54th Parliament of New Zealand | |
Body: | New Zealand Parliament |
Election: | 2023 general election |
Government: | Sixth National Government |
Term Start: | 5 December 2023 |
Before: | 53rd Parliament |
Chamber1: | House of Representatives |
Chamber1 Image: | File:54th New Zealand Parliament.svg |
Membership1: | 123 |
Chamber1 Leader1 Type: | Speaker of the House |
Chamber1 Leader1: | Gerry Brownlee |
Chamber1 Leader2 Type: | Leader of the House |
Chamber1 Leader2: | Chris Bishop |
Chamber1 Leader3 Type: | Prime Minister |
Chamber1 Leader3: | Christopher Luxon |
Chamber1 Leader4 Type: | Leader of the Opposition |
Chamber1 Leader4: | Chris Hipkins |
Chamber2: | Sovereign |
Chamber2 Leader1 Type: | Monarch |
Chamber2 Leader1: | Charles III |
Chamber2 Leader2: | Cindy Kiro |
Website: | www.parliament.nz |
The 54th New Zealand Parliament is the current meeting of the legislature in New Zealand. It opened on 5 December 2023 following the 14 October 2023 general election, and will expire on or before 16 November 2026 to trigger the next election.
The Parliament was elected using a mixed-member proportional representation (MMP) voting system. MPs will represent 72 geographical electorates: 16 in the South Island, 49 in the North Island and 7 Māori electorates. The Electoral Act 1993 provides for the remaining seats to be elected from party lists using the Sainte-Laguë method to realise proportionality to an expected total of at least 120 MPs.[1]
Final results of the election determined that there are 123 members of Parliament, rather than the usual 120. 122 members were elected in the general election (there is an overhang of two members for Te Pāti Māori).[2] [3] Due to the death of a candidate between the close of nominations and election day, Port Waikato did not elect a representative and an additional list MP was elected to ensure Parliament would have at least 120 members. The 72nd electorate MP, and 123rd MP overall, was elected in the Port Waikato by-election on 25 November 2023.[4]
Members in the 54th Parliament represent six political parties: National, ACT New Zealand, New Zealand First parties, in government, and the Labour Party, Green Party, and Te Pāti Māori, in opposition. Christopher Luxon of the National Party formed a coalition government with ACT and New Zealand First and was sworn in as prime minister on 27 November 2023.[5] [6]
See main article: 2023 New Zealand general election. The 2023 general election was held on 14 October. The opposition National Party won 48 seats in the election, an increase of 14 seats. The ruling Labour Party was reduced to 34 seats after losing a total of 28 seats. The Green Party, Labour's cooperation partner, got 15 seats, a rise of 6. The ACT Party increased its seat count by one. Te Pāti Māori took five Maori seats from Labour, totaling six seats, one more than their party vote entitled them to, giving parliament a three-seat overhang. After being voted out in the 2020 New Zealand general election, New Zealand First returned to parliament, earning eight seats.[7]
Following the general election, the National Party required support from the ACT Party and New Zealand First to command the confidence of the House.[8] Negotiations between the three parties took place after the official results were announced on 3 November. After three weeks of negotiations, Christopher Luxon announced the formation of a coalition government with ACT and New Zealand First on 24 November.[5] On 27 November, Luxon was sworn in as prime minister by Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro.[6]
The final results of the election were announced on 3 November and the writ for the 2023 election was returned on 16 November 2023.[9] [10] Under section 19 of Constitution Act 1986, Parliament must meet no later than six weeks after this date; on 29 November 2023, following the new government's first Cabinet meeting, Leader of the House Chris Bishop confirmed that the Commission Opening and State Opening of Parliament would take place on 5 and 6 December 2023, respectively.
In December 2023, the Government repealed several of the previous Labour Government's legislation and policies including the Reserve Bank of New Zealand's dual mandate, the Fair Pay Agreements Act 2022, the Clean Car Discount programme, the Natural and Built Environment Act 2023 and the Spatial Planning Act 2023.[15] [16] [17] [18] On 21 December, the Government passed legislation reinstating 90-day work trials.[19] In February 2024, the Government repealed the Three Waters reform programme, Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products (Smoked Tobacco) Amendment Act 2022 and disestablished Te Aka Whai Ora (the Māori Health Authority) under urgency.[20] [21] [22]
In early May 2024, Green Party MP Julie Anne Genter was referred to Parliament's privileges committee following complaints that she intimidated National Party's MP Matt Doocey during a heated parliamentary exchange.[23]
The 54th Parliament will serve until another election is called. Under section 17 of the Constitution Act 1986, Parliament expires 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".[24] The writ for the 2023 election was issued on 10 September 2023 and returned on 16 November 2023, meaning that the 54th Parliament would have to dissolve on or before 16 November 2026.
The table below shows the members of the 54th Parliament based on the results of the 2023 general election, including the result of the Port Waikato by-election. Ministerial roles were officially announced on 24 November 2023.[27] Based on the official results, 41 candidates who had never been in parliament before were returned. Of those, 19 were from National,[28] 2 from Labour, 8 from the Greens,[29] 4 from ACT, 4 from Te Pāti Māori,[30] and 4 from NZ First.[31] The parliament totaled 123 seats after the conclusion of the Port Waikato by-election, meaning that one-third of the members are newcomers.
This table shows the number of MPs in each party:
Affiliation | Members | ||
---|---|---|---|
At 2023 Port Waikato by-election | |||
49 | |||
11 | |||
8 | |||
Government total | 68 | ||
34 | |||
15 | |||
6 | |||
Opposition total | 55 | ||
Total MPs in Parliament | 123 | ||
Working Government majority | 13 |
Notes
National (49) | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rank | Name | Electorate (list if blank) | Term in office | Portfolios & Responsibilities | ||
Ministers in Cabinet | ||||||
1 | Christopher Luxon | 2020– |
| |||
2 | Nicola Willis | 2018– |
| |||
3 | Chris Bishop | 2014– |
| |||
4 | Shane Reti | 2014– | ||||
5 | Simeon Brown | 2017– |
| |||
6 | Erica Stanford | 2017– |
| |||
7 | Paul Goldsmith | 2011– | ||||
8 | Louise Upston | 2008– |
| |||
9 | Judith Collins | 2002– |
| |||
10 | Mark Mitchell | 2011– | ||||
11 | Todd McClay | 2008– |
| |||
12 | Tama Potaka | 2022– |
| |||
13 | Matt Doocey | 2014– |
| |||
14 | Simon Watts | 2020– |
| |||
Ministers outside Cabinet | ||||||
15 | Melissa Lee | 2008– |
| |||
16 | Penny Simmonds | 2020– |
| |||
17 | Chris Penk | 2017– |
| |||
18 | Nicola Grigg | 2020– |
| |||
19 | Andrew Bayly | 2014– | ||||
Officers of Parliament | ||||||
Gerry Brownlee | 1996– |
| ||||
Barbara Kuriger | 2014– |
| ||||
Maureen Pugh | 2016–2017 2018– |
| ||||
Members of Parliament | ||||||
20 | Scott Simpson | 2011– |
| |||
21 | Suze Redmayne | 2023– |
| |||
22 | 2023– | |||||
23 | Katie Nimon | 2023– |
| |||
24 | Catherine Wedd | 2023– |
| |||
25 | Paulo Garcia | 2019–2020 2023– |
| |||
26 | Vanessa Weenink | 2023– |
| |||
27 | Rima Nakhle | 2023– |
| |||
28 | Dana Kirkpatrick | 2023– | ||||
29 | Carl Bates | 2023– |
| |||
30 | Carlos Cheung | 2023– | ||||
31 | Joseph Mooney | 2020– |
| |||
32 | Stuart Smith | 2014– |
| |||
33 | Sam Uffindell | 2022– |
| |||
34 | Tim van de Molen | 2017– |
| |||
35 | Miles Anderson | 2023– |
| |||
36 | Dan Bidois | 2018–2020 2023– |
| |||
37 | Mike Butterick | 2023– |
| |||
38 | Cameron Brewer | 2023– |
| |||
39 | Hamish Campbell | 2023– |
| |||
40 | Tim Costley | 2023– | ||||
41 | Greg Fleming | 2023– |
| |||
42 | Ryan Hamilton | 2023– |
| |||
43 | David MacLeod | 2023– | ||||
44 | Grant McCallum | 2023– |
| |||
45 | James Meager | 2023– |
| |||
46 | Tom Rutherford | 2023– |
ACT New Zealand (11) | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rank | Name | Electorate (list if blank) | Term in office | Portfolios & Responsibilities | |
Ministers in Cabinet | |||||
1 | 2014– |
| |||
2 | 2020– |
| |||
3 | 2020– |
| |||
Ministers outside Cabinet | |||||
4 | 2023– |
| |||
5 | 2020– |
| |||
Parliamentary Under-Secretaries | |||||
6 | 2020– |
| |||
Members of Parliament | |||||
7 | 2023– |
| |||
8 | 2020– |
| |||
9 | 2014–2020 2023– |
| |||
10 | 2023– |
| |||
11 | 2023– |
| |||
New Zealand First (8) | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rank | Name | Electorate (list if blank) | Term in office | Portfolios & Responsibilities | |
Ministers in Cabinet | |||||
1 | 1979–1981 1984–2008 2011–2020 2023– |
| |||
2 | 2005–2014 2017–2020 2023– |
| |||
3 | 2023– |
| |||
Ministers outside Cabinet | |||||
4 | 2017–2020 2023– |
| |||
Parliamentary Under-Secretaries | |||||
5 | 2017–2020 2023– |
| |||
Members of Parliament | |||||
6 | 2023– |
| |||
7 | 2023– |
| |||
8 | 2023– | ||||
Labour (34) | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rank | Name | Electorate (list if blank) | Term in office | Portfolios & Responsibilities | ||
1 | Chris Hipkins | 2008– |
| |||
2 | Carmel Sepuloni | 2008–2011 2014– |
| |||
3 | Megan Woods | 2011– |
| |||
4 | Barbara Edmonds | 2020– |
| |||
5 | Willie Jackson | 1999–2002 2017– |
| |||
6 | Ayesha Verrall | 2020– |
| |||
7 | Kieran McAnulty | 2017– |
| |||
8 | Willow-Jean Prime | 2020– |
| |||
9 | Ginny Andersen | 2017– |
| |||
10 | Jan Tinetti | 2017– |
| |||
11 | Peeni Henare | 2014– |
| |||
12 | Priyanca Radhakrishnan | 2017– |
| |||
13 | Jo Luxton | 2017– |
| |||
14 | Duncan Webb | 2017– |
| |||
15 | Deborah Russell | 2017– |
| |||
16 | Rachel Brooking | 2020– |
| |||
17 | Damien O'Connor | 1993–2008 2009– |
| |||
18 | David Parker | 2002– |
| |||
19 | Tangi Utikere | 2020– |
| |||
20 | Camilla Belich | 2020–2023 2023– |
| |||
21 | Arena Williams | 2020– |
| |||
22 | Phil Twyford | 2008– |
| |||
23 | Greg O'Connor | 2017– |
| |||
24 | Jenny Salesa | 2014– |
| |||
25 | Rachel Boyack | 2020– |
| |||
26 | Adrian Rurawhe | 2014– |
| |||
27 | Helen White | 2020– |
| |||
28 | Ingrid Leary | 2020– |
| |||
29 | Lemauga Lydia Sosene | 2022– |
| |||
30 | Reuben Davidson | 2023– |
| |||
31 | Cushla Tangaere-Manuel | 2023– |
| |||
32 | Tracey McLellan | 2020–2023 2024– |
| |||
33 | Shanan Halbert | 2020–2023 2024– |
| |||
34 | Glen Bennett | 2020–2023 2024– |
| |||
bgcolor=#ffcc99 colspan=6 | Members of the Labour caucus who resigned during the term of the 54th Parliament | |||||
Andrew Little | 2011–2023 | Resigned December 2023 | ||||
Rino Tirikatene | 2011–2024 | Resigned January 2024 | ||||
Kelvin Davis | 2008–2011 2014–2024 | Resigned February 2024 | ||||
Grant Robertson | 2008–2024 | Resigned March 2024 |
Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand (14) | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rank | Name | Electorate (list if blank) | Term in office | Portfolios & Responsibilities | ||
1 | 2015– |
| ||||
2 | 2017– |
| ||||
3 | 2011– |
| ||||
4 | 2020– |
| ||||
5 | 2023– |
| ||||
6 | 2020– |
| ||||
7 | 2023– |
| ||||
8 | 2023– |
| ||||
9 | Scott Willis | 2023– |
| |||
10 | Kahurangi Carter | 2023– |
| |||
11 | Celia Wade-Brown | 2024– |
| |||
12 | Lawrence Xu-Nan | 2024– |
| |||
13 | 2024– |
| ||||
2023– |
| |||||
bgcolor=#ffcc99 colspan=6 | Members of the Green caucus who resigned during the term of the 54th Parliament | |||||
2017–2024 | Resigned January 2024 | |||||
2014–2024 | Resigned May 2024 | |||||
bgcolor=#ffcc99 colspan="6" | Members of the Green caucus who died during the term of the 54th Parliament | |||||
2023–2024 | Died February 2024 |
Te Pāti Māori (6) | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rank | Name | Electorate (list if blank) | Term in office | Portfolios & Responsibilities | ||
1 | 2020– |
| ||||
2 | 2020– |
| ||||
3 | 2023– |
| ||||
4 | 2023– |
| ||||
5 | 2023– |
| ||||
6 | 2023– |
|
The 54th Parliament has a historically high number of Māori MPs at 33. The number of female MPs, 55, is the second highest in New Zealand history, down from the high of 61 achieved during the 53rd Parliament.[32]
The number of Pasifika MPs, 6, is also down from the record number in the previous parliament, and is at its lowest number in 10 years.[32] [33] There are currently no Pasifika MPs on the government benches.
Only 5 MPs who publicly identify as LGBTQIA+ were elected, 2 each from Labour and the Greens and 1 from ACT. This is down from a record 12 (10%) elected in the 2020 election.[34]
The following tables show the demographics of the members at the start of the term of the 54th Parliament:
Female | Male | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
% | % | ||||||
National | 16 | 31% | 33 | 69% | |||
19 | 56% | 15 | 44% | ||||
Greens | 9 | 60% | 6 | 40% | |||
ACT | 4 | 36% | 7 | 64% | |||
New Zealand First | 3 | 3 | 38% | 5 | 5 | 63% | |
Te Pāti Māori | 4 | 3 | 67% | 2 | 1 | 33% | |
Total | 55 | 7 | 44% | 68 | 9 | 56% | |
Pākehā/European | Māori | Pasifika | Asian | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
% | % | % | % | % | ||||||||||||
National | 39 | 5 | 2 | – | – | 4 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
18 | 9 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 2 | – | 1 | – | ||||||||
Greens | 5 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | ||||||||||
ACT | 7 | 3 | – | – | 1 | – | – | |||||||||
New Zealand First | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||||||
Te Pāti Māori | – | – | 6 | 4 | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||||||
Total | 73 | 33 | 6 | 5 | 8 | 1 | 3 | |||||||||
The following changes in Members of Parliament occurred during the term of the 54th Parliament:
Seat | Incumbent | Replacement | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Name | Date vacated | Reason | Party | Name | Date elected | Change | ||||
1. | List | Andrew Little | 5 December 2023[35] [36] | Resigned to allow a newer Labour MP into parliament | Camilla Belich | 6 December 2023[37] | List | ||||
2. | List | Andrew Bayly | 13 December 2023[38] [39] | Elected to electorate seat | Nancy Lu | 14 December 2023[40] | National gain | ||||
3. | List | Golriz Ghahraman | 18 January 2024[41] [42] | Resigned due to shop-lifting allegations | Celia Wade-Brown | 19 January 2024[43] | List | ||||
4. | List | Rino Tirikatene | 28 January 2024[44] [45] | Resigned after losing Te Tai Tonga in 2023 election | Tracey McLellan | 29 January 2024[46] | List | ||||
5. | List | Kelvin Davis | 6 February 2024[47] [48] | Resigned after losing Te Tai Tokerau in 2023 election | Shanan Halbert | 7 February 2024[49] | List | ||||
6. | List | Efeso Collins | 21 February 2024[50] [51] | Died | Lawrence Xu-Nan | 6 March 2024[52] | List | ||||
7. | List | Grant Robertson | 22 March 2024[53] [54] | Resigned to take up the role of Vice-Chancellor of the University of Otago | Glen Bennett | 25 March 2024[55] | List | ||||
8. | List | James Shaw | 5 May 2024[56] [57] | Resigned to take up governance and advisory roles in the climate sector[58] | Francisco Hernandez | 6 May 2024[59] | List | ||||
9. | List | Darleen Tana | 8 July 2024[60] | Resigned from the Green Party due to allegations of migrant exploitation | Darleen Tana | 8 July 2024 | Independent gain | ||||
This change occurred as a result of the elevation of Andrew Bayly, who had previously been elected as a list MP at the 2023 general election, to an electorate seat on 25 November 2023 at the Port Waikato by-election. Bayly resigned his list seat on 13 December 2023, creating a list vacancy.
The chamber is in a horseshoe-shape.[61]
.[62]
See main article: New Zealand House of Representatives committees. The 54th Parliament has 12 select committees and 6 specialist committees.[63] They are listed below, with their chairpersons and deputy chairpersons:
Committee | Chairperson | Deputy chairperson | Government–Opposition divide | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Select committees | ||||
Economic Development, Science and Innovation Committee[64] | Parmjeet Parmar (ACT) | Vanessa Weenink (National) | 4–4 | |
Education and Workforce Committee[65] | Katie Nimon (National) | Carl Bates (National) | 5–4 | |
Environment Committee[66] | Hon Scott Simpson (National) | Mike Butterick (National) | 5–4 | |
Finance and Expenditure Committee[67] | Stuart Smith (National) | Catherine Wedd (National) | 6–5 | |
Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee[68] | Tim van de Molen (National) | Hon Peeni Henare (Labour) | 4–3 | |
Governance and Administration Committee[69] | Rachel Boyack (Labour) | Cameron Brewer (National) | 4–3 | |
Health Committee[70] | Sam Uffindell (National) | Hamish Campbell (National) | 5–4 | |
Justice Committee[71] | James Meager (National) | Jamie Arbuckle (NZ First) | 6–5 | |
Māori Affairs Committee[72] | Dan Bidois (National) | Rima Nakhle (National) | 4–4 | |
Primary Production Committee[73] | Mark Cameron (ACT) | Miles Anderson (National) | 4–3 | |
Social Services and Community Committee[74] | Joseph Mooney (National) | Paulo Garcia (National) | 5–4 | |
Transport and Infrastructure Committee[75] | Andy Foster (NZ First) | Grant McCallum (National) | 4–4 | |
Specialist committees | ||||
Business Committee[76] | Rt Hon Gerry Brownlee (National) | none | 5–4 | |
Officers of Parliament Committee[77] | Rt Hon Gerry Brownlee (National) | Greg O'Connor (Labour) | 5–4 | |
Petitions Committee[78] | Greg O'Connor (Labour) | Greg Fleming (National) | 2–2 | |
Privileges Committee[79] | Hon Judith Collins (National) | Hon Duncan Webb (Labour) | 5–4 | |
Regulations Review Committee[80] | Hon David Parker (Labour) | Ryan Hamilton (National) | 3–2 | |
Standing Orders Committee[81] | Rt Hon Gerry Brownlee (National) | Hon Kieran McAnulty (Labour) | 5–4 |
This section shows the New Zealand electorates as they are currently represented in the 54th Parliament.[82]
Electorate | Region | MP | Party | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Te Tai Tokerau | data-sort-value="1.5" | Northland and Auckland | Māori | ||
Tāmaki Makaurau | data-sort-value="2" | Auckland | Māori | ||
Hauraki-Waikato | data-sort-value="2.5" | Auckland and Waikato | Māori | ||
Waiariki | data-sort-value="4" | Bay of Plenty and Waikato | Māori | ||
Ikaroa-Rāwhiti | data-sort-value="8.5" | Hawke's Bay, Gisborne, Manawatū-Whanganui and Wellington | Labour | ||
Te Tai Hauāuru | data-sort-value="7" | Taranaki, Waikato, Manawatū-Whanganui and Wellington | Māori | ||
Te Tai Tonga | data-sort-value="14" | The South Island, Wellington and the Chatham Islands | Māori | ||