New Zealand House of Representatives

The New Zealand House of Representatives is a component of the New Zealand Parliament, along with the Sovereign (represented by the Governor-General).

The New Zealand Parliament (Pāremata Aotearoa) is the legislature of New Zealand, consisting of the Queen of New Zealand (Queen-in-Parliament) and the New Zealand House of Representatives.

The House passes all laws, provides ministers to form a Cabinet, and supervises the work of the Government.

Based on the principle of responsible government, it operates within the framework that "the Queen reigns, but the government rules, so long as it has the support of the House of Representatives".

The House of Representatives was created by the New Zealand Constitution Act 1852, an Act of the British Parliament, which established a bicameral legislature; however the upper chamber, the Legislative Council, was abolished in 1950.

Unlike the elected lower house, the House of Representatives, the Legislative Council was wholly appointed by the governor-general.

Proceedings are also broadcast through Parliament TV, AM Network and Parliament Today.

Legislature broadcasters in New Zealand are broadcasters of the New Zealand Parliament House of Representatives.

The New Zealand House of Representatives is a component of the New Zealand Parliament, along with the Sovereign (represented by the Governor-General). The prime minister is answerable to, and must maintain the support of, the House of Representatives; thus, whenever the office of prime minister falls vacant, the governor-general appoints the person who has the support of the House, or who is most likely to command the support of the House.

Although the governor-general's powers are in theory extensive, they are in practice very limited; most political power is exercised by the New Zealand Parliament (which is composed of the Governor-General-in-Parliament and the House of Representatives), through the prime minister and Cabinet.

These parties collectively have 63 members in the House (52.5% of seats), thus Labour leader Jacinda Ardern commands the support of the House.

Ardern has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Mount Albert electorate since 8 March 2017; she was first elected to the House of Representatives as a list MP at the 2008 general election.

The prime minister is answerable to, and must maintain the support of, the House of Representatives; thus, whenever the office of prime minister falls vacant, the governor-general appoints the person who has the support of the House, or who is most likely to command the support of the House.

The convention stipulates that the governor-general must select as prime minister the person most likely to command the support, or confidence, of the House of Representatives.

The New Zealand House of Representatives is a component of the New Zealand Parliament, along with the Sovereign (represented by the Governor-General).

The Crown is further responsible for summoning and dissolving the House of Representatives, after which the governor-general usually calls for a general election.

The current government is a minority coalition government consisting of the Labour Party and New Zealand First, with confidence and supply provided by the Green Party.

The party held seats in the New Zealand House of Representatives from its formation in 1993 until 2008, when it failed to gain enough party votes to retain representation.

Electorate vacancies arising between general elections are filled through by-elections.

By-elections in New Zealand occur to fill vacant seats in the House of Representatives.

A government is formed from the party or coalition with the majority of MPs.

The first elections for a New Zealand House of Representatives were held during 1853, and this lower house met for the first time in 1854 in Auckland.

Based on British tradition, the longest continuously serving member in the House holds the unofficial title "Father (or Mother) of the House".

Father or Mother of the House is an unofficial title applied to the longest-serving member of parliament (MP) sitting in the New Zealand House of Representatives.

The current government is a minority coalition government consisting of the Labour Party and New Zealand First, with confidence and supply provided by the Green Party.

It is currently the fourth largest political party in the House of Representatives, and has agreed to support the Sixth Labour Government.

The House of Representatives elects one of its members as a presiding officer, known as the Speaker of the House, at the beginning of each new parliamentary term, and also whenever a vacancy arises.

In New Zealand, the Speaker of the House of Representatives (Te Mana Whakawā o te Whare) is the individual who chairs the country's elected legislative body, the New Zealand House of Representatives.

The House of Representatives was created by the New Zealand Constitution Act 1852, an Act of the British Parliament, which established a bicameral legislature; however the upper chamber, the Legislative Council, was abolished in 1950.

They were previously known as "Members of the House of Representatives" (MHRs) until the passing of the Parliamentary and Executive Titles Act 1907 when New Zealand became a Dominion, and even earlier as "Members of the General Assembly" (MGAs).

Following the 1907 conference, the New Zealand House of Representatives passed a motion respectfully requesting that King Edward VII "take such steps as he may consider necessary" to change the designation of New Zealand from the Colony of New Zealand to the Dominion of New Zealand.

The Leader of the Official Opposition is the member of Parliament who leads the largest Opposition party (which is usually second-largest caucus).

The Leader of the Opposition by convention leads the largest party not supporting the government: this is usually the parliamentary leader of the second largest caucus in the House of Representatives.

Officers of the House who are not members include the Clerk of the House, the Deputy Clerk, the Chief Parliamentary Counsel, and several other junior clerks.

The Clerk of the New Zealand House of Representatives is an officer of the New Zealand House of Representatives and is the principal officer (Chief Executive) of the Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives.

The House of Representatives is a democratically elected body whose members are known as members of Parliament (MPs).

The New Zealand Parliament is made up of the monarch and the unicameral House of Representatives.

Members of the Government occupy the seats on the Speaker's right, while members of the Official Opposition sit on the Speaker's left.

This is usually the second-largest party in the House of Representatives, although in certain unusual circumstances it may be the largest party (due to a larger government bloc, as is currently the case) or even a third or fourth party.

The Speaker can name a member who he or she believes has broken the rules of conduct of the House; following a vote this will usually result in the expulsion of said member from the chamber.

Processes to name a member are present in the lower houses of the British, Australian, Canadian, and New Zealand parliaments, and the legislatures of some Australian states and Canadian provinces.

The Leader of the House is a member appointed by the Prime Minister to arrange government business and the legislative programme of Parliament.

In the New Zealand Parliament, the Leader of the House is the government minister appointed by the Prime Minister of New Zealand to be responsible for the management of government business in the House of Representatives.

Written questions are submitted to the Clerk, either on paper or electronically, and answers are recorded in Parliamentary Debates (Hansard) so as to be widely available and accessible.

Speeches made in the House of Representatives and the Legislative Council between 1867 and the commencement of Parliament in 1854 were compiled in 1885 from earlier newspaper reports, and this compilation also forms part of the New Zealand Hansard record.

MPs are elected usually every three years in a mixed system of district voting and party list voting; 71 MPs are elected directly in electorate seats and the remainder are filled by list MPs based on each party's share of the party vote.

In Germany's Bundestag and the New Zealand House of Representatives, all these constituency members keep their seats.

Once sworn in, members normally continue to serve until the next dissolution of Parliament and subsequent general election, which must take place at least every three years —although early general elections (sometimes termed "snap elections") are possible at the discretion of the Prime Minister, especially in the event that a minority government is unable to retain the confidence of the House.

The Constitution Act 1986 requires that, before being permitted to sit or vote in the House of Representatives, members of Parliament must take the Oath of Allegiance.