53rd New Zealand Parliament
| 53rd Parliament of New Zealand | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
.JPG) | |||
| Overview | |||
| Legislative body | New Zealand Parliament | ||
| Election | 2020 general election | ||
| Government | Sixth Labour Government | ||
| Website | www.parliament.nz | ||
| House of Representatives | |||
 | |||
| Members | 120 | ||
| Speaker of the House | TBD | ||
| Leader of the House | Chris Hipkins | ||
| Prime Minister | Jacinda Ardern | ||
| Leader of the Opposition | Judith Collins | ||
| Sovereign | |||
| Monarch | Elizabeth II | ||
| Governor-General | Patsy Reddy | ||
| Terms of the New Zealand Parliament  |
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th 11th | 12th | 13th | 14th | 15th 16th | 17th | 18th | 19th | 20th 21st | 22nd | 23rd | 24th | 25th 26th | 27th | 28th | 29th | 30th 31st | 32nd | 33rd | 34th | 35th 36th | 37th | 38th | 39th | 40th 41st | 42nd | 43rd | 44th | 45th 46th | 47th | 48th | 49th | 50th 51st | 52nd | 53rd | 54th |
The 53rd New Zealand Parliament will be the next Parliament of New Zealand, elected during the 17 October 2020 general election.[1] The previous 52nd New Zealand Parliament was dissolved on 6 September 2020.[2] Consisting of 120 members,[3] the 53rd Parliament must open on or before 24 December 2020 (six weeks after the return of the writ per section 19 of the Constitution Act 1986) and will expire in 2023, unless an election is called before its expiry.
The Parliament was elected using a mixed-member proportional representation (MMP) voting system. Members of Parliament (MPs) represented 72 geographical electorates: 16 in the South Island, 49 in the North Island and 7 Māori electorates. This was an increase of one electorate seat from the previous election, as a result of population growth in the North Island. The remaining members were elected from party lists using the Webster/Sainte-Laguë method to realise proportionality.[4]
Background
Electorate changes
To achieve proportionality across electorates, there were a number of changes required to electorates based on population data determined through the 2018 census and projected population growth.[5] As such, the number of geographical electorates increased by one compared to the 2017 election to account for the North Island's higher population growth, creating Takanini, and the boundaries of 30 general electorates and five Māori electorates had their boundaries adjusted so that each electorate contains roughly the same number of people.[6][7]
2020 general election
The 2020 general election was held on 17 October, after being delayed from 19 September due to a resurgence of COVID-19 cases during the COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand.[8][9] The dissolution of the 52nd Parliament was originally set for 12 August,[10] and was delayed first to 17 August[11] and finally to 6 September 2020.[2]
The 2020 election resulted in a majority for the Labour Party, winning 64 seats, allowing them to continue the Sixth Labour Government unrestricted. Their coalition partner from the 52nd Parliament, New Zealand First, did not receive enough votes to pass the five percent threshold or win in an electorate, kicking them out of Parliament. Confidence and supply partner the Green Party received 10 seats, up two, becoming the first minor party ever to increase their share of the vote following their being in government. In the opposition, the National Party lost 21 seats, giving them a total of 35, and ACT New Zealand went from one seat to ten. Based on preliminary results, the Māori Party won a Māori electorate, giving them a total of one seat in Parliament after losing representation in the 2017 general election.[12]
Formation
Labour achieved a majority in the 2020 election, allowing them to form a government without any coalition agreements having to be made. However, prime minister Jacinda Ardern entered talks with the Green Party about "potential areas of co-operation" in the formation of the new government.[13] After two weeks of discussions, the Green Party reached an agreement with Labour on 31 October to become part of the next Government, with co-leaders James Shaw and Marama Davidson receiving ministerial positions outside of cabinet. Shaw will remain Minister of Climate Change and become Associate Minister of the Environment, while Davidson will be Minister for the Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence and the Associate Minister of Housing.[14]
Parliamentary term
The writ for the 2020 election is set to be returned on 12 November 2020. Under section 19 of Constitution Act 1986, Parliament must meet no later than six weeks after this date, meaning Parliament must open no later than 24 December 2020.
The 53rd Parliament is the first parliament since the 44th New Zealand Parliament (and the introduction of an MMP electoral system) to have a single party hold an outright majority of seats. The Labour Party holds 65 seats, 4 more than the required 61 seats needed for a majority.[15]
Dissolution
Under section 17 of the Constitution Act 1986, Parliament expires a maximum of three years "from the day fixed for the return of the writs issued for the last preceding general election of members of the House of Representatives, and no longer".[16] The writs were issued on 13 September 2020 and will be returned on 12 November,[17] meaning that the 53rd Parliament must dissolve on or before 12 November 2023.
Officeholders
Speaker
Trevor Mallard is expected to retain his position as Speaker. Parliament shall also elect a Deputy Speaker and one or more Assistant Speakers. In the previous Parliament, the Deputy Speaker was a member of the opposition party, but the Labour majority may see a change to this, as the announcement of ministerial positions on 2 November 2020 included confirmation that sitting Assistant Speaker Adrian Rurawhe would be nominated for the Deputy role.[18] It was also announced that Jenny Salesa would be put forth for the role of Assistant Speaker.[19]
Party leaders
- Prime Minister of New Zealand: Rt. Hon. Jacinda Ardern (Labour)
- Leader of the Opposition (National): Hon. Judith Collins
- Deputy Leader of the Opposition (National): Hon. Gerry Brownlee
- Co-leaders of the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand:
- Leader of ACT New Zealand: David Seymour
- Co-leaders of the Māori Party:
- Female Co-leader: Debbie Ngarewa-Packer
- Male Co-leader: Rawiri Waititi
Whips
- Senior Government Whip:
Members
The table below shows the members of the 53rd Parliament based on the results of the 2020 general election. Ministerial roles were officially announced on 2 November 2020.
Overview
This table shows the number of MPs in each party:
| Affiliation | Members | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| At 2020 election | |||
| Labour | 65 | ||
| Government total | 65 | ||
| Green C | 10 | ||
| Government with Cooperation total | 75 | ||
| National | 33 | ||
| ACT | 10 | ||
| Maori Party | 2 | ||
| Opposition total | 45 | ||
| Total MPs in Parliament | 120 | ||
| Working Government majority | 20 | ||
| Working Government with Cooperation majority | 30 | ||
Notes
- ^C The Green Party entered into a cooperation agreement with the Labour Party on 1 November 2020 in which they agreed not to oppose confidence and supply. This differs from a confidence and supply agreement that has been a feature of New Zealand governments, in which minor political parties agree to explicitly support confidence and supply.
- The Working Government majority is calculated as all Government MPs less all opposition parties. It excludes the Green Party which can either support or abstain from confidence and supply. The Working Government with Cooperation majority includes the Green party.
Committees
 |
Committees will be established at the beginning of the 53rd Parliament. It is expected that all Committee chairs will be Labour MPs, though the Green Party will receive one chair and one deputy chair. A new Petitions Committee is expected to be established to review petitions presented to parliament.
Electorates
This section shows the New Zealand electorates as they are represented in the 53rd Parliament.[citation needed]
General electorates
Māori electorates
| Electorate | Region | MP | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Te Tai Tokerau | Northland and Auckland | Kelvin Davis | Template:Meta color | Labour |
| Tāmaki Makaurau | Auckland | Peeni Henare | Template:Meta color | Labour |
| Hauraki-Waikato | Auckland and Waikato | Nanaia Mahuta | Template:Meta color | Labour |
| Waiariki | Bay of Plenty and Waikato | Rawiri Waititi | Template:Meta color | Māori |
| Ikaroa-Rāwhiti | Hawke's Bay, Gisborne, Manawatū-Whanganui and Wellington | Meka Whaitiri | Template:Meta color | Labour |
| Te Tai Hauāuru | Taranaki, Waikato, Manawatū-Whanganui and Wellington | Adrian Rurawhe | Template:Meta color | Labour |
| Te Tai Tonga | The South Island and Wellington | Rino Tirikatene | Template:Meta color | Labour |
See also
References
- ^ Wade, Amelia (17 August 2020). "Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern delays election until October 17 - survey shows 60 per cent of Kiwis wanted it delayed". NZ Herald. ISSN 1170-0777. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
- ^ a b Cooke, Henry (6 September 2020). "Election 2020: Parliament dissolves, setting stage for election campaign". Stuff. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
- ^ "Our system of government". New Zealand Parliament. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
- ^ Wilson, Simon (14 September 2017). "MMP maths: How party vote percentages become seats in parliament". The Spinoff. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
- ^ "Working out how many electorates there should be". Electoral Commission. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
- ^ Small, Zane (4 August 2020). "NZ Election 2020 electorate changes: Adjusted boundaries, new names". Newshub. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
- ^ "Boundary Review 2019/20". Elections.nz. Electoral Commission. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
- ^ Malpass, Luke; Cooke, Henry (28 January 2020). "Jacinda Ardern announces 2020 election will be held on September 19". Stuff. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
- ^ "Election 2020: Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern delays the election a month until October 17". Stuff. 17 August 2020. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
- ^ Young, Audrey (28 January 2020). "Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern reveals September 19 election date". The New Zealand Herald. ISSN 1170-0777. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
- ^ "Coronavirus: Parliament dissolution delayed, but election still set for September 19". Stuff. 12 August 2020. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
- ^ "2020 General Election and Referendums - Preliminary Count". ElectionResults.govt.nz. Electoral Comission. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
- ^ "Labour kicks off Government forming talks with the Greens in Jacinda Ardern's Beehive office". NZ Herald. 21 October 2020. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
- ^ Coughlan, Thomas; Cooke, Henry (31 October 2020). "Election 2020: Green Party votes to be part of next Government with Labour". Retrieved 1 November 2020.
- ^ "New Zealand election: Jacinda Ardern's Labour Party scores landslide win". BBC News. 17 October 2020. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
- ^ "Constitution Act 1986". Parliamentary Counsel Office. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
- ^ Coughlan, Thomas (13 September 2020). "Election 2020: Governor-General signs writ, triggering next step on road to election". Stuff. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
- ^ Whyte, Anna (2 November 2020). "Analysis: Promotions, demotions and big changes in Government's line-up". TVNZ. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
- ^ Sachdeva, Sam. "Ardern's big calls in new Cabinet". newsroom.co.nz. Newsroom. Retrieved 3 November 2020.