51st New Zealand Parliament
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The 51st New Zealand Parliament was elected at the 2014 general election. This Parliament consists of 121 members (120 seats plus one overhang seat) and will be in place from September 2014 until the next New Zealand general election (most likely in 2017). Following the final vote count John Key was able to continue to lead the Fifth National Government.
The Parliament was elected using the mixed-member proportional representation (MMP) voting system. Members of Parliament (MPs) represent 71 geographical electorates: 16 in the South Island, 48 in the North Island and 7 Māori electorates. The remaining members were elected from party lists using the Sainte-Laguë method to realise proportionality. The number of geographical electorates was increased from 70 at the previous election, to account for New Zealand's increasing population.[1]
Contents
Electorate boundaries for 51st Parliament[edit]
The Representation Commission is tasked with reviewing electorate boundaries every five years following each New Zealand census.[2] The last review was undertaken in 2007 following the 2006 census, and the electorate boundaries determined then were used in both the 2008 and 2011 general elections.[3]
The next census was scheduled for 8 March 2011, but it was postponed due to the disruption caused by the 2011 Christchurch earthquake on 22 February .[4] The census was formally conducted on 5 March 2013 with additional data collection over the following several weeks,[5] Following the census it was determined there would be sufficient time to conduct a boundary review of all electorates.
The boundaries were redrawn based on population distribution and the Māori electoral option, where people of Māori descent can opt to be either on the general or the Māori roll.[6] By law, the South Island must have 16 general electorates, with the number of North Island general and Māori electorates being the respective population in each group divided by one-sixteenth of the South Island general electorate population, within a tolerance of five percent. At the 2011 election, there were 47 North Island general electorates and seven Māori electorates, totalling 70 electorates across the country.[1]
Following significant consultation final boundaries were released by the Representation Commission on 17 April 2014. The 2014 general election was conducted under these boundaries on 20 September 2014. The increase in population in the Auckland region as recorded in the 2013 census meant an extra electorate was required to keep all electorates within five percent of their quota. To accommodate an extra electorate the Electoral Commission proposed major changes in west Auckland by abolishing the Waitakere electorate and establishing two new electorates, namely Kelston and Upper Harbour. Boundaries within Christchurch changed substantially, with several electorates growing and decreasing due to population movement around the city since the 2010–11 Christchurch earthquakes. In particular a dramatic change was seen in the electorates of Christchurch East, Christchurch Central and Port Hills with lesser changes in Selwyn, Wigram and Waimakariri.[7]
2014 general election[edit]
Summary of changes during term[edit]
Following the resignation of Mike Sabin, the by-election in Northland was won by Winston Peters. As Peters was already a list MP, this resulted in the election of Ria Bond.[8][9]
In October 2015, Marama Davidson was declared elected to Parliament following the resignation of Russel Norman.[10]
In December 2015, Tim Groser resigned and was replaced by Maureen Pugh.[11]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b "Reviewing electorate numbers and boundaries". Elections New Zealand. Retrieved 6 January 2012.
- ^ "What is the Representation Commission?". Chief Electoral Office. Retrieved 3 December 2011.
- ^ "Reviewing electorates – frequently asked questions". Chief Electoral Office. Retrieved 3 December 2011.
- ^ "Christchurch quake: More liquefaction than Sept". 3 News. 25 February 2011. Retrieved 3 December 2011.
- ^ Bascand, Geoff. "2013 Census announcement – Media Release". Statistics New Zealand. Retrieved 3 December 2011.
- ^ "Next census to be held in 2013". The National Business Review. 27 May 2011. Retrieved 6 January 2012.
- ^ "Final electorate boundaries". Electoral Commission of New Zealand. 17 September 2014. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
- ^ Trevett, Claire (21 March 2015). "Hairdresser next in line to cut a dash in Parliament if Peters wins". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
- ^ "Ria Bond sworn in at Parliament". 3 News. 28 April 2015. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
- ^ Jones, Nicholas (11 September 2015). "Russel Norman quits Greens and Parliament to head Greenpeace NZ". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 12 September 2015.
- ^ Small, Vernon (7 December 2015). "Groser makes way for Collins' return". The Press. p. A1. Retrieved 7 December 2015.
