85-506: Christchurch Central is a New Zealand parliamentary electorate in the South Island city of Christchurch . The electorate was established for the 1946 election and, until 2011 had always been won by the Labour Party . Since 2008, the incumbent was Brendon Burns but the election night results for the 2011 election resulted in a tie; the special vote results combined with
170-495: A Dominion in 1907, the term prime minister has been used exclusively in English. In Māori, the title pirimia , means "premier". New Zealand prime ministers are styled as " The Right Honourable ", a privilege they retain for life. Forty-two people (thirty-nine men and three women) have served as prime minister, the first of whom was Henry Sewell taking office on 7 May 1856 as premier. The longest-serving prime minister
255-448: A plurality voting system . From 1881, a special country quota meant that rural seats could contain fewer people than urban seats, preserving improportionality by over-representing the rural electoral population (mostly made up by farmers). The country quota inflated the number of the electoral population outside of cities and certain towns by some percentage. The quota was at first 33% (1881–1887), then briefly 18% (1887–1889), and 28% for
340-432: A 2,420 majority over Milne. The Labour Party chose Duncan Webb as its candidate for the 2017 general election . He is a prominent lawyer and earthquake claims advocate. Webb narrowly won the seat in 2017, and massively increased his majority at the 2020 election amid that year's Labour landslide. Christchurch Central has been represented by eight MPs. Since its creation in 1946 until the 2011 general election it had been
425-534: A Māori electorate or a general electorate. The percentage of Māori voters opting for the Māori roll determines the percentage of the whole Māori electoral population (of persons claiming Māori ancestry at the previous census) which is then divided by the South Island Quota to calculate the number of Māori electorates. South Island Māori opting for the general roll are included in the electoral population on which
510-465: A Māori voice in Parliament. In 1967 the reserved status of the Māori seats was removed, allowing non-Māori to stand in the Māori electorates, thus removing any guarantee that Māori would be elected to Parliament. Until 1993 the number of Māori electorates was fixed at four, significantly under-representing Māori in Parliament. In 1975 the definition of who could opt to register on either the general or
595-539: A judicial recount revealed a 47-vote majority for Nicky Wagner , the National list MP based in the electorate. Wagner significantly increased her winning margin in the 2014 election after having declared the electorate "unwinnable" for National earlier in the year following a boundary review. At the 2017 election Wagner lost the seat to Labour's Duncan Webb , who retained it at the 2020 election . The 1941 New Zealand census had been postponed due to World War II, so
680-422: A judicial recount was held where Wagner's majority increased by 2 votes to 47. When draft electoral boundary changes were released, Wagner declared the electorate "unwinnable" for National. Although she was expected to not contest the 2014 general election , she announced at the end of January 2014 that she would try to defend her seat. Labour chose Tony Milne as their candidate for Christchurch Central. Wagner had
765-531: A large majority, the party system and tight control of party members by whips helped heads of government to direct the passage of legislation in the House of Representatives. In 1893, the premier gained the ability to restrict the term of appointments to the Legislative Council . After 1900, Richard Seddon , the incumbent head of government, used the title of "prime minister". The change of title
850-496: A list member, or other incumbent. A [REDACTED] Y or [REDACTED] N denotes status of any incumbent , win or lose respectively. Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A [REDACTED] Y or [REDACTED] N denotes status of any incumbent , win or lose respectively. Blue background denotes
935-496: A list member, or other incumbent. A [REDACTED] Y or [REDACTED] N denotes status of any incumbent , win or lose respectively. Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A [REDACTED] Y or [REDACTED] N denotes status of any incumbent , win or lose respectively. Blue background denotes
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#17327796926121020-544: A list member, or other incumbent. A [REDACTED] Y or [REDACTED] N denotes status of any incumbent , win or lose respectively. Electorate (as at 26 November 2011): 39,419 Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A [REDACTED] Y or [REDACTED] N denotes status of any incumbent , win or lose respectively. Blue background denotes
1105-551: A majority in the 2008 election of also just under one thousand. The first representative was Robert Macfarlane , who had earlier represented the Christchurch South electorate. He held Christchurch Central until the 1969 election , when he retired. He was succeeded by Bruce Barclay , who died in office in 1979. This caused the 1979 by-election held on 18 August, which was won by Geoffrey Palmer . Palmer eventually went on to become Prime Minister . Palmer retired at
1190-560: A position of executive leadership was Henry Sewell , who formed a brief ministry in April 1856, at the beginning of the Second Parliament . Despite his formal leadership role, however, his only actual title was " colonial secretary ", a position comparable to a minister of internal affairs . His successor, William Fox , was also given a formal leadership role but was not a colonial secretary. In 1864 when Frederick Weld became
1275-558: A safe seat for the Labour Party . It was then held by the National Party until the 2017 general election when it swung back to Labour. Key Labour Alliance NZ First National Members of Parliament elected from party lists in elections where that person also unsuccessfully contested the Christchurch Central electorate. Blue background denotes
1360-493: Is a geographic constituency used for electing a member ( MP ) to the New Zealand Parliament . The size of electorates is determined such that all electorates have approximately the same electoral population. Before 1996, all MPs were directly chosen for office by the voters of an electorate. In New Zealand's electoral system , 72 of the usually 120 seats in Parliament are filled by electorate members, with
1445-566: Is also traditional for the monarch to bestow a knighthood or damehood on prime ministers after they leave office, and two prime ministers were knighted while still in office (namely Sir Keith Holyoake in 1970, and Sir Robert Muldoon in 1983 ). The Diplomatic Protection Service (DPS) is a special branch of the New Zealand Police that is charged with protecting the prime minister (and their family) and other senior government officials, as well as diplomats. The DPS provides
1530-487: Is no substantial evidence for the claim. New Zealand is one of the few countries in the world to have had three female heads of government and one of only three countries to have had a female head of government directly succeed another. The first female prime minister was Jenny Shipley of the National Party , who replaced Jim Bolger in late 1997; Shipley was succeeded by Helen Clark in 1999. Jacinda Ardern ,
1615-465: Is not a more suitable name. The compass point reference usually follows the name of the main population centre, e.g. Hamilton East . Over the years, there have been two types of "special" electorates created for particular communities. The first were special goldminers' electorates , created for participants in the Otago gold rush —goldminers did not usually meet the residency and property requirements in
1700-477: Is set to be replaced by 2028. Former officeholders are entitled to annuity and travel payments for the rest of their lives. Former prime ministers who held the office for no less than two years are entitled to a yearly rate of $ 10,900 for each complete year the person held office, with a maximum of $ 54,500 payable annually. Former prime ministers, when travelling within New Zealand, are eligible to be paid if
1785-497: Is the head of government of New Zealand . The incumbent prime minister, Christopher Luxon , leader of the New Zealand National Party , took office on 27 November 2023. The prime minister (informally abbreviated to PM) ranks as the most senior government minister . They are responsible for chairing meetings of Cabinet ; allocating posts to ministers within the government ; acting as the spokesperson for
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#17327796926121870-419: The 1990 election and was succeeded by Lianne Dalziel . At the 1996 election , i.e. with the advent of MMP , Dalziel did not contest an electorate but stood as a list candidate only. Tim Barnett succeeded her and held the electorate until the 2008 election , when he retired. Brendon Burns succeeded Barnett. The election night results for the 2011 election resulted in a tie; Burns and Nicky Wagner of
1955-529: The COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand . As of July 2024 , the prime minister's salary is set at NZ$ 498,300. In addition, like all other ministers and MPs, the prime minister receives annual allowances for travel and lodging, as do the prime minister's spouse and children. The incumbent prime minister's official residence is Premier House , Tinakori Road, Wellington. There the prime minister hosts receptions and events for New Zealand and overseas guests. Unlike
2040-620: The Civil List of 1873, provision was made for the salary of the head of government "being the Prime Minister". Initially, premiers acted as mere advisers to the governor—with the governor at times a very active partner. This began to change during the first tenure of Edward Stafford. Stafford met with his ministers and made decisions outside of the Executive Council (which was chaired by the governor), thus establishing
2125-629: The South Island is to have 16 general electorates, and dividing the number of persons in the South Island's general electoral population by 16 determines the South Island Quota . This quota is then used to calculate the number of Māori electorates and to determine the number of North Island electorates. The number of Māori electorates is influenced by the Māori Electoral Option where Māori voters can opt to be in either
2210-404: The mixed-member proportional (MMP) system was introduced in 1996 , prime ministers have had to manage minority governments. The skill of MMP management was exemplified by Helen Clark 's nine years as prime minister (1999–2008), when her Labour government remained in power thanks to a range of confidence-and-supply agreements with five smaller parties. Until the premiership of Helen Clark, it
2295-471: The 1940s the prime minister's profile rose as New Zealand signed several international treaties. In 1967, Keith Holyoake became the first New Zealand prime minister to select candidates for the position of governor-general without any involvement of the British government. Holyoake advised the monarch, Queen Elizabeth II , to appoint Sir Arthur Porritt , the first New Zealand-born governor-general. After
2380-599: The 1946 electoral redistribution had to take ten years of population growth and movements into account. The North Island gained a further two electorates from the South Island due to faster population growth. The abolition of the country quota through the Electoral Amendment Act, 1945 reduced the number and increased the size of rural electorates. None of the existing electorates remained unchanged, 27 electorates were abolished, eight former electorates were re-established, and 19 electorates were created for
2465-493: The 2013/14 redistribution, the electorate lost Mairehau and Shirley to Christchurch East and gained more of Sydenham and Beckenham from Port Hills and more of Redwood from Waimakariri . The Christchurch Central electorate was created in 1946 . Labour held the seat for the next 65 years, though a high turnout for the Alliance saw Tim Barnett 's 1996 majority come in at under a thousand. The incumbent, Brendon Burns, had
2550-494: The House of Representatives in the 1850s modelled the electoral procedures used for the British House of Commons , which at that time featured both single-member electorates (electorates returning just one MP) and multi-member electorates (electorates returning more than one MP). Each electorate was allocated a different number of MPs (up to three) in order to balance electoral population differences. All electorates used
2635-425: The House of Representatives, to their political party, and ultimately to the national electorate. Originally the head of government was titled "colonial secretary" or " first minister ". This was changed in 1869 to " premier ". That title remained in use for more than 30 years, until Richard Seddon changed it to " prime minister " in 1900 during his tenure in the office. Following the declaration of New Zealand as
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2720-433: The Māori roll was expanded to include all persons of Māori descent. Previously all persons of more than 50% Māori ancestry were on the Māori roll while persons of less than 50% Māori ancestry were required to enrol on the then European roll. Only persons presumed to have equal Māori and European ancestry (so-called half-castes) had a choice of roll. Since the introduction of MMP in 1996, the number of seats can change with
2805-400: The National Party received 10,493 votes each. The outcome of the election thus depended on the special votes. This was the first time a tie result had been achieved since 1928. When the final vote count was announced on 10 December, Wagner was declared the winner with a majority of 45 over Burns, making the result the second-smallest majority after Waitakere . Due to the closeness of the results
2890-547: The North Island experienced higher population growth than the South island. At the 1996 election, there were 44 North Island electorates. By the 2023 election, this had increased to 49 electorates. In October 2024, Statistics New Zealand announced that population changes necessitated reducing the number of North Island general electorates by one, bringing the total number of North Island general electorates to 48. Because of
2975-485: The Prime Minister provides advice and support on political party matters. The style of " The Right Honourable " (abbreviated to "The Rt Hon") is always granted to the prime minister upon taking office. Former prime ministers retain this style for the remainder of their lives. The written form of address for the head of government should use their full parliamentary title as applicable: The Right Honourable [name], [post-nominal letters], Prime Minister of New Zealand . It
3060-559: The Privy Council, meaning Key was styled "The Honourable". On 3 August 2010, the Queen granted the prime minister, along with the governor-general, speaker of the House of Representatives and chief justice , the style "Right Honourable" upon appointment. On 21 June 2018, Labour's Jacinda Ardern became the first prime minister of New Zealand (and second elected head of government in the world) to give birth while in office. Ardern
3145-548: The Savage Memorial at Bastion Point in Auckland . Assuming that Henry Sewell is counted as the first prime minister, 42 individuals have held the office since it was established. Some of these people have held it on several separate occasions, with the record for maximum number of times being shared between William Fox and Harry Atkinson (both of whom served four times). The longest that anyone has served in
3230-436: The South Island Quota is established. The North Island electoral population (including Māori opting for the general roll) is divided into electorates, each of approximately the same electoral population as the South Island ones. Electorates may vary by no more than 5% of the average electoral population size. This has caused the number of list seats in Parliament to decline as the population is experiencing "northern drift" (i.e.
3315-474: The colonial-secretary and finance portfolios. As New Zealand developed, the role of minister of finance became too big; Prime Minister Sir Robert Muldoon came under criticism for taking on the finance portfolio during his time in office (1975–1984), as it resulted in a large concentration of power in the hands of one individual. Before 1987 it was common for prime ministers to take the role of minister of foreign affairs , so they could represent New Zealand on
3400-702: The confidence of the house, either by losing a confidence vote or as the result of an election, convention dictates that they should tender their resignation to the governor-general. Under the Constitution Act 1986 , general elections are required every three years, setting the maximum period a prime minister can serve without their mandate being renewed. The office of prime minister is not defined by codified laws but by unwritten customs known as constitutional conventions which developed in Britain and which New Zealand replicated. These conventions depend for
3485-627: The convention of collective ministerial responsibility . The actual ability of a prime minister to give direct orders is largely limited; most of the position's power comes about through other means, such as: Since the 1996 implementation of the MMP electoral system , the role of the prime minister in negotiating and maintaining relationships with support parties has increased, placing some constraints on prime ministerial abilities. Prime ministers also take on additional portfolios (to prioritise policy areas). Historically, 19th-century premiers looked after
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3570-612: The coordination of the implementation of key government programmes. Before 2014, the prime minister was also responsible for the New Zealand Security and Intelligence Service (NZSIS) and for the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB). In 2014, Prime Minister John Key gave himself the new portfolio of National Security and Intellegence and delegated responsibility for SIS and GCSB to other ministers. He also expanded
3655-434: The elected members of parliament (MPs). In making this appointment, convention requires the governor-general to act on the outcome of the electoral process and subsequent discussions between political parties by which the person who will lead the government as prime minister is identified. In practice, the position typically falls to an MP who is the parliamentary leader of the largest political party among those forming
3740-501: The electorate they were prospecting in, but were numerous enough to warrant political representation. Three goldminers' electorates existed, the first began in 1863 and both ended in 1870. Much more durable have been the Māori electorates , created in 1867 to give separate representation to Māori . Although originally intended to be temporary, they came to function as reserved positions for Māori until 1967, ensuring that there would always be
3825-547: The event as an ardent imperialist. Constitutional conventions adopted in 1930, following the Imperial Conference held that year, increased the domestic and international prestige of the prime minister. The Statute of Westminster 1931 confirmed that Dominions had exclusive power to make their laws. New Zealand initially resisted greater autonomy and did not adopt the statute until 1947 . Increasingly New Zealand began to act independently in foreign affairs. During
3910-714: The first formal party in New Zealand, the Liberal Party , forming the Liberal Government in 1891. There was little real parliamentary opposition until 1909, when William Massey organised his conservative faction to form the Reform Party . Thereafter political power centred on parties and their leaders. (Subsequent governments were led by prime ministers from the Reform, United , Labour and National parties. ) Although not every government would have
3995-604: The first time, including Christchurch Central. As the name suggests, the electorate covers the Christchurch Central City , plus several inner suburbs to the north and east of the central city. Since the 2008 election , the following suburbs, in alphabetical order, are at least partially located in the electorate: Avonside , Central City, Edgeware , Linwood , Mairehau , Merivale , North Linwood , Northcote , Papanui , Phillipstown , Redwood , Richmond , Shirley , St Albans , Sydenham , and Waltham . In
4080-502: The government. The prime minister may lead a coalition government and/or a minority government dependent on support from smaller parties during confidence and supply votes. Once appointed and sworn in by the governor-general, the prime minister remains in the post until dismissal, resignation, or death in office . They, like all ministers, hold office " during the pleasure of the Governor-General ", so theoretically,
4165-637: The government; and providing advice to the sovereign or the sovereign's representative, the governor-general . They also have ministerial responsibility for the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet , which is based in the Beehive in Wellington. The office exists by a long-established convention , which originated in New Zealand's former colonial power, the then United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland . The convention stipulates that when
4250-622: The governor (a position then appointed by the British government). In 1917, British Prime Minister David Lloyd George offered the New Zealand prime minister a seat in the Imperial War Cabinet , the British Empire's wartime coordinating body. In 1919, Prime Minister William Massey signed the Treaty of Versailles on behalf of New Zealand, signalling the independence of New Zealand within the empire, although Massey downplayed
4335-471: The governor-general can dismiss a prime minister at any time; however, convention heavily circumscribes the power to do so. The governor-general retains reserve powers to dismiss a prime minister in certain circumstances, such as those pertaining to a no-confidence motion against the government in the House of Representatives . Where a prime minister, and by extension, the government, can no longer command
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#17327796926124420-535: The increasing North Island population, the Representation Commission awarded the North Island an additional electoral seat beginning in the 2008 general election . Another new North Island seat was added for the 2014 general election , and again for the 2020 general election (with one new electorate in Auckland). Each time, the need for an additional seat was determined from the results of
4505-451: The international stage. More recent prime ministers have taken portfolios relevant to their interests, or to promote specific areas they saw as important. For example, David Lange took the education portfolio in his second term; Helen Clark took the role of minister for arts, culture and heritage ; John Key served as minister of tourism ; and Jacinda Ardern became minister for child-poverty reduction. Although no longer likely to be
4590-612: The map should read "Port Waikato".] Electorates in New Zealand have changed extensively since 1853, typically to meet changing population distributions. Boundaries were last changed in 2019 and 2020 for the 2020 election , with Clutha-Southland , Dunedin North , Dunedin South , Helensville , Hunua , Manukau East , Port Hills and Rodney being abolished and replaced either by new electorates, or by surrounding electoral districts. Prime Minister of New Zealand The prime minister of New Zealand ( Māori : Te pirimia o Aotearoa )
4675-492: The minister of foreign affairs, the prime minister remains responsible for welcoming foreign heads of government, visiting leaders overseas, and attending Commonwealth Heads of Government Meetings . Conventionally, the prime minister is the responsible minister for the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (DPMC; founded in 1990), which has the task of supporting the policy agenda of Cabinet through policy advice and
4760-446: The modern convention of cabinet government . Stafford also clashed with the governor over control of native affairs, which was eventually to fall within the premier's powers. Premiers were initially supported by unorganised factions based on personal interests, and their governments were short-lived. The political position of the premier was enhanced by the development of modern political parties . Premier John Ballance organised
4845-506: The most part on the underlying principle that the prime minister and fellow ministers must not lose the confidence of the democratically elected component of parliament, the House of Representatives. The prime minister is the leader of the Cabinet (itself a body existing by convention) and takes a coordinating role. The Cabinet Manual provides an outline of the prime minister's powers and responsibilities. By constitutional convention,
4930-616: The most recent New Zealand census , with the seat coming out of the total number of list seats. The total number of list seats has thus declined from 55 to 48 since the introduction of mixed-member proportional voting in the 1996 general election . The Representation Commission has determined general electorate boundaries since 1881. These days, the Commission consists of: The Representation Commission reviews electorate boundaries after each New Zealand census , which normally occurs every five years. The Electoral Act 1993 stipulates that
5015-404: The number of Māori voters who choose to go on the Māori roll rather than the general roll. In 1996, there were five Māori electorates. For the 1999 election, this increased to six electorates. Since the 2002 election, the number of Māori electorates has stayed constant at seven. This table shows the electorates as they were represented during the 54th New Zealand Parliament . [NB "Port Waitako" on
5100-418: The office becomes vacant, the governor-general must select as prime minister the person most likely to command the support, or confidence, of the House of Representatives . This individual is typically the parliamentary leader of the political party that holds the largest number of seats in that house. The prime minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their actions to the governor-general, to
5185-433: The office is 13 years, a record set by Richard Seddon . The first holder of the office, Henry Sewell, led the country for the shortest total time; his only term lasted just 13 days. The shortest term belonged to Harry Atkinson, whose third term lasted only seven days, but Atkinson served longer in total than did Sewell. The youngest was Edward Stafford , who was appointed premier in 1856, at 37 years, 40 days old. The oldest
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#17327796926125270-514: The office of prime minister are disputed. Use of the words prime minister as a descriptive term dates back to the First Parliament, where they are applied to James FitzGerald and Thomas Forsaith . FitzGerald and Forsaith had no official titles, however, and New Zealand had not yet obtained self-government. As such, they are not usually considered prime ministers in any substantive sense. The first person to be formally appointed to
5355-612: The party. Other institutions, including Parliament itself and the wider state bureaucracy, also acted as limits on prime ministerial power; in 1912 Thomas Mackenzie was the last prime minister to lose power through an unsuccessful confidence motion in the House of Representatives. One change brought about by the First World War was direct participation in governing the British Empire. Previously, New Zealand prime ministers had attended occasional colonial and imperial conferences, but they otherwise communicated with London through
5440-570: The population of the North Island, especially around Auckland , is growing faster than that of the South Island) due both to internal migration and to immigration. Although the New Zealand Parliament is intended to have 120 members, some terms have exceeded this quantity. Overhang seats arise when a party win more seats via electorates than their proportion of the party vote entitles them to; other parties are still awarded
5525-476: The prime minister holds formal power to advise the sovereign. This means that as long as the prime minister has the confidence of parliament, they alone may advise the monarch on: As head of government, the prime minister alone has the right to advise the governor-general to: Convention regards the prime minister as " first among equals ". A prime minister does hold the most senior post in government, but must also adhere to any decisions taken by Cabinet, as per
5610-534: The prime minister with transport; they are driven in the BMW 7 Series 730LD and 750LI, the latter of which is armoured. Although usually flown domestically on regularly scheduled Air New Zealand flights, the prime minister also makes use of Royal New Zealand Air Force aircraft, usually Boeing 757 . The 757 aircraft, which are used for international travel, has been upgraded with work stations, internal air stairs, and military communications capabilities. The 757 fleet
5695-519: The remainder being filled from party lists in order to achieve proportional representation among parties. The 72 electorates are made up from 65 general and seven Māori electorates . The number of electorates increases periodically in line with national population growth; the number was increased from 71 to 72 starting at the 2020 general election . The Electoral Act 1993 refers to electorates as "electoral districts". Electorates are informally referred to as "seats" (Māori: tūru ), but technically
5780-419: The remaining period (1889–1945). For the 1905 election , the multi-member electorates were abolished. The country quota system persisted until 1945. Since the introduction of MMP for the 1996 election, the number of South Island electorates is fixed at 16 as stipulated in the legislation. To achieve electorates of equal electoral population, the number of North Island electorates has gradually increased since
5865-540: The residences of certain other heads of government (e.g. the White House and 10 Downing Street ), Premier House does not serve as the government headquarters; the location of the prime minister's office is the Beehive , in the parliament precinct a short distance away. The prime minister's governmental work is supported by the non-partisan Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. The separate Private Office of
5950-680: The role of DPMC in security and intelligence. This model has been followed by subsequent prime ministers. Under the Remuneration Authority Act 1977, and the Members of Parliament (Remuneration and Services) Act 2013, a prime minister's salary is determined annually by the Remuneration Authority, an independent body established by parliament to set salaries for members of parliament and other government officials. MPs' salaries were temporarily reduced during
6035-454: The same number of seats that they are entitled to, which results in more than 120 seats in total. In 2005 and 2011 , 121 members were elected; 122 members were elected in 2008 . The Representation Commission determines the names of each electorate following the most recent census. An electorate may be named after a geographic region, landmark (e.g. a mountain) or main population area . The Commission adopts compass point names when there
6120-663: The second female leader of the Labour Party after Clark, became prime minister in 2017. On becoming the Colony of New Zealand in 1841, New Zealand was directly governed by a governor , appointed by the Colonial Office in Britain. Self-government was established in 1853, following the New Zealand Constitution Act 1852 , and the First Parliament met on 24 May 1854. The origins of
6205-456: The sixth person appointed to formal leadership, a substantive leadership title, "premier", appeared. Weld's successor, Edward Stafford , briefly changed the title to "first minister", but it was soon restored to premier during the second tenure of Fox in 1869. From that point, the title "premier" was used almost exclusively for the remainder of the 19th century. Nevertheless, in the Schedule of
6290-406: The term seat refers to an elected member's place in Parliament. The electoral boundaries for the inaugural 1853 general election were drawn up by the governor , George Grey , with the authority for this coming from the New Zealand Constitution Act 1852 . After the initial election, there were eight redivisions carried out by members of the general assembly (as the lower house was known at
6375-429: The time). These revisions were a mixture of minor and major boundary adjustments. In 1887, the responsibility for reshaping electorates was given to a Representation Commission and that arrangement has remained to this day. Up until 1981, the boundaries of the Māori electorates were determined by the governor or governor-general, when that responsibility was also transferred to the Representation Commission. Elections for
6460-524: The travel is for fulfilling commitments related to his or her role as a former prime minister. Should a serving or former prime minister die, they are accorded a state funeral (subject to the approval of the family). Two prime ministers who died in office were buried in mausoleums: William Massey (died 1925) in the Massey Memorial in Wellington , and Michael Joseph Savage (died 1940) in
6545-401: The winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A [REDACTED] Y or [REDACTED] N denotes status of any incumbent , win or lose respectively. New Zealand electorates An electorate or electoral district ( Māori : rohe pōti )
6630-480: The winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A [REDACTED] Y or [REDACTED] N denotes status of any incumbent , win or lose respectively. Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by
6715-480: The winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A [REDACTED] Y or [REDACTED] N denotes status of any incumbent , win or lose respectively. Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by
6800-480: The winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A [REDACTED] Y or [REDACTED] N denotes status of any incumbent , win or lose respectively. Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by
6885-403: Was Richard Seddon , who served over 13 years, and the shortest-serving was Sewell, who served two weeks. The governor-general appoints a prime minister, like other ministerial positions , on behalf of the monarch . By the conventions of responsible government , the governor-general will call to form a government the individual most likely to receive the support, or confidence, of a majority of
6970-462: Was Walter Nash , who was 78 years old when he left office in 1960 (and 75 upon taking office in 1957). It is regarded that all New Zealand prime ministers thus far have been Pākehā ( New Zealand European ), and mostly of British and Irish descent. There was persistent speculation during his lifetime that Norman Kirk (Prime Minister from 1972 to 1974) was Māori and had Kāi Tahu ancestry; he never publicly identified himself as such, and there
7055-407: Was also the first prime minister to lead a single-party majority government since the introduction of MMP, doing so from 2020 to 2023. An office titled "deputy prime minister" has existed since 1949. The deputy typically holds important ministerial portfolios and, by convention, becomes acting prime minister in the absence or incapacity of the prime minister. The deputy is commonly a member of
7140-601: Was customary for senior members of the legislature, executive and judiciary—including the prime minister—to be appointed to the British Privy Council , granting them the style "Right Honourable". This practice was discontinued at the same time as the abolition of knighthoods and damehoods in 2000 from the New Zealand royal honours system . National's John Key became prime minister in 2008 and moved to restore titular honours, but did not resume appointments to
7225-543: Was reflected in the New Zealand Official Yearbook of that year. Seddon's immediate successor, William Hall-Jones , was the first to be sworn in as "prime minister", in 1906. The expanding power of the prime minister was kept in check by the need to build consensus with other leading members of the Cabinet and of the governing party, including those who represented various ideological wings of
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