History and Government

New Zealand’s government is democratically elected through the House of Representatives. It advises the Sovereign King Charles III, head of state, represented in New Zealand by the Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro, forming a constitutional monarchy. Dame Cindy was previously Professor and Pro Vice-Chancellor Māori at the University of Auckland.

The government is formed by elected Members of Parliament who become Ministers. Government can only remain in power as long as it maintains the majority support (confidence) of the House of Representatives.

New Zealand embraces fairness in our electoral system. Through the use of the mixed-member proportional representation (MMP) voting system, voters exercise two important choices. They cast one vote for their local representative and another for their preferred political party. This ensures proportional representation in Parliament, reflecting the share of votes each party receives in the general election. General elections occur every three years, with the next in October 2026.

The Right Honourable Christopher Luxon is Prime Minister.