List of forms of government
50-480: The New Zealand Government ( Māori : Te Kāwanatanga o Aotearoa ) is the central government through which political authority is exercised in New Zealand . As in most other parliamentary democracies , the term "Government" refers chiefly to the executive branch , and more specifically to the collective ministry directing the executive. Based on the principle of responsible government , it operates within
100-441: A general election . Not since 1928 has a government been defeated on a confidence vote and therefore been obliged to resign. The Constitution Act 1986 stipulates that general elections must be held at least every three years, making this the maximum period of time that a government can serve without seeking renewal of its mandate . Upon the dissolution of Parliament (preceding a general election) ministers are no longer members of
150-617: A "colonial council", which Hobson described as a "republic", in March 1840 headed by William Wakefield ). The people of Auckland, then the capital , were less interested. Eventually, pressure led to the enactment in 1846 in London of an intricate constitution. The Act provided for a three-tiered system of representative government: The Act was intended to be implemented by a royal charter and royal instructions , issued on 23 December 1846. Governor of New Zealand George Grey argued that
200-407: A corresponding public service department ( see § Departments ). The most important minister, following the prime minister, is the finance minister , while other high-profile portfolios include foreign affairs , justice , health and education . Traditionally, all members are collectively responsible for the actions taken by Cabinet—typically all Cabinet ministers must publicly support
250-608: A result, almost all of the Act was suspended pending the new Act of 1852. New Zealand was at this time being governed as a Crown colony . Prior to the act, the basic document setting out the governance of New Zealand since the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi was the Charter for Erecting the Colony of New Zealand of 1840. New Zealand was granted colonial self-government in 1853 following
300-546: A simple change in the law. An example of this was done in 1973 when the Northern Ireland Constitution Act 1973 abolished the government of Northern Ireland which had been created under the Government of Ireland Act 1920 . It is common for a federal government to be brought into being by agreement between a number of formally independent states and therefore its powers to affect the status of
350-695: Is a formal body that meets to give legal effect to decisions made by the Cabinet, and to carry out various other functions, such as the making of certain appointments to government agencies and boards. The Executive Council's primary function is to issue Orders in Council , which are legally binding regulations made by the Government. All ministers are members of the Executive Council, and are styled " The Honourable " while in office (or for life if
400-427: Is said to serve " at His Majesty's pleasure ". As per the conventional stipulations of constitutional monarchy , the king and his representative rarely intervene directly in political affairs. Just as the sovereign's choice of governor-general is on the prime minister's advice, the governor-general exercises the executive powers of state on the advice of ministers. For example, the governor-general's power to withhold
450-423: Is selected on the advice of the prime minister. " Advice " in this sense is a choice without options since it would be highly unconventional for the prime minister's advice to be ignored—a convention that protects the monarchy. As long as the monarch is following the advice of his ministers, he is not held personally responsible for the decisions of the Government. The governor-general has no official term limit , and
500-439: Is the government that is a controlling power over a unitary state . Another distinct but sovereign political entity is a federal government , which may have distinct powers at various levels of government, authorized or delegated to it by the federation and mutually agreed upon by each of the federated states . The structure of central governments varies. Many countries have created autonomous regions by delegating powers from
550-545: The Liberal Party and the Liberal Government . The prime minister became the leader and public face of the governing party. The status of the monarch's representative was upgraded from "governor" to " governor-general " in 1917 letters patent . In short, there have been three distinctly different periods of New Zealand government—firstly, the period before responsible government; second, from 1856 to 1890,
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#1732772588667600-695: The New Zealand Constitution Act 1852 , which was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom . Governments were set up at both central and provincial level, with initially six provinces. The provinces were abolished by the Abolition of Provinces Act 1876, during the premiership of Harry Atkinson . For the purposes of the law, the provinces formally ceased to exist on 1 January 1877. The Sewell Ministry constituted
650-427: The New Zealand Constitution Act 1852 . Prior to the act, the basic document setting out the governance of New Zealand since the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi was the Charter of 1840, which specified: The Executive and Legislative Councils met infrequently during the governorships of William Hobson and his successors, Willoughby Shortland (as Administrator), Robert FitzRoy and Sir George Grey . Throughout
700-813: The Philadelphia Convention . After the ratification of the Constitution by nine states in 1788, the U.S. was officially a federation, putting the U.S. in a unique position where the central government exists by the sufferance of the individual states rather than the reverse. Other states followed suit in establishing federal governments: Switzerland (1848); Canada (1867); Germany (1871 and again 1949); Brazil (1891); Australia (1901); Russia (1917); Austria (1920 and again 1945) and India (1947 and again 1950). Examples include: New Zealand Constitution Act 1846 The New Zealand Constitution Act 1846 ( 9 & 10 Vict. c. 103)
750-490: The central government deals with issues relevant to New Zealand and its people as a nation, local government exists "to enable democratic local decision-making and action by, and on behalf of, communities", and "to meet the current and future needs of communities for good-quality local infrastructure, local public services, and performance of regulatory functions in a way that is most cost-effective for households and businesses." Central government A central government
800-675: The head of state under the Constitution Act 1986. The legal authority of the state that is vested in the monarch, known as " the Crown ", which is the source of the executive power exercised by the Government. Sovereignty in New Zealand has never rested solely with the monarch due to the English Bill of Rights 1689 , later inherited by New Zealand, which establishes the principle of parliamentary sovereignty . Nonetheless,
850-423: The Cabinet as a legal entity; it exists solely by constitutional convention. Its decisions do not in and of themselves have legal force; however, it serves as the practical expression of the Executive Council, which is New Zealand's highest formal governmental body. The prime minister is responsible for chairing meetings of Cabinet. The governor-general will appoint as prime minister the person most likely to receive
900-431: The Cabinet that outlines the Government's policy and legislative proposals. A few other ministers serve in the Executive Council but outside of Cabinet. Since the introduction of MMP, governments have been formed following agreements between a major party and smaller support parties. In such arrangements, government ministers from the support parties are often ministers outside Cabinet. Non-Cabinet ministers may also be from
950-585: The Constitution Act describes the monarch as the " Sovereign ". In many areas, the Crown possesses a body of powers known as the royal prerogative . For example, the Royal Assent (the monarch's approval) is required to enact laws and the royal sign-manual gives authority to letters patent and orders in council . The royal prerogative also includes summoning and dissolving the Parliament in order to call an election , and extends to foreign affairs:
1000-451: The Constitution Act would place the Māori majority under the political control of the settlers, and so undermine his efforts to protect Māori interests. In a dispatch to Earl Grey, Governor Grey stated that in implementing the Act, Her Majesty would not be giving the self-government that was intended, instead: "...she will give to a small fraction of her subjects of one race the power of governing
1050-609: The Crown colony period each governor held, in the name of the Crown, complete control over the executive and legislative functions of government. There was a growing agitation from the settlers for representative government. This was particularly the case in Wellington which, as a New Zealand Company settlement, briefly had its own independent governing council, until Governor Hobson sent his Colonial Secretary, Willoughby Shortland , and some soldiers to Port Nicholson to end any challenge to British sovereignty (the colonists had set up
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#17327725886671100-634: The General Assembly were not to come into force for another five years. The Charter provisions relating to the Legislative Council for the whole colony continued and the Governor was authorised to establish Legislative Councils in each of the provinces. However, settler pressure for representative institutions and criticism of Grey intensified, and for the next four years the Governor pursued a course that gave little satisfaction to
1150-626: The House of Representatives. Several senior ministers (usually 20) constitute a collective decision-making body known as the Cabinet , which is led by the prime minister (currently Christopher Luxon ). A few more ministers (usually junior or supporting) are part of the Executive Council but are outside Cabinet. Most ministers have a portfolio of specific responsibilities such as departments or policy areas, although ministers without portfolio can be appointed. The position of prime minister belongs to
1200-430: The House of Representatives; however, they can remain members of the Executive Council "until the expiration of the 28th day after the day on which that person ceases to be a member of Parliament". Also known as " ministers of the Crown ", these are members of Parliament who hold ministerial warrants from the Crown to perform certain functions of government. This includes formulating and implementing policies and advising
1250-421: The House. The Government is required by convention and for practical reasons to maintain the support, or confidence, of the House of Representatives. It also requires the support of the House for the maintenance of supply (by voting through the government's budgets ) and in order to pass primary legislation . By convention, if a government loses the confidence of the House then it must either resign or call for
1300-474: The New Zealand Government. The official website of the New Zealand Government uses the web address beehive.govt.nz . The first New Zealand Constitution Act was passed in 1846, though Governor George Grey was opposed to its implementation, specifically the proposed division of the country into European and Māori districts, and stated that settlers were not ready for self-government. As
1350-583: The Royal Assent to bills of parliament has been rendered ineffective by the convention. Under the conventions of the Westminster system , the Government is accountable to the House of Representatives, the democratically elected component of Parliament , rather than to the sovereign. This is called responsible government . For example, ministers are required to be members of the House, and they make statements and take questions from other members in
1400-587: The actions of their department, being answerable to the House of Representatives. This principle is called individual ministerial responsibility . The wider state sector also includes about 2,800 Crown entities (including some 2,600 school boards of trustees), 17 state-owned enterprises , three officers of Parliament, and the Reserve Bank of New Zealand . There are two main tiers of elected local authorities— regional councils and territorial authorities —in some places merged into unitary authorities . While
1450-462: The balance of powers is significantly smaller (as in the United States ). Thus federal governments are often established voluntarily from 'below' whereas devolution grants self-government from above. There are, and have been, many countries which have delegated powers, some include: A federal government is the common or national government of a federation . The United States is considered
1500-574: The central government to governments on a sub-national level, such as regional, state, provincial, local and other instances. Based on a broad definition of a basic political system, there are two or more levels of government that exist within an established territory and government through common institutions with overlapping or shared powers as prescribed by a constitution or other law. Common responsibilities of this level of government which are not granted to lower levels are maintaining national security and exercising international diplomacy , including
1550-425: The confidence of the House of Representatives to lead the Government. In practice, the appointment is determined by size of each political party , support agreements between parties, and leadership votes in the party that leads the Government. The prime minister then advises the governor-general to appoint other ministers. Each minister is responsible for the general administration of at least one portfolio , and heads
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1600-414: The decisions of Cabinet. However, since the introduction of the mixed-member proportional (MMP) electoral system in 1993, processes were developed to allow different parties within a coalition cabinet to " agree to disagree " on some issues. The legislative agenda of Parliament is determined by the Cabinet. At the start of each new parliamentary term, the governor-general gives an address prepared by
1650-403: The first responsible government , with control over all domestic matters other than native policy. Formed in 1856, it lasted from 18 April to 20 May. From 7 May onward, Henry Sewell was titled " colonial secretary ", and is generally regarded as having been the country's first prime minister. The first ministry that formed along party lines did not appear until 1891, when John Ballance formed
1700-558: The first modern federation. After declaring independence from Britain, the U.S. adopted its first constitution, the Articles of Confederation in 1781. This was the first step towards federalism by establishing the confederal Congress. However, Congress was limited as to its ability to pursue economic, military, and judiciary reform. In 1787, a Constitutional Convention drafted the United States Constitution during
1750-481: The first schedule to the State Sector Act 1988 . Staffed by around 45,000 public servants, they provide the government of the day with advice and deliver services to the public. Since the 1980s, the public service has been marketised . Each department is headed by a chief executive who answers to a government minister for that department's performance. In turn, a minister bears the ultimate responsibility for
1800-529: The framework that "the [ King ] reigns, but the government rules, so long as it has the support of the House of Representatives ". The Cabinet Manual describes the main laws, rules and conventions affecting the conduct and operation of the Government. Executive power is exercised by ministers , all of whom are sworn into the Executive Council and accountable to the elected legislature ,
1850-605: The governor-general acts on the advice of the prime minister in appointing ministers. In New Zealand, the term Government can have a number of different meanings. At its widest, it can refer collectively to the three traditional branches of government—namely, the executive branch , legislative branch (the King-in-Parliament and House of Representatives ) and judicial branch (the Supreme Court and subordinate courts). Each branch operates independently of
1900-466: The governor-general. Before 1996 nearly all ministers were members of the Cabinet, but since the introduction of proportional representation , which has led to complex governing arrangements, there are currently three categories of minister: ministers in Cabinet, ministers outside Cabinet, and ministers from supporting parties. The Executive Council, established under the Letters Patent 1983 ,
1950-468: The large majority of her subjects of a different race... there is no reason to think that they would be satisfied with, and submit to, the rule of a minority" In 1848 (just before Grey created two provinces, New Ulster and New Munster) the British Parliament passed the Government of New Zealand Act 1848 under which parts of the 1846 Act dealing with establishment of provincial assemblies and
2000-757: The major governing party, as has been the case in recent governments. Ministers outside the Cabinet have the same overall duties and responsibilities as their senior colleagues inside Cabinet. The current ministry , since November 2023, is the National Party government led by Prime Minister Christopher Luxon , forming a coalition with ACT New Zealand and New Zealand First . The table below lists all ministers, as of 25 June 2024. Notes New Zealand's public service includes 32 core government institutions—most have ministry or department in their name, e.g. Ministry for Culture and Heritage , or Department of Internal Affairs —which are listed in
2050-405: The negotiation and ratification of treaties, alliances, international agreements, the right to declare war and peace , and the deployment and armament of defence forces. The king rarely personally exercises his executive powers; since the sovereign does not normally reside in New Zealand, he appoints a governor-general to represent him and exercise most of his powers. The person who fills this role
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2100-425: The others in an arrangement described as " separation of powers ". More commonly, the term is used to refer specifically to the executive branch. The largest party or coalition in the House of Representatives, with a sufficient number of MPs to win crucial parliamentary votes, will form a Cabinet —this is the sense intended when it is said that a political party "forms the government". The Constitution Act 1986 ,
2150-449: The period in which responsible government begins; and the third period starting with the formation of political parties in 1891. By convention, a distinct government is named after the largest party that leads it. The New Zealand Government is formally styled [His] Majesty's Government in the Seal of New Zealand Act 1977 . This is a reference to the monarch, King Charles III , who is
2200-549: The person who commands the confidence of the majority of members in the House of Representatives. The position is determined also by several other factors, such as support agreements between parties and internal leadership votes in the party that leads the Government. The prime minister and other ministers are formally appointed by the governor-general (who is the King's personal representative in New Zealand). By convention,
2250-400: The prime minister recommends it), except for the prime minister, who is entitled to be styled " The Right Honourable " for life. Although not a member of the Executive Council, the governor-general usually presides at Council meetings. Cabinet ( Māori : Te Rūnanga ) is the senior decision-making body of the Government. Constitutional law, such as the Constitution Act 1986, does not recognise
2300-408: The principal part of New Zealand's constitution, locates the executive government in the Executive Council , which also includes ministers outside Cabinet. The Executive Wing of Parliament Buildings , commonly called the " Beehive " because of the building's shape, houses many government offices and is also where the Cabinet meets. Thus the name Beehive is sometimes used metonymically to refer to
2350-441: The right to sign binding treaties . Essentially, the central government has the power to make laws for the whole country, in contrast with local governments. The difference between a central government and a federal government is that the autonomous status of self-governing regions exists by the sufferance of the central government and are often created through a process of devolution . As such they may be unilaterally revoked with
2400-546: The settlers. Early in 1848 he had appointed Major-General Pitt (he was followed by Lieutenant-Colonel Robert Henry Wynyard ) as Lieutenant-Governor of New Ulster, and Edward John Eyre as Lieutenant-Governor of New Munster. Each had associated with him an Executive Council. Later in the same year Grey, through an Ordinance of the General Legislative Council, established nominated Legislative Councils in each province. The Provincial Council of New Ulster
2450-535: Was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom intended to grant self-government to the Colony of New Zealand , but it was never fully implemented. The Act's long title was An Act to make further Provision for the Government of the New Zealand Islands , and it received the royal assent on 28 August 1846. The act formally remained part of New Zealand's constitution until it was replaced by
2500-409: Was never summoned. In 1851, under the authority of the 1846 Act, Grey made the town of Auckland a municipality, but this step did not relieve the pressure for a Legislative Council which would be representative of the whole province. The Provincial Council of New Munster had only one legislative session – in 1849 – before it succumbed to the virulent attacks of the Wellington settlers. Grey, sensible to
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