The politics of New Zealand function within a framework of a unitary parliamentary representative democracy. The structure of government is based on the Westminster system, and the legal system is modelled on the common law of England. New Zealand is a constitutional monarchy, in which King Charles III is the sovereign and head of state.
The deputy prime minister of New Zealand is the second most senior member of the Cabinet of New Zealand. The officeholder usually deputises for the prime minister at official functions. The current deputy prime minister is Carmel Sepuloni.
The minister of Finance, originally known as colonial treasurer, is a minister and the head of the New Zealand Treasury, responsible for producing an annual New Zealand budget outlining the government's proposed expenditure. The position is often considered to be the most important cabinet post after that of the prime minister.
Christopher Joseph Carter is a former New Zealand Labour Party and independent Member of the New Zealand Parliament. He was a senior Cabinet Minister in the Fifth Labour Government of New Zealand, serving lastly as Minister of Education, Minister Responsible for the Education Review Office and Minister of Ethnic Affairs. He was the Member of Parliament for the Te Atatu electorate, where he was first elected in 1993. He did not win re-election in 1996, but won a new and expanded Te Atatu seat in 1999. In 2010 he was suspended from the Labour Party caucus following a dispute with party leader Phil Goff, shortly afterwards he became an independent MP. He was expelled by the Labour Party for breaching the Party's constitution in bringing the Party in disrepute, on 11 October 2010. In September 2011 Carter resigned from Parliament following his appointment to a United Nations position in Afghanistan where he served for 4 years. In 2015 he was appointed to head UN operations in Rakhine State in Myanmar where he served for 3 years. In 2018 he rejoined the New Zealand Labour Party and stood for election as a Labour Party representative in the 2019 New Zealand local elections. Carter was elected and appointed as Chairperson of the Henderson Massey Local Board with 11,250 votes. He also won election in 2019 as one of the 7 elected Board Members of the Waitemata District Health Board with 14,593 votes. Both positions have three year terms.
Ruth Suzanne Dyson is a former New Zealand politician. She was a Labour Party Member of Parliament from 1993 to 2020. She represented the Port Hills electorate from the 2008 election election to 2020. She also held a number of senior offices in the Labour Party, including president.
The minister of defence is a minister in the government of New Zealand with responsibility for the New Zealand Defence Force and the Ministry of Defence.
Grant Murray Robertson is a New Zealand politician and member of the Labour Party who has served as the minister of finance since 2017 and served as the 19th deputy prime minister of New Zealand from 2020 to 2023. He has been the member of Parliament (MP) for Wellington Central since 2008.
Philip Stoner Twyford is a politician from New Zealand and a member of the Labour Party. He has been a Member of Parliament since 2008. He is the Labour Party MP for Te Atatū.
Rino Tirikatene is a New Zealand politician and a member of the House of Representatives, representing the Te Tai Tonga electorate since the 2011 election. He is a member of the Labour Party. He comes from a family with a strong political history.
Michael Philip Wood is a New Zealand Labour Party politician and a member of the New Zealand House of Representatives, representing Mount Roskill. He was Minister of Immigration, Minister for Auckland in the Sixth Labour Government, and Minister of Transport until June 2023 before resigning due to controversies over shares.
The Minister for Women is the government minister in the New Zealand Government with responsibility for the rights and interests of the country's female citizens. It has been a post in all New Zealand governments since 1984. The Minister leads the Ministry for Women.
The Minister of State Owned Enterprises is the government minister in New Zealand responsible for trading enterprises owned by the New Zealand Government, usually in conjunction with the minister responsible for the industry.
The Minister of Immigration was established in 1872 as the Secretary for Crown Lands and Immigration. The minister appointed was William Fitzherbert but when replaced later in the year by Maurice O'Rorke, the title was changed to Minister of Immigration.
The Minister of Housing is a minister in the government of New Zealand with responsibility for the government's house-building programme. The position was established in 1938 as Minister in charge of Housing, and has most commonly been known as Minister of Housing. Other iterations have included the Minister of Building and Housing, the Minister of Social Housing, and the Minister of Housing and Urban Development.
The Minister for Building and Construction is a minister in the government of New Zealand with responsibility for the government's building, construction and housing programmes. The position was established in 2004 as the Minister for Building Issues.
The Minister of Employment is a cabinet portfolio in New Zealand which was first established in 1931 and was in use until 1938 before being used in several separate increments. It was revived from 1946 to 1954 and was again reconstituted in 1984.
The Minister of Research, Science and Innovation is a ministerial portfolio in the government of New Zealand. The minister's responsibilities include leading the science and innovation system and setting the direction for government investment.
The Minister for Racing is a minister in the government of New Zealand with responsibility for the regulation of the racing industry and betting services. The minister is also responsible for the New Zealand Racing Board, Racing Industry Transition Agency and Totalisator Agency Board (TAB).
The Minister for Youth is the government minister in the New Zealand Government with responsibility for the rights and interests of young people.
The Minister of Disarmament and Arms Control is a minister in the government of New Zealand.
