MMP
MMP (Mixed Member Proportional) system of voting was established in 1993 following public dissatisfaction with the FFP (First Past the Post) system, in which the allocation of seats to the parties were disproportionate to the number of votes each party received. Based on a West German model, MMP is a compromise between FFP and Party List methods which allows a party’s representation to be more or less proportional to the support it receives from the public.

The Electoral Act 1993 increased the 99 seats of the House to 120. This number, however, is flexible and can increase or decrease accordingly. The 2005-2008 Parliament was made up of 121 seats, due to the Maori Party gaining more electorate seats than it would have been entitled to under the party vote. In contrast, if a party’s share of the seats was more than the number of candidates they had, the number of seats in Parliament would decrease – leaving the seats open rather than replacing them.

Each political party must initially have 500 financial members before it can register with the Electoral Commission and be recognised as an official party. It must also produce a list of candidates prior to an election campaign. In order to gain representation in Parliament, the party must then receive at least 5% of the party vote or win one or more electorates.

Electorates
For the purpose of proportional representation, New Zealand is divided into electorates and each electorate chooses someone to represent them in parliament. The South Island is used as the determinant of how many people will be in an electorate. It is always divided into 16 parts, each with a similar population size. The Representation Commission then uses the population size of the South Island electorates to determine how many electorates there will be in the North Island.

Voting
Each voter is entitled to two votes – the party vote and electoral vote.

The party vote secures the principle of proportionality. The percentage of party votes a party receives determines the number of seats it will be allocated in parliament. The more party votes a party receives, the more likely it will gain representation (bearing in mind that it must receive at least 5% of the overall vote).

The electoral vote (the vote for a political candidate) is especially important for those minor parties that are unlikely to make the 5% threshold required to secure a share of the seats in the House. Having just one electoral seat allows that party to redeem the rest of their share of the seats in the House according to the percentage of party votes received. Those parties that do not make the 5% threshold and do not win any electorates are entitled to nothing, and the votes for them are discarded.

Coalition government
A coalition government is formed when two or more parties who share common political goals combined together to make up the majority needed to govern. Cabinet ministers are not only selected from the main party but also from the coalition partners. A coalition government is generally the norm under MMP, as it is rare for one party to gain the majority of votes nationwide.

Minority government
The formation of a minority government is also possible under MMP, although somewhat more volatile than forming a coalition government. A minority government is made when a party which does not have the majority of seats, makes an informal agreement of confidence and supply with parties outside of cabinet which, with that support, allows them to govern. If the government loses the confidence of the House, they may resign and another government formed, or they may call an early election.

Majority government
A majority government is formed when one party holds the majority of seats in Parliament thereby allowing it to govern alone without the input of other parties. This was the norm under FPP but unlikely to occur under MMP.

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