# Father of the House (New Zealand)

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. In New Zealand, no duties or special distinctions are associated with the position. The current Father of the House is Gerry Brownlee, List MP and formerly member for Ilam. He has served continuously in the House of Representatives since 12 October 1996. The current Mother of the House, as the longest continuously serving female MP, is Judith Collins. She was first elected in 2002.
The position is usually determined by continuous service, not aggregate time in parliament or the earliest year of entry. For example, Damien O'Connor has served as long as Brownlee, and entered parliament a term earlier (in 1993), but since he lost his seat in 2008 he is not considered a joint Father of the House. When more than one MP have served equally long periods, the title is usually assigned to whoever was sworn in first, a process which happens alphabetically by surname.
In New Zealand's first general election of 1853, the Bay of Islands electorate was the first to declare the election of a successful candidate, Hugh Carleton, who was returned unopposed. In the subsequent General Assembly of 1854, Carleton liked to be known as the Father of the House.
In March 2005 then Prime Minister Helen Clark became the first to be dubbed Mother of the House.

## List of Fathers and Mothers of the House

Key
| Independent | Liberal | Reform | United |
| Labour | National | Progressive | United Future |
| Name | First elected | Became Father/Mother | Left Parliament | Time in Parliament | Time as Father/Mother | Notes |
| Hugh Carleton | 14 July 1853 | 14 July 1853 | 30 December 1870 | 17 years, 5 months and 16 days | 17 years, 5 months and 16 days | Defeated in 1871 election |
| Alfred Brandon | 29 July 1858 | 30 December 1870 | 8 November 1881 | 23 years, 3 months and 10 days | 10 years, 10 months, 10 days | Retired in 1881 |
| Sir Maurice O'Rorke | 18 January 1861 | 8 November 1881 | 3 October 1890 | 29 years, 8 months and 15 days | 8 years, 10 months, 26 days | Defeated in 1890 election, re-elected in 1893 |
| Harry Atkinson | 3 October 1872 | 3 October 1890 | 22 January 1891 | 18 years, 3 months and 19 days | 3 months, 20 days | Premier 1876–1877, 1883–1884, 1884, 1887–1891; resigned in 1891 |
| Ebenezer Hamlin | 18 January 1876 | 22 January 1891 | 8 November 1893 | 17 years, 9 months and 21 days | 2 years, 9 months, 18 days | Retired in 1893 |
| Richard Seddon | 5 September 1879 | 8 November 1893 | 10 June 1906 | 26 years, 9 months and 5 days | 12 years, 7 months, 3 days | Prime Minister 1893–1906; died in office |
| Sir William Steward | 9 December 1881 | 10 June 1906 | 20 November 1911 | 29 years, 11 months and 11 days | 5 years, 5 months, 11 days | Retired in 1911 |
| Sir Arthur Guinness | 22 July 1884 | 20 November 1911 | 10 June 1913 | 28 years, 10 months and 19 days | 1 year, 6 months, 21 days | Died in office |
| Sir James Carroll | 7 September 1887 | 10 June 1913 | 27 November 1919 | 32 years, 2 months and 20 days | 6 years, 5 months, 18 days | Defeated in 1919 election |
| Sir James Allen | 4 May 1892 | 27 November 1919 | 22 March 1920 | 37 years, 10 months and 18 days | 3 months, 25 days | Resigned in 1920 |
| William Massey | 9 April 1894 | 22 March 1920 | 10 May 1925 | 31 years, 1 month and 1 day | 5 years, 1 month, 20 days | Prime Minister 1912–1925; died in office |
| Sir Thomas Wilford | 4 December 1896 | 10 May 1925 | 18 November 1929 | 32 years, 11 months and 14 days | 4 years, 6 months, 8 days | Resigned in 1929 |
| Sir Āpirana Ngata | 20 December 1905 | 18 November 1929 | 30 August 1943 | 37 years, 8 months and 10 days | 13 years, 9 months, 12 days | Defeated in 1943 election |
| Peter Fraser | 3 October 1918 | 30 August 1943 | 12 December 1950 | 32 years, 2 months and 9 days | 7 years, 3 months, 13 days | Prime Minister 1940–1949; died in office |
| Bill Parry | 17 December 1919 | 12 December 1950 | 27 July 1951 | 31 years, 7 months and 10 days | 7 months, 16 days | Retired in 1951 |
| Robert McKeen | 7 December 1922 | 27 July 1951 | 5 October 1954 | 31 years, 9 months and 28 days | 3 years, 2 months, 8 days | Retired in 1954 |
| Rex Mason | 15 April 1926 | 5 October 1954 | 25 October 1966 | 40 years, 6 months and 10 days | 12 years, 20 days | Retired in 1966 |
| Sir Walter Nash | 18 December 1929 | 25 October 1966 | 4 June 1968 | 38 years, 7 months and 17 days | 1 year, 7 months, 10 days | Prime Minister 1957–1960; died in office |
| Robert Macfarlane | 3 June 1939 | 4 June 1968 | 24 October 1969 | 30 years, 4 months and 21 days | 1 year, 4 months, 20 days | Retired in 1969 |
| Sir Keith Holyoake | 25 September 1943 | 24 October 1969 | 10 March 1977 | 33 years, 5 months and 13 days | 7 years, 4 months, 14 days | Prime Minister 1957, 1960–1972; resigned in 1977 |
| Warren Freer | 24 September 1947 | 10 March 1977 | 29 October 1981 | 34 years, 1 month and 5 days | 4 years, 7 months, 19 days | Retired in 1981 |
| Mick Connelly | 27 October 1956 | 29 October 1981 | 14 June 1984 | 27 years, 7 months and 18 days | 2 years, 7 months, 16 days | Retired in 1984 |
| Sir Robert Muldoon | 26 November 1960 | 14 June 1984 | 17 December 1991 | 31 years and 21 days | 7 years, 6 months, 3 days | Prime Minister 1975–1984; resigned in 1991 |
| Jonathan Hunt | 26 November 1966 | 17 December 1991 | 30 March 2005 | 38 years, 4 months and 4 days | 13 years, 4 months, 13 days | Resigned in 2005 |
| Helen Clark | 28 November 1981 | 30 March 2005 | 18 April 2009 | 27 years, 4 months and 21 days | 4 years, 19 days | Prime Minister 1999–2008; resigned in 2009 Deemed to hold the post ahead of Michael Cullen due to the alphabetical order in which they were sworn in. |
| Michael Cullen | 28 November 1981 | 18 April 2009 | 29 April 2009 | 27 years, 5 months and 1 day | 12 days | Resigned in 2009 |
| Jim Anderton | 14 July 1984 | 29 April 2009 | 26 November 2011 | 27 years, 4 months and 12 days | 2 years, 6 months, 3 days | Retired in 2011 Deemed to hold the post ahead of Peter Dunne due to the alphabetical order in which they were sworn in. |
| Peter Dunne | 14 July 1984 | 26 November 2011 | 23 September 2017 | 33 years, 2 months and 9 days | 5 years, 9 months, 28 days | Retired at the 2017 election. |
| Bill English | 27 October 1990 | 23 September 2017 | 13 March 2018 | 27 years, 4 months and 14 days | 5 months, 18 days | Prime Minister 2016–2017; resigned in 2018 Deemed to be the Father ahead of Nick Smith due to the alphabetical order in which they were sworn in. |
| Nick Smith | 27 October 1990 | 13 March 2018 | 10 June 2021 | 30 years, 7 months and 14 days | 3 years, 2 months, 28 days | Resigned in 2021 |
| Trevor Mallard | 6 November 1993 | 10 June 2021 | 20 October 2022 | 28 years, 11 months and 14 days | 1 year, 4 months and 11 days | Resigned in 2022 |
| Nanaia Mahuta | 12 October 1996 | 21 October 2022 | 14 October 2023 | 26 years, 11 months and 23 days | 11 months and 24 days | Defeated in the 2023 election |
| Gerry Brownlee | 12 October 1996 | 21 October 2022 | Incumbent | 28 years, 4 months and 15 days | 2 years, 4 months and 15 days | |
| Judith Collins | 27 July 2002 | 14 October 2023 | Incumbent | 22 years, 7 months and 9 days | 1 year, 4 months and 22 days | |
Table footnotes:
* ↑ date of dissolution of the 4th Parliament
* ↑ date of dissolution of the 7th Parliament
* ↑ date of dissolution of the 10th Parliament
* ↑ Atkinson had previously been an MP (1861–66 and 1867–69)
* ↑ Atkinson resigned upon being appointed to the Legislative Council
* ↑ date of dissolution of the 11th Parliament
* ↑ Steward had previously been an MP (1871–75)
* ↑ date of dissolution of the 17th Parliament
* ↑ date of dissolution of the 19th Parliament
* ↑ Allen had previously been an MP (1887–90)
* ↑ Wilford resigned to take up the post of High Commissioner to the United Kingdom
* ↑ date of dissolution of the 26th Parliament
* ↑ date of dissolution of the 29th Parliament
* ↑ date of dissolution of the 30th Parliament
* ↑ date of dissolution of the 34th Parliament
* ↑ date of dissolution of the 39th Parliament
* ↑ Holyoake had previously been an MP (1932–38)
* ↑ Holyoake resigned to take up the post of Governor-General
* ↑ date of dissolution of the 39th Parliament
* ↑ date of dissolution of the 40th Parliament
* ↑ Hunt resigned to take up the post of High Commissioner to the United Kingdom
* ↑ Mallard had previously been an MP (1984–90)
* 1 2 Brownlee and Mahuta were considered Father and Mother concurrently between 21 October 2021 and 14 October 2023.
* ↑ Brownlee and Collins are considered Father and Mother concurrently since 14 October 2023.