New Zealand government
What this domain tests
How New Zealand governs itself: a constitutional monarchy, a single-chamber Parliament chosen by proportional representation, a Cabinet drawn from Parliament, an independent judiciary and a three-year electoral cycle.
Core rules
- No single written constitution. It is found in statutes (Constitution Act 1986, Electoral Act 1993, Bill of Rights Act 1990), conventions, court decisions and the Treaty of Waitangi.
- Head of state: the King, represented by the Governor-General, who performs formal acts such as appointing the Prime Minister, assenting to bills and dissolving Parliament - on ministerial advice.
- Parliament means the House of Representatives only. The appointed upper house, the Legislative Council, was abolished in 1950.
- MMP since 1996: two votes per elector (party vote and electorate vote), normally 120 MPs with overhang seats possible, and a 5% party-vote threshold or an electorate seat to enter Parliament.
- Elections every three years for enrolled voters aged 18 and over.
- Executive: Prime Minister and Cabinet, collectively responsible to Parliament. Judiciary: independent, with the Supreme Court as the final appeal court since 2004. Local government (mayors and councils) is separate.
Worked example
Trace a bill: introduced and read a first time → referred to a select committee that invites public submissions → reported back, second reading and committee stage → third reading → royal assent from the Governor-General. Only then is it an Act.
Traps that cost marks
Assuming the Governor-General governs politically; assuming a four-year term; thinking the Prime Minister is directly elected by voters (they are chosen by their party and must command the House); forgetting that local councils sit outside Parliament; confusing the party vote with the electorate vote.