50th New Zealand Parliament

50th Parliament of New Zealand
← 49th Parliament 51st Parliament →
Parliament House, Wellington
Overview
Legislative body	New Zealand Parliament
Term	20 December 2011 – 14 August 2014
Election	2011 New Zealand general election
Government	Fifth National Government
House of Representatives
Members	121
Speaker of the House	David Carter — Lockwood Smith until 31 January 2013
Leader of the House	Gerry Brownlee
Prime Minister	John Key
Leader of the Opposition	David Cunliffe — David Shearer until 15 September 2013
Sovereign
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Governor-General	Jerry Mateparae

The 50th New Zealand Parliament was elected at the 2011 general election. It had 121 members (120 seats plus one overhang seat), and was in place from December 2011 until September 2014, followed by the 2014 general election. The first sitting of the 50th Parliament was held on 20 December 2011, where members were sworn in and Lockwood Smith was elected Speaker of the House. This was followed by the speech from the throne on 21 December. John Key continued to lead the Fifth National Government. Following the resignation of Smith, David Carter was elected Speaker.

The Parliament was elected using the mixed-member proportional representation (MMP) voting system. Members of Parliament (MPs) represent 70 geographical electorates: 16 in the South Island, 47 in the North Island and 7 Māori electorates. The remaining 51 members were elected from party lists using the Sainte-Laguë method to realise proportionality.