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45th New Zealand Parliament

Term of the Parliament of New Zealand

45th New Zealand Parliament

Term of the Parliament of New Zealand

FieldValue
name45th Parliament of New Zealand
imageFile:Parliament House, Wellington, New Zealand (50).JPG
captionParliament House, Wellington
bodyNew Zealand Parliament
election[1996 New Zealand general election](1996-new-zealand-general-election)
governmentFourth National Government
term_start12 December 1996
term_end5 October 1999
before[44th Parliament](44th-new-zealand-parliament)
after[46th Parliament](46th-new-zealand-parliament)
website
chamber1House of Representatives
chamber1_imageFile:45th New Zealand Parliament Seating.png
membership1120
chamber1_leader1_typeSpeaker of the House
chamber1_leader1Doug Kidd
chamber1_leader2_typeLeader of the House
chamber1_leader2Roger Sowry
— Wyatt Creech until 31 August 1998
chamber1_leader3_typePrime Minister
chamber1_leader3Jenny Shipley
— Jim Bolger until [8 December 1997](1997-new-zealand-national-party-leadership-election)
chamber1_leader4_typeLeader of the Opposition
chamber1_leader4Helen Clark
chamber2Sovereign
chamber2_leader1_typeMonarch
chamber2_leader1Elizabeth II
chamber2_leader2_typeGovernor-General
chamber2_leader2Michael Hardie Boys

— Wyatt Creech until 31 August 1998 — Jim Bolger until 8 December 1997 The 45th New Zealand Parliament was a term of the Parliament of New Zealand. Its composition was determined by the 1996 election, and it sat until the 1999 election.

The 45th Parliament was notable in that it was the first to be elected under the new MMP electoral system, a form of proportional representation. It was also notable for the fact that it was the first New Zealand Parliament to have an Asian person, Pansy Wong, elected to it. The difference between the 45th Parliament and its predecessor were considerable — the 44th Parliament had opened with only four seats being held by minor parties, but at the opening of the 45th Parliament, minor parties held thirty-nine seats. Because of the considerably altered balance of power in Parliament, neither of the two major parties could govern alone, and New Zealand First, the largest of the four other parties in Parliament, was put in the position of "kingmaker". In the end, New Zealand First opted for a coalition with the National Party which had governed in the previous Parliament, marking the first coalition government in New Zealand for over half a century. The Labour Party continued in Opposition.

The 45th Parliament consisted of one hundred and twenty representatives. Sixty-five of these representatives were chosen by geographical electorates, including five Māori electorates. The remainder were elected by means of party-list proportional representation under the MMP electoral system.

Electoral boundaries for the 45th Parliament

Overview of seats

The table below shows the number of MPs in each party following the 1996 election and at dissolution:

AffiliationMembersAt [1996 election](1996-new-zealand-general-election)At dissolution
44**44**
17*In opposition*
**5**
**1**
**1**
**1**
*In opposition***8**
*In opposition***1**
***Government total****61****61***
37**37**
13**11**
*In government***9**
8*With government*
1*With government*
**1**
**1**
***Opposition total****59****59***
**Total**
120**120**
**Working Government majority**2**2**

Notes

  • New Zealand First initially entered into a coalition with the National Party, which broke down in 1998. Half the party resigned and became independents, while the other half remained with the party and joined the opposition.
  • A collection of small parties were founded and received representation by independent MPs who were formerly with New Zealand First and Alliance. They supported the National Party in government.
  • ACT and United extended support to the National Party, giving the government a slim majority in parliament.
  • The Green Party sat in Parliament under the banner of the Alliance Party.
  • The Working Government majority is calculated as all Government MPs less all other parties.

Initial composition of the 45th Parliament

45th New Zealand Parliament – MPs elected to Parliament

List MPs are ordered by allocation as determined by the Chief Electoral Office and the party lists.

PartyNameElectorateTerm
Fourth
Fourth
Third
Second
Third
Christchurch CentralFirst
Christchurch EastFourth
Clutha-SouthlandThird
First
Third
Dunedin SouthSixth
Third
Second
First
Fourth
Fourth
First
Second
Seventh
Fourth
Second
Fourth
Second
Fourth
Third
First
Sixth
NelsonThird
New LynnFifth
Third
North ShoreFirst
Third
Fourth
Fifth
First
OtakiFourth
Sixth
Fourth
Third
Ninth
Fourth
RangitikeiFifth
Third
Fifth
Fourth
Third
TamakiThird
Ninth
TaupoSecond
Sixth
Second
Eighth
Third
Fourth
WaitakereSecond
Seventh
West Coast-TasmanSecond
Second
Sixth
Fifth
Te Puku O Te Whenua}}First
Te Tai Hauāuru}}First
Te Tai Rawhiti}}First
Te Tai Tokerau}}Second
Te Tai Tonga}}First
Y-008 Party list, rank 02Second
Y-010 Party list, rank 02Fourth
Y-008 Party list, rank 03First
Y-008 Party list, rank 04First
Y-010 Party list, rank 03Third
Y-008 Party list, rank 05First
Y-026 Party list, rank 03First
Y-008 Party list, rank 06First
Y-026 Party list, rank 04Third
Y-010 Party list, rank 04First
Y-026 Party list, rank 05First
Y-008 Party list, rank 07First
Y-044 Party list, rank 06First
Y-010 Party list, rank 05First
Y-008 Party list, rank 08First
Y-044 Party list, rank 07Fifth
Y-008 Party list, rank 08First
Y-078 Party list, rank 08First
Y-080 Party list, rank 02Seventh
Y-010 Party list, rank 06First
Y-080 Party list, rank 05Seventh
Y-078 Party list, rank 09First
Y-081 Party list, rank 03First
Y-029 Party list, rank 10First
Y-080 Party list, rank 06Fifth
Y-081 Party list, rank 04Third
Y-094 Party list, rank 07First
Y-081 Party list, rank 05First
Y-061 Party list, rank 11First
Y-094 Party list, rank 10Fifth
Y-029 Party list, rank 11First
Y-079 Party list, rank 07Eleventh
Y-094 Party list, rank 11Sixth
Y-010 Party list, rank 07First
Y-094 Party list, rank 13Third
Y-079 Party list, rank 08First
Y-061 Party list, rank 13First
Y-094 Party list, rank 15Third
Y-079 Party list, rank 09Second
Y-094 Party list, rank 17Fifth
Y-029 Party list, rank 12First
Y-079 Party list, rank 12First
Y-026 Party list, rank 13First
Y-094 Party list, rank 19First
Y-079 Party list, rank 15First
Y-094 Party list, rank 23Second
Y-098 Party list, rank 16Second
Y-094 Party list, rank 24Third
Y-010 Party list, rank 08First
Y-026 Party list, rank 14First
Y-029 Party list, rank 13First
Y-094 Party list, rank 25Fifth
Y-098 Party list, rank 19Second
Y-097 Party list, rank 26First
Y-098 Party list, rank 20First

By-elections during 45th Parliament

There was one by-election held during the term of the 45th Parliament.

Electorate and by-electionDateIncumbentCauseWinner

Summary of changes during term

  • Jim Gerard, a National Party list MP, resigned from Parliament in April 1997 to take up a post as High Commissioner in Ottawa. He was replaced by Annabel Young, the next candidate on National's list.
  • Alamein Kopu, an Alliance list MP, resigned from her party in July 1997. She eventually formed her own party, Mana Wahine Te Ira Tangata.
  • Jim Bolger, having been replaced as Prime Minister by Jenny Shipley in 1997, left Parliament in 1998. This caused a by-election in his Taranaki-King Country seat, won by Shane Ardern of the National Party.
  • Neil Kirton, a New Zealand First list MP, resigned from his party in July 1998 after ongoing conflict with its leadership. Kirton opposed his party's coalition with the National Party, and believed that the National Party was too dominant in the agreement. Kirton became an independent.
  • After the collapse of the coalition between the National Party and New Zealand First, the junior partner, New Zealand First, splintered. Eight MPs (Jenny Bloxham, Peter Brown, Brian Donnelly, Ron Mark, Robyn McDonald, Winston Peters, Doug Woolerton, and Tu Wyllie) remained with the party, and eight MPs (Ann Batten, Tuariki Delamere, Jack Elder, Tau Henare, Peter McCardle, Tuku Morgan, Deborah Morris, and Rana Waitai) resigned and become independents. The MPs who resigned did not remain united, and eventually split four ways.
    • Batten, Elder, Henare, Morgan, and Waitai established the Mauri Pacific party.
    • Delamere joined the Te Tawharau party.
    • Morris resigned from Parliament. She was replaced by Gilbert Myles, the next candidate on her former party's list. Myles remained attached to New Zealand First.
    • McCardle remained an independent.
  • Jill White, a Labour Party list MP, resigned from Parliament in 1998 to become Mayor of Palmerston North. She was replaced by Helen Duncan, the next candidate on Labour's list.
  • Paul East, a National Party list MP, resigned from Parliament in 1999 to take up a post as High Commissioner in London. He was replaced by Alec Neill, the next candidate on National's list.
  • Frank Grover, an Alliance list MP, resigned from his party on 11 June 1999. He joined the Christian Heritage Party.

References

References

  1. "1996 and beyond – the road to MMP – The road to MMP {{!}} NZHistory, New Zealand history online".
  2. "1996 GENERAL ELECTION – OFFICIAL RESULTS AND STATISTICS".
  3. "Part III – Party Lists of Successful Registered Parties".
  4. "1998 Taranaki-King Country By-election – 2 May 1998".
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