Central Government:

New Zealand is a modern parliamentary democracy, with a structure similar to that of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth countries. A sovereign nation in its own right, New Zealand is also a member of the British Commonwealth, with Queen Elizabeth II as the constitutional Head of State but having no active part in Government.

The public responsibilities of the Crown are carried out by a New Zealand-appointed and politically neutral Governor-General. This appointment is made on the advice of New Zealand Ministers of the Crown and is for a term of 5 years.

The government structure is based on the British parliamentary system, although national Government is elected every three years, unlike the five-year cycle in Britain.

The Electoral System

Following a nationwide referendum, the country moved to a system of proportional representation from the national elections in late 1996.

In New Zealand, a Prime Minister is sworn to office by the Governor General following an election and is usually the leader of the party who controls the majority in Parliament. New Zealand has a single house known as The House of Parliament, which is the governing body and has 120 elected members.

After an election, the new Government can be formed in several ways. If one party wins over 50% of the national vote, it can form a Majority Government. If no single party has a majority, the largest party can either form a Minority Government, with support from parties outside the Government, or form a Majority Coalition Government, with the support of one or more other parties.

The Prime Minister leads the party or coalition which has majority support in the House of Representatives, with the Cabinet the decision-making entity of Government. Headed by the Prime Minister, it is made up of Ministers chosen from the Members of Parliament, and supported by junior Ministers outside of Cabinet.

Local Government

Local government operates at city and regional levels, and the court system includes both general and specialist courts.

Each city or sizable community elects a local council for government on a local level. This is responsible for local issues such as water reticulation, libraries, parks, street maintenance etc. They get the bulk of their funding from rates levied on properties, and some Central Government funding.

Voting and Voting Eligibility

Elections are held every three years and everyone over the age of 18 can elect to vote. Citizens have one vote each.

As a migrant, you are eligible to vote 12 months of residing in New Zealand on a continual basis, and registering as a voter with the electoral office.

Voting is not compulsory in New Zealand but, if you are eligible to vote, you are required to enroll as an elector. To enroll to vote you have to be a permanent resident to have resided in your electorate for at least one month. Electoral boundaries are set by an independent body and reviewed regularly.

Voting eligibility applies to both central and local governments

You can find more information on New Zealand's government and its monetary policy at the Reserve Bank of New Zealand and New Zealand Government Online