The 53rd New Zealand Parliament is the current session of Parliament in New Zealand.
It opened on 25 November 2020 following the 17 October 2020 general election, and will expire on or before 20 November 2023 to trigger the next election.
It consists of 120 members of Parliament (MPs) with five parties represented: the Labour and Green parties, in government, and the National, Māori and ACT parties, in opposition.
The Sixth Labour Government has a majority in this Parliament, with Jacinda Ardern as prime minister.
The Parliament was elected using a mixed-member proportional representation (MMP) voting system.
MPs represented 72 geographical electorates: 16 in the South Island, 49 in the North Island and 7 Māori electorates.
This was an increase of one electorate seat from the previous election, as a result of population growth in the North Island.
The remaining MPs were elected from party lists using the Webster/Sainte-Laguë method to realise proportionality.
Background
Electorate changes
To achieve proportionality across electorates, there were a number of changes required to electorates based on population data determined through the 2018 census and projected population growth.
As such, the number of geographical electorates increased by one compared to the 2017 election to account for the North Island's higher population growth, creating Takanini, and 30 general electorates and five Māori electorates had their boundaries adjusted so that each electorate contains roughly the same number of people.
2020 general election
The 2020 general election was held on 17 October, after being delayed from 19 September due to a resurgence of COVID-19 cases during the COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand.
The dissolution of the 52nd Parliament was originally set for 12 August, and was delayed first to 17 August and finally to 6 September 2020.
The 2020 election resulted in a majority for the Labour Party, winning 65 seats, allowing them to continue the Sixth Labour Government unrestricted.
Their coalition partner from the 52nd Parliament, New Zealand First, did not receive enough votes to pass the five percent threshold or win in an electorate, kicking them out of Parliament.
Confidence and supply partner the Green Party received 10 seats, up two, becoming the first minor party ever to increase their share of the vote following their being in government.
In the opposition, the National Party lost 23 seats, giving them a total of 33, and ACT New Zealand went from one seat to ten.
The Māori Party won a Māori electorate and gained an additional list seat after losing representation in the 2017 general election.
Formation
Labour achieved a majority in the 2020 election, allowing them to form a government without any coalition agreements having to be made.
However, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern entered talks with the Green Party about "potential areas of co-operation" in the formation of the new government.
After two weeks of discussions, the Green Party reached an agreement with Labour on 31 October to become part of the next Government, with co-leaders James Shaw and Marama Davidson receiving ministerial positions outside of cabinet.
Shaw will remain Minister of Climate Change and become Associate Minister of the Environment, while Davidson will be Minister for the Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence and the Associate Minister of Housing.
The new government was sworn in on 6 November 2020.
Parliamentary term
The writ for the 2020 election was returned on 20 November 2020 after being delayed from its original set date of 12 November due to election recounts.
Under section 19 of Constitution Act 1986, Parliament must meet no later than six weeks after this date; on 6 November 2020, following the new government's first Cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern confirmed that the Commission Opening and State Opening of Parliament would take place on 25 and 26 November 2020, respectively.
The 53rd Parliament is the first parliament since the 44th New Zealand Parliament (and the introduction of an MMP electoral system) to have a single party hold an outright majority of seats.
The Labour Party holds 65 seats, 4 more than the required 61 seats needed for a majority.
Timeline
1 November 2020 – The Green Party enter into a "cooperation agreement" with Labour
6 November 2020 –
Jacinda Ardern is sworn in for a second term as Prime Minister.
Other ministers are also sworn in.
Final results of the 2020 election are released.
Three electorates flip to Labour, and National lose two seats on the party vote, with Labour and the Māori Party picking up one each.
Gerry Brownlee resigns as Deputy Leader of the National Party.
10 November 2020 – Shane Reti is elected Deputy Leader of the National Party.
20 November 2020 – The writ of the election is returned (having been delayed from 12 November due to a judicial recount).
25 November 2020 – Commission Opening of Parliament
26 November 2020 – State Opening of Parliament
20 May 2021 – Budget 2021 was delivered to Parliament.
25 November 2021 – Judith Collins is removed as Leader of the National Party by a caucus vote of no confidence.
30 November 2021 – Christopher Luxon and Nicola Willis are elected Leader and Deputy Leader of the National Party.
Major legislation
On 1 March 2021, the Local Electoral (Māori Wards and Māori Constituencies) Amendment Act 2021 received royal assent after being introduced by Nanaia Mahuta on 9 February.
This Act eliminates mechanisms for holding public referendums on the establishment of Māori wards and constituencies on local bodies, which allowed the public to veto a council's decision to introduce a Māori ward.
Dissolution
Under section 17 of the Constitution Act 1986, Parliament expires a maximum of three years "from the day fixed for the return of the writs issued for the last preceding general election of members of the House of Representatives, and no longer".
The writs were issued on 13 September 2020 and were returned on 20 November 2020, meaning that the 53rd Parliament must dissolve on or before 20 November 2023.
Officeholders
Presiding officers
Speaker of the House: Rt.
Hon. Trevor Mallard (Labour)
Deputy Speaker of the House: Adrian Rurawhe (Labour)
Assistant Speaker of the House: Hon. Jenny Salesa (Labour)
Assistant Speaker of the House: Hon. Jacqui Dean (National)
Other parliamentary officers
Clerk: David Martin Wilson
Deputy Clerk: Suze Jones
Serjeant-at-Arms: Steve Streefkerk
Party leaders
Prime Minister of New Zealand: Rt.
Hon. Jacinda Ardern (Labour)
Deputy Leader of the Labour Party: Hon. Kelvin Davis
Leader of the Opposition (National):
Christopher Luxon from 30 November 2021
Hon. Judith Collins until 25 November 2021
Deputy Leader of the Opposition (National):
Nicola Willis from 30 November 2021
Shane Reti until 30 November 2021
Co-leaders of the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand:
Female Co-leader: Hon. Marama Davidson
Male Co-leader: Hon. James Shaw
Leader of ACT New Zealand: David Seymour
Deputy Leader of ACT New Zealand: Brooke van Velden
Co-leaders of the Māori Party:
Female Co-leader: Debbie Ngarewa-Packer
Male Co-leader: Rawiri Waititi
Floor leaders
Leader of the House: Hon. Chris Hipkins
Deputy Leader of the House: Hon. Michael Wood
Shadow Leader of the House:
Chris Bishop until 28 August 2021 and from 6 December 2021
Hon. Michael Woodhouse from 28 August 2021 to 6 December 2021
Deputy Shadow Leader of the House:
Hon. Michael Woodhouse until 28 August 2021 and from 6 December 2021
Simeon Brown from 28 August 2021 to 6 December 2021
Whips
Senior Government (Labour) Whip: Kieran McAnulty
Junior Labour Whip: Duncan Webb
Assistant Labour Whip: Willow-Jean Prime
Associate Labour Whip: Barbara Edmonds
Senior Opposition (National) Whip:
Chris Penk from 7 December 2021
Matt Doocey until 7 December 2021
Junior Opposition Whip: Maureen Pugh
Green Party Whip (Musterer): Jan Logie
Green Party Deputy Musterer: Elizabeth Kerekere
ACT New Zealand Whip: Brooke van Velden
Māori Party Whip (Matarau): Debbie Ngarewa-Packer
Shadow cabinets
Opposition Cabinet of Christopher Luxon during the 53rd Parliament from 30 November 2021
Opposition Cabinet of Judith Collins during the 53rd Parliament from 11 November 2020 to 25 November 2021
Members
The table below shows the members of the 53rd Parliament based on the results of the 2020 general election.
Ministerial roles were officially announced on 2 November 2020.
Based on preliminary results, there were 40 new MPs.
When final results were announced on 6 November, this rose to 42 new members.
Overview
thumb|left|300px This table shows the number of MPs in each party:
Notes
The Green Party entered into a cooperation agreement with the Labour Party on 1 November 2020 in which they agreed not to oppose confidence and supply.
This differs from a confidence and supply agreement that has been a feature of New Zealand governments, in which minor political parties agree to explicitly support confidence and supply.
The Working Government majority is calculated as all Government MPs less all opposition parties.
It excludes the Green Party which can either support or abstain from confidence and supply.
The Working Government with Cooperation majority includes the Green Party.
Members
Changes
The following changes in Members of Parliament occurred during the term of the 53rd Parliament:
Seating plan
Start of term
The chamber is in a horseshoe-shape.
</div> Current seating plan
.
</div> Committees
The 53rd Parliament has 12 select committees and 8 specialist committees.
They are listed below, with their chairpersons and deputy chairpersons:
Electorates
alt=Map of New Zealand with divisions for the general electorates, displayed in different colours for political parties.
|thumb|x250px|General electorates since 2020, showing the 2020 election results This section shows the New Zealand electorates as they are represented in the 53rd Parliament."
2020-au5126".
New Zealand Gazette.
6 November 2020.
Electorates were redrawn after the 2018 census and will remain the same for the 2023 election.
General electorates
Māori electorates
alt=Map of New Zealand with divisions for the Māori electorates, displayed in different colours for political parties.
|thumb|250x250px|Māori Electorates since the 2020 election.
Red represent Labour seats, brown represents Māori Party seats.
See also
Opinion polling for the 2020 New Zealand general election
Politics of New Zealand
References
