Organisational chart of the New Zealand political system
Politics of New Zealand
Constitution
The Crown
Monarch
King Charles III
Governor-General (list)
Cindy Kiro
Realm of New Zealand
Executive government
List of governments (current)
Cabinet
Ministers
Prime Minister (list)
Christopher Luxon
Executive Council
State services departments
Legislature
54th New Zealand Parliament
King-in-Parliament
House of Representatives
Speaker: Gerry Brownlee
Official Opposition
Elections
Political parties
Electorates
Electoral system
Electoral reform
Electoral Commission
Recent elections:
General: 2014
2017
2020
2023
Local: 2013
2016
2019
2022
Referendums
Political funding and election expenses
Judiciary
Supreme Court
Chief Justice: Helen Winkelmann
Court of Appeal
President: Mark Cooper
High Court
District Court
Other Courts:
Employment
Environment
Courts Martial Appeal
Māori Land
Waitangi Tribunal
Law of New Zealand
Local government
Regions
Territorial authorities
Community boards
Foreign relations
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Minister: Winston Peters
Diplomatic missions of / in New Zealand
Nationality law
Passport
Visa requirements
Visa policy
New Zealand and the United Nations
Ideology
Anarchism
Christian
Conservatism
Environmentalism
Fascism
Feminism
Liberalism
Populism
Republicanism
Socialism
Related topics
Māori politics
Nuclear-free zone
New Zealand portal
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The politics of New Zealand (Māori: tōrangapū o Aotearoa) function within a framework of an independent, unitary, parliamentary democracy. The system of government is based on the Westminster system, and the legal system is modelled on the common law of England. New Zealand is a constitutional monarchy in which King Charles III is the sovereign and head of state, while his prime minister serves as the head of government.
The New Zealand Parliament holds legislative power and consists of the King and the House of Representatives. The King is represented by the governor-general when not present in the country himself. Members of Parliament (MPs) are each elected to the House of Representatives for a flexible term of office, with general elections held at least every three years using a mixed-member proportional (MMP) system. MPs usually belong to political parties. New Zealand has a multi-party system, though the dominant parties have historically been the Labour Party and the National Party (or its predecessors). Minority governments are common and typically dependent on confidence-and-supply agreements with other parties in the House of Representatives.
Executive power in New Zealand is based on the principle that while the King reigns, the Government rules.[1] Although an integral part of the process of government, the King and his governor-general remain politically neutral and are not personally involved in the everyday aspects of governing. The New Zealand Government exercises authority on behalf of and by the consent of the sovereign. Government is made up of ministers, who are selected from among MPs and accountable to Parliament. Most ministers are members of the Cabinet, which is the main decision-making body of the Government. It is headed by the prime minister, who is the most senior minister formally appointed by the governor-general. Other ministers are appointed by the governor-general on the advice of the head of government.
According to the V-Dem Democracy Indices New Zealand was the sixth-most electoral democratic country in the world in 2023.[2] The country ranks highly for government transparency and had the second lowest perceived level of corruption in the world in 2022.[3]
^"The Office of the Governor-General". gg.govt.nz. Government House. 27 February 2017. Retrieved 27 January 2023. This arrangement is best described by the saying that 'while the Sovereign reigns, the Government rules.'
^V-Dem Institute (2023). "The V-Dem Dataset". Retrieved 14 October 2023.
^"CPI 2022". Transparency International. 31 January 2023. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
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