Electoral reform in New Zealand

Electoral reform in New Zealand has been a political issue in the past as major changes have been made to both parliamentary and local government electoral systems.

National elections in New Zealand were first held in 1853^[1] and were conducted over a period of two and a half months. At this time, the country was divided into 24 electorates, who elected one, two or three members (MPs) depending on their population.^[2] In the multiple-seat districts, multiple non-transferable vote (block voting) was used; in the single-seat districts the basic first-past-the-post (FPP) was used.

This system continued for a long time, with major diversions being only a change to the second ballot system (a type of two-round system), used for the 1908 election and 1911 election and swiftly repealed in 1913.^[3]

In the 1993 electoral reform referendum, New Zealanders voted to adopt the mixed-member proportional (MMP) system, which was first used in 1996. MMP is a system of proportional representation in which there is a mix of electorate MPs and list MPs. Proportional representation led to an increase in minor parties entering Parliament, making multi-party governments the norm. Since the introduction of MMP, there have been occasional proposals for further reform; in a 2011 referendum, New Zealanders voted to retain MMP.

^ "New Zealand's first general election begins". NZHistory. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Archived from the original on 24 May 2018. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
^ Martin, John E. (29 January 2016). "Political participation and electoral change in nineteenth-century New Zealand". New Zealand Parliament. Archived from the original on 23 May 2018. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
^ Foster, Bernard John (1966). "Government – Parliamentary Elections: Second Ballot System (1908–13)". In McLintock, A. H. (ed.). An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand. Archived from the original on 23 May 2018. Retrieved 23 May 2018 – via Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand.

[1] "New Zealand's first general election begins". NZHistory. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Archived from the original on 24 May 2018. Retrieved 23 May 2018.

[2] Martin, John E. (29 January 2016). "Political participation and electoral change in nineteenth-century New Zealand". New Zealand Parliament. Archived from the original on 23 May 2018. Retrieved 23 May 2018.

[:1-3] Foster, Bernard John (1966). "Government – Parliamentary Elections: Second Ballot System (1908–13)". In McLintock, A. H. (ed.). An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand. Archived from the original on 23 May 2018. Retrieved 23 May 2018 – via Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand.

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