Nz politics

Well, I've been here long enough to start to learn a little about the New Zealand political system. So far- just a precious little but hopefully I will soon learn much more... :)

There are 121 members and they seem to have some sort of combination of electoral district elections and proportional representation. The biggest parties are Labour and National, followed by the Greens, New Zealand First and the Maori party... I still need to research more on this front. So even the smaller of these have elected members.

One interesting little tidbit- you don't have to be a citizen to vote here- just a permanent resident. Unlike neighbouring areas, you aren't obligated to vote (turnout was 80% in the 95 election), but you are obligated to register to vote.

They killed their senate back many years ago and now do not have an upper chamber. No sober second thought, I guess... More to come as I learn it.