How many referendums has NZ had?
Nineteen referendums have been held so far (excluding referendums on alcohol licensing, which were held triennially between 1894 and 1989).
Why did NZ switch to MMP?
The campaign to change the country’s voting system from first-past-the-post to MMP (mixed member proportional representation) was mounted by people who wanted a Parliament which was more responsive to different interest groups. In a 1993 referendum, New Zealand voters supported the change.
When did NZ change to MMP?
In 1993 New Zealanders voted in a referendum to change their voting system from the traditional first past the post (FPP) method to mixed member proportional representation (MMP). This was the most dramatic change to the country’s electoral system since the introduction of women’s suffrage exactly 100 years before.
When was proportional representation introduced in NZ?
The New Zealand electoral system has been mixed-member proportional (MMP) since the 1996 election. MMP was introduced following a referendum in 1993. It replaced the first-past-the-post (FPP) system New Zealand had previously used for most of its history.
What referendums has NZ had?
New Zealand has had two referendums to ask if the parliamentary term should be changed – in 1967 and 1990. In both cases the majority of voters wanted to keep the term of three years.
What does MMP stand for?
Mixed-member proportional representation (MMP or MMPR) is a mixed electoral system in which voters get two votes: one to decide the representative for their single-seat constituency, and one for a political party.
How many Māori electorates are there in New Zealand?
Every area in New Zealand is covered by both a general and a Māori electorate; as of 2020, there are seven Māori electorates.
Which party has the most seats in NZ?
This is also the best nationwide result in the popular vote for a main party since 1951, the most seats any party has won since 1990 and the first time Labour has won an absolute majority of the vote since 1946.
Why do you think the 1999 referendum was unsuccessful?
For some years opinion polls had suggested that a majority of the electorate favoured a republic. Nonetheless, the republic referendum was defeated, partly due to division among republicans on the method proposed for selection of the president and dissident republicans subsequently supporting the no campaign.
When was the first referendum held in New Zealand?
Referendums have been used in New Zealand for more than a century as a means of making decisions on issues of public policy. The first national referendum in the country’s history was held on 7 December 1911 on the prohibition of the sale of liquor. [1] The sale of liquor has been the subject most often submitted to a referendum.
What was the result of the 1993 referendum in New Zealand?
However, there were no moves to amend the Electoral Act 1993 in line with this result until 2006 when a bill was introduced by New Zealand First MP Barbara Stewart to reduce the size of Parliament to 100. The bill passed its first reading, 61 votes to 60 and was referred to Select Committee.
Is there a referendum on euthanasia in New Zealand?
For the 2020 referendum on Voluntary Euthanasia, it was originally meant to be passed as a bill of parliament but New Zealand First threatened to vote it down if it wasn’t considered to be voted by the people during the 2020 election.
When was the New Zealand First Party formed?
New Zealand First is the third largest party in the New Zealand Parliament. The Party was formed in 1993 to represent those New Zealanders concerned about the social and economic direction of our country, and who were seeking pragmatic, common-sense representation in Parliament.