newspaper advertisements, often with fear-evoking graphic images, the ERC had limited funds and concentrated more on advocating in communities.
Despite the uphill battle, a majority (53.9%) of voters favoured MMP.
Source: Nohlen et al
As a result, National and Labour lost their complete dominance in the House. Neither has yet been able to hold a majority within the House under MMP. Instead, electoral results have required them to form coalitions to govern. Indeed, since 1998 there have been minority coalition governments relying on supply and confidence from parties outside of government.
Prior to the switch to MMP, New Zealand largely had a two party system, with government interchanging between Labour and National since 1935. With the introduction of MMP, particularly with New Zealand's unique provision for parties to win list seats despite getting less than the 5% threshold if they win one local seat, there has been a widening of political parties represented within the House. After the 1996 election
, there were six political parties. The Greens
separated from the Alliance for the 1999 election, and with the creation of the Māori Party
in 2004, there became eight parties. The number of political parties was expected to fall (as happened in Germany
after their adoption of MMP), but has in fact increased.
The transition to MMP has caused disproportionality
to fall.
The referendum is similar to the 1992 referendum, in that voters will be asked firstly to chose whether to keep the MMP system or to change to another system, and secondly to select their preferred system - FPP, PV, STV or SM - if the voting system were to change.
, all territorial authorities
were elected using the bloc vote
(although often referred to as first-past-the-post). In 2004, at the discretion of the council, they could use the single transferable vote
. Eight local bodies used STV in the 2007 local body elections
.
All regional
authorities must still use FPP.
All District Health Boards must use STV.
Electoral reform
Electoral reform is change in electoral systems to improve how public desires are expressed in election results. That can include reforms of:...
in New Zealand
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...
has, in recent years, become a political issue as major changes have been made to both Parliamentary and local government electoral systems
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....
.
Parliamentary Electoral Reform
All New Zealand electionsNew Zealand elections
Members of New Zealand's House of Representatives, commonly called "Parliament", normally gain their parliamentary seats through nationwide general elections, or in by-elections. General elections normally occur at least every three years in New Zealand, and operate using the Mixed Member...
from 1914 to 1996 consistently used the British system of 'first past the post' (FPP) for parliamentary elections (bloc voting
Plurality-at-large voting
Plurality-at-large voting is a non-proportional voting system for electing several representatives from a single multimember electoral district using a series of check boxes and tallying votes similar to a plurality election...
and runoff voting
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...
were also used in some elections before 1914). This system had consistently favoured the two largest parties, since 1936 being National
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 Labour
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....
. In 1978
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...
and 1981
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...
, National won more seats even though Labour won more votes. Both parties would focus their efforts on marginal electoral seats, and 'safe' seats with large working class or farming populations were taken for granted.
In 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...
, Labour was elected to power. Deputy Prime Minister Geoffrey Palmer, also Minister of Justice, established the Royal Commission on the Electoral System
Royal Commission on the Electoral System
The Royal Commission on the Electoral System was formed in New Zealand in 1985, and reported in 1986. The decision to form the Royal Commission was taken by the Fourth Labour government, after the Labour party had received more votes, yet won fewer seats than the National Party in both the 1978 and...
in 1985. The Royal Commission's report, in 1986, entitled Towards a Better Democracy recommended the adoption of Mixed Member Proportional. Initially, the report was largely ignored outside of academic circles. The Electoral Reform Coalition
Electoral Reform Coalition
The Electoral Reform Coalition is a group advocating electoral reform in New Zealand. It was founded in 1986. The group has been reformed as the Campaign for MMP to fight to retain MMP at the 2011 referendum on the issue.-History:...
was formed to lobby the government for a referendum on the electoral system.
At the 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...
, Prime Minister David Lange
David Lange
David Russell Lange, ONZ, CH , served as the 32nd Prime Minister of New Zealand from 1984 to 1989. He headed New Zealand's fourth Labour Government, one of the most reforming administrations in his country's history, but one which did not always conform to traditional expectations of a...
promised to hold a referendum on changing to MMP at, or before, the next election. In May 1990 Labour member John Terris
John Terris
John James Terris, QSO is a New Zealand politician, priest and broadcaster who represented the Labour Party in the New Zealand parliament.-Member of Parliament :Terris was first elected as the member of Western Hutt in 1978...
submitted a private members bill to force a binding referendum on the electoral system. However, this bill was defeated. At the 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...
National, under Jim Bolger
Jim Bolger
James Brendan "Jim" Bolger, ONZ was the 35th Prime Minister of New Zealand from 1990 to 1997. Bolger was elected on the promise of delivering a "Decent Society" following the previous Labour government's economic reforms, known as Rogernomics...
, promised to hold a referendum before the 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...
.
1992 electoral system referendum
In 1992, a non-binding referendum was held on whether or not FPP should be replaced by a new, more proportional voting system. Voters were asked two questions: whether or not to replace FPP with a new voting system; and which system should be adopted instead. A second, binding, referendum was to be held the following year, in which voters would choose between FPP and the new system chosen to replace it.Question One
The first question asked voters if they wished to retain FPP or change electoral systems. The result was in 84.7 per cent favour of replacing FPP, and 15.3% against.| Voting method referendum, 19 September 1992: Part A Choose one proposal: |
|||
| Response | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retain FPP I vote to retain the present First Past The Post system. |
186,027 | 15.28 | |
| Change System I vote for a change to the electoral system |
1,031,257 | 84.72 | |
| Total votes | 1,217,284 | 100.00 | |
| Turnout Voter turnout Voter turnout is the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election . After increasing for many decades, there has been a trend of decreasing voter turnout in most established democracies since the 1960s... |
|||
Source: Nohlen et al
Question Two
The second question asked voters which new system should replace FPP. Voters could choose between the following:- Mixed Member Proportional (MMP); also known as the Additional Member SystemAdditional Member SystemThe Additional Member System is the term used in the United Kingdom for the mixed member proportional representation voting system used in Scotland, Wales and the London Assembly....
used in GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, ScotlandScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, and WalesWalesWales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
(although only in Germany at the time); in which roughly half of the seats are elected by FPP; and the remainder are filled from party lists to top-up the local seats so as to ensure a proportional overall result; - Single Transferable VoteSingle transferable voteThe 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...
(STV); a proportional system used in IrelandIrelandIreland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
(NorthNorthern IrelandNorthern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
and SouthRepublic of IrelandIreland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
), TasmaniaTasmaniaTasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
, and for the Australian Senate; in which the country is divided into multimember constituencies; and voters rank candidates in declining order of preference; - Supplementary Member system (SM); commonly called the parallel system, used in JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and previously in RussiaRussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
; a semi-proportional mixed system with proportional representation used only for the seats filled by lists; and a larger proportion of seats elected by FPP. - Alternative Vote; used in AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and FijiFijiFiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
elections; similar to FPP but with voters ranking candidates in declining order of preference in single-seat constituencies (now called Instant Runoff Voting in the USA).
An overwhelming majority of those favouring a new electoral system voted for MMP. The percentages of the vote cast for the four possible electoral system options offered in the second question were:
| Voting method referendum, 19 September 1992: Part B Choose one option: |
|||
| Response | | Votes | |% | |
|---|---|---|---|
| valid | total | ||
| Preferential Voting (PV) I vote for the Preferential Voting system (PV) |
73,539 | 6.56 | 6.04 |
| Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) I vote for the Mixed Member Proportional system (MMP) |
790,648 | 70.51 | 64.95 |
| Supplementary Member (SM) I vote for the Supplementary Member system (SM) |
62,278 | 5.55 | 5.12 |
| Single Transferable Vote (STV) I vote for the Single Transferable Vote system (STV) |
194,796 | 17.37 | 16.00 |
| Total valid votes | 1,121,261 | 100.00 | 92.11 |
| Invalid/blank votes | 96,023 | – | 7.89 |
| Total votes cast | 1,217,284 | – | 100.00 |
| Turnout Voter turnout Voter turnout is the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election . After increasing for many decades, there has been a trend of decreasing voter turnout in most established democracies since the 1960s... |
|||
Source: Nohlen et al
1993 electoral referendum
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...
on 6 November 1993. Many senior politicians and businesspeople were opposed to MMP: Bill Birch
Bill Birch
Sir William Francis Birch, GNZM , usually known as Bill Birch, is a former New Zealand politician. He served as Minister of Finance for several years in the fourth National government.-Early life:...
, then a senior National Cabinet Minister, had said MMP would be "a catastrophic disaster for democracy", and Ruth Richardson
Ruth Richardson
Ruth Richardson served as New Zealand's Minister of Finance from 1990 to 1993, and is known for her strong pursuit of free-market economic reforms .-Early life:...
, former Minister of Finance in Jim Bolger
Jim Bolger
James Brendan "Jim" Bolger, ONZ was the 35th Prime Minister of New Zealand from 1990 to 1997. Bolger was elected on the promise of delivering a "Decent Society" following the previous Labour government's economic reforms, known as Rogernomics...
's government said MMP "would bring economic ruin". Peter Shirtcliffe
Peter Shirtcliffe
Peter Shirtcliffe, CMG is one of New Zealand's most experienced business leaders. He was the chairman of Telecom New Zealand, New Zealand's largest listed company, from 1990 to 1999. He received a CMG in 1988 and the New Zealand Commemoration Medal in 1990...
, chairman of Telecom New Zealand
Telecom New Zealand
Telecom New Zealand is a New Zealand-wide communications service provider , providing fixed line telephone services, a mobile network, an internet service provider , a major ICT provider to NZ businesses , and a wholesale network infrastructure provider to other NZ CSPs...
at the time and leader of the Campaign for Better Government (CBG), a group opposed to MMP, said MMP "would bring chaos".
The Electoral Reform Coalition (ERC) was the main advocate for the adoption of MMP, and had support from several people, including the late 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...
co-leader Rod Donald
Rod Donald
Rodney David "Rod" Donald , was a New Zealand politician who co-led the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand, along with Jeanette Fitzsimons.He lived in Christchurch with his partner Nicola Shirlaw, and their three daughters....
. MMP faced an uphill battle, as acknowledged in the pro-MMP poster to the side, since the proposed model was for increase in the number of MPs from 99 to 120. The CBG responded to the increase in MPs with a controversial television advertisement showing 21 faceless list MPs with paper bags over their heads.
The ERC also had a "David and Goliath" battle financially - with the CBG being backed by a large business lobby, they had large amounts of money to spend. While the CBG could spend large on television, radio and full-page newspaper advertisements, often with fear-evoking graphic images, the ERC had limited funds and concentrated more on advocating in communities.
Despite the uphill battle, a majority (53.9%) of voters favoured MMP.
| Voting method referendum, 6 November 1993 Choose one proposal: |
|||
| Response | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Past the Post (FPP) I vote for the present First Past the Post system as provided by the Electoral Act 1956 |
884,964 | 46.14 | |
| Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) I vote for the proposed Mixed Member Proportional system as provided by the Electoral Act 1993 |
1,032,919 | 53.86 | |
| Total votes | 1,917,833 | 100.00 | |
| Turnout Voter turnout Voter turnout is the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election . After increasing for many decades, there has been a trend of decreasing voter turnout in most established democracies since the 1960s... |
82.61% | ||
Source: Nohlen et al
Introduction of MMP
The first election using MMP was held in 1996.As a result, National and Labour lost their complete dominance in the House. Neither has yet been able to hold a majority within the House under MMP. Instead, electoral results have required them to form coalitions to govern. Indeed, since 1998 there have been minority coalition governments relying on supply and confidence from parties outside of government.
Prior to the switch to MMP, New Zealand largely had a two party system, with government interchanging between Labour and National since 1935. With the introduction of MMP, particularly with New Zealand's unique provision for parties to win list seats despite getting less than the 5% threshold if they win one local seat, there has been a widening of political parties represented within the House. After the 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...
, there were six political parties. 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...
separated from the Alliance for the 1999 election, and with the creation of 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...
in 2004, there became eight parties. The number of political parties was expected to fall (as happened in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
after their adoption of MMP), but has in fact increased.
The transition to MMP has caused disproportionality
Gallagher Index
The Gallagher Index is used to measure the disproportionality of an electoral outcome, that is the difference between the percentage of votes received and the percentage of seats a party gets in the resulting legislature. This is especially useful for comparing proportionality across electoral...
to fall.
| Election | Disproportionality | Number of Parties in Parliament |
|---|---|---|
| 1946-1993 average | 11.10% | 2.4 |
| 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... |
4.36% | 6 |
| 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... |
3.01% | 7 |
| 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... |
2.53% | 7 |
| 2005 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... |
1.11% | 8 |
| 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... |
5.21% | 7 |
| 2011 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... (preliminary results) |
2.53% | 8 |
2011 referendum
The National Party promised a second referendum to decide whether or not to keep MMP as part of the lead up to the 2008 general election. Upon gaining power, the party legislated that the referendum will be held alongside the 2011 general election, which will take place on Saturday 26 November 2011.The referendum is similar to the 1992 referendum, in that voters will be asked firstly to chose whether to keep the MMP system or to change to another system, and secondly to select their preferred system - FPP, PV, STV or SM - if the voting system were to change.
Local Government Elections
Up until the 2004 local body electionsNew Zealand local body elections 2004
Triennial elections for all 74 cities, districts, twelve Regional Councils and all District Health Boards in New Zealand were held on 9 October 2004...
, all territorial authorities
Territorial authorities of New Zealand
Territorial authorities are the second tier of local government in New Zealand, below regional councils. There are 67 territorial authorities: 13 city councils, 53 district councils, and the Chatham Islands Council...
were elected using the bloc vote
Plurality-at-large voting
Plurality-at-large voting is a non-proportional voting system for electing several representatives from a single multimember electoral district using a series of check boxes and tallying votes similar to a plurality election...
(although often referred to as first-past-the-post). In 2004, at the discretion of the council, they could use the 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...
. Eight local bodies used STV in the 2007 local body elections
New Zealand local elections, 2007
Triennial elections for all 73 cities, districts, twelve Regional Councils and all District Health Boards in New Zealand were held on 13 October 2007...
.
All regional
Regions of New Zealand
The region is the top tier of local government in New Zealand. There are 16 regions of New Zealand. Eleven are governed by an elected regional council, while five are governed by territorial authorities which also perform the functions of a regional council and thus are known as unitary authorities...
authorities must still use FPP.
All District Health Boards must use STV.
See also
- Constitution of New ZealandNew Zealand constitutionThe constitution of New Zealand consists of a collection of statutes , Treaties, Orders in Council, letters patent, decisions of the Courts and unwritten constitutional conventions...
- Elections in New Zealand
- 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...