New Zealand is a representative democracy. Members of the unicameral New Zealand Parliament gain their seats through nationwide general elections, or in by-elections. General elections are usually held every three years; they may be held at an earlier date at the discretion of the prime minister, although it usually only happens in the event of a vote of no confidence or other exceptional circumstances. A by-election is held to fill a vacancy arising during a parliamentary term. The most recent general election took place on 17 October 2020.
United Future New Zealand, usually known as United Future, was a centrist political party in New Zealand. The party was in government between 2005 and 2017, first alongside Labour (2005–2008) and then supporting National (2008–2017).
The Nga Iwi Morehu Movement was a New Zealand Māori political party. Its name literally translates as "the surviving people" or "the remnant people". It contested the 1996 election as an unregistered party, running a single candidate and gaining 194 votes. It ran two candidates in the 2002 election, winning 522 votes. In the 1999 election, members of Nga Iwi Morehu stood under the banner of the Freedom Movement.
The New Zealand electoral system has been mixed-member proportional (MMP) since the 1996 election. MMP was introduced following a referendum in 1993. It replaced the first-past-the-post (FPP) system New Zealand had previously used for most of its history. New Zealanders elect their members of parliament (MPs) with two votes. The first vote is for a candidate from an electorate. The second vote is used to elect ranked party lists.
The Residents Action Movement was a political party in New Zealand. RAM described itself as "a mass membership, broad left, grassroots movement of social change". Its national chair was Grant Morgan and its co-leaders were Oliver Woods and Grant Brookes.
The New World Order was a registered political party in New Zealand. The party was founded in 2006 by Nathan Lee Couper. Its stated goal was to bring about global peace through a unified World Government. The Chief of the WGEC is Stephanie Monique Smith.
The Bill and Ben Party was a New Zealand joke political party formed in 2008 and voluntarily deregistered in 2010. The party's leaders were Jamie Linehan and Ben Boyce of the TV3 satirical sports show Pulp Sport. In the 2008 general election the party secured 0.56% of the vote, outpolling every other party not in parliament prior to the election. It gained the ninth-highest number of votes out of the 19 parties standing for election.
The New Zealand Representative Party was a political party in New Zealand. The party's leader was Reg Turner, a former candidate for the ACT Party as well as a former independent candidate.
The Pirate Party of New Zealand (PPNZ) was an unregistered political party in New Zealand. The party was based on the Swedish Pirate Party and focused on issues of copyright and patent reform and internet privacy. It contested elections in 2011. It was a member of Pirate Parties International.
The Mana Movement, formerly known as the Mana Party, is an unregistered New Zealand political party led by Hone Harawira which was formed in April 2011 following his resignation from the Māori Party. Harawira won the by-election in Te Tai Tokerau of 25 June 2011 for the Mana Party and retained the seat during the 2011 general election, but lost it in 2014 and 2017 to Labour Party candidate Kelvin Davis.
The OurNZ Party was a political party in New Zealand. The party advocated a new currency, a 1% transaction tax, a written constitution, and binding referenda. Its founding leaders were former Direct Democracy Party leader Kelvyn Alp and Rangitunoa Black.
Focus NZ was a political party in New Zealand. Founded as "NZ Rural", the party was based in Northland and represented the interests of business owners, producers and provincial communities. Areas of concern include the exchange rate and empowerment of communities.
1Law4All was a registered political party in New Zealand. The party was launched in June 2013 and was temporarily led by Tom Johnson. The party supported removing references to the Treaty of Waitangi from legislation, abolition of the Waitangi Tribunal and Māori electorates, repeal of the Marine and Coastal Area Act 2011, and withdrawal of New Zealand from the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The party never contested an election and was deregistered in May 2015.
The Internet Party was a registered political party in New Zealand that promoted Internet freedom and privacy. The party was founded in January 2014 with the financial support and promotion of internet entrepreneur Kim Dotcom, and was first led by former Alliance MP Laila Harré, then by citizen journalist Suzie Dawson.
The New Zealand Outdoors Party is a registered political party in New Zealand. The party is led by co-leaders Alan Simmons and Sue Grey and seeks to protect New Zealand's environment and "outdoors heritage."
The New Zealand People's Party is a political party in New Zealand. The party was established in 2015 and has a particular focus on the rights of immigrants. It operated as an independent party for a 2016 by-election and the 2017 general election, and as a component party of Advance New Zealand for the 2020 election. The party's leader, as of September 2020, is Anil Sharma.
The Opportunities Party is a centrist political party based in New Zealand. It was founded in 2016 by economist and philanthropist Gareth Morgan. The party is based upon an idea of "evidence-based policy", with policy priorities of "Universal Basic Income (UBI)", "Affordable Housing and Rent", "Smart Small Business", and "Climate Friendly Recovery".
Vision NZ is a nationalist political party in New Zealand led by Hannah Tamaki, the co-leader of the fundamentalist Christian movement Destiny Church. The party was announced in May 2019. It contested the 2020 New Zealand general election both for electorate seats and the party list vote, receiving 0.1% of the party vote and winning no seats.
The Sustainable New Zealand Party, also called Sustainable NZ, is a formerly-registered political party in New Zealand. An environmentalist party, it has a focus on water, native species, and sustainable economic growth. It contrasts itself with the larger Green Party by claiming to not be aligned with either side of the political aisle and being prepared to work with either the National Party or the Labour Party.
The New Zealand TEA Party is a registered political party in New Zealand. The party is led by John Hong. The party contested the 2020 general election, but did not win any seats.
