New Zealand Political Structure

Power is invested directly by the British monarchy and exercised by the governor general of New Zealand, which must always act under the direction of the Executive Board, is composed of the governor general and all government ministers, and led by the prime minister.

The administrative body shape as the Cabinet, formed by the prime minister and ministers for each portfolio. The governor general appoints the prime minister and other ministerial representatives following the recommendations of the first.

Legislature

New Zealand has a unicameral Parliament called the House of Representatives (the second chamber was abolished in 1950). This camera is composed of 120 members including representatives of the four Maori electorates, and was elected by universal suffrage every three years.

The four Maori seats in electoral districts covering the entire country. Almost 50% of Maori adults can register as voters in four seats. In the event that is so, may not join the general electoral roll, because like the rest of New Zealanders are entitled to only one vote.

In referendums in 1992 and 1993, the New Zealanders decided to change the old traditional electoral system, the mixed member proportional system of nominations, according to the German model. Then combined with the electoral lists of candidates closed, increasing the number of parliamentary seats to 120.

Judiciary

The Supreme Court of New Zealand is the Court of Appeal which exercises jurisdiction only of those appeals. The Court’s decisions are always final, unless they go to the council of ministers of Britain.

The main ones are the Superior Courts and District Court. On many occasions the magistrates can see why minor charges. There are specialized courts for cases of family and children.

One of the key achievements in the legislative field of the modern era has been the Treaty of Waitangi of 1840 (see History) which Maori claimed compensation and the return of expropriated lands. Since it was signed, this treaty has caused much debate over its validity and interpretation.

Not all Maori chiefs signed it and who did it was on an inaccurate translation of the document which sought to combine the concepts of British authority and land ownership with the Maori, and as a result were numerous inaccuracies and ambiguities. Moreover, the treaty was never ratified by the government of New Zealand.

In 1975, after decades of unrest Maori Parliament brought forward the law of the Treaty of Waitangi, which established the creation of a tribunal to examine and make recommendations on land claims by the Maori. Early in the 1990s, these claims affecting a large part of New Zealand.

Political parties

Labour and National parties, tending to the alternation in power, New Zealand have dominated politics since the 1930s. The National Party was in power between 1975 and 1984, while the Labour Party did between 1972 and 1975, between 1984 and 1990, during the first half of the 1990s and since 1999.

However, both tried to maintain the regulated economy and protectionist New Zealand welfare state. In the mid 1980s, the two parties adopted an anti-nuclear policy. As of 1984 tended to narrow differences and initiated fundamental reforms that affect the economy and the welfare state.

In response to this, new born political groups, such as the Party of the Alliance (coalition of dissidents from the two major parties), the right-wing New Zealand First, ACT, New Zealand or the United Maori Party.

These and other small groups gained almost 30% of the votes in the 1999 elections and now play a greater political significance after the introduction of the new electoral system.

Local Government

Since the reform of local administration in 1996, New Zealand was divided into 16 regions, each governed by a board. These regions are Auckland, Bay of Plenty, Hawke’s Bay, Northland, Taranaki, Gisborne, Waikato, Manawatu-Wanganui and Wellington in the North Island, Canterbury, Otago, Nelson, Marlborough, Southland, Tasman and West Coast on the island South.

They are divided into 15 cities and 59 districts. Most local government representatives are elected for periods of three years.

Territorial Organization of New Zealand

New Zealand consists of 16 regions, 7 in the South Island and 9 in the North Island, which in turn are subdivided into 95 districts and 4 districts Maori. New Zealand also has a number of remote islands, which are not included in the regional boundaries.

The Chatham Islands are a region, although its council operates as a region under the Resource Management Act Kermadec Islands and the sub Antarctic islands are inhabited only by a small number of members of the Department of Conservation of New Zealand.

New Zealand also has responsibility for foreign affairs of independent countries of the Cook Islands and Niue and administers Tokelau dependence.

In Antarctica New Zealand maintained (but frozen by the Antarctic Treaty) claim on the Unit, including Ross Island Scott Balleny Islands and the Isle Sturge.