page_title: Politics of New Zealand
section_title: Executive government
hierarchical_section_title: Politics of New Zealand / Executive government
caption_attribution_description: English: New Zealand Governor General Patsy Reddy and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern at the 2018 Arts Foundation Icon Awards.
context_page_description: 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 Queen Elizabeth II is the sovereign and head of state.
  The New Zealand Parliament holds legislative power and consists of the Queen and the House of Representatives. The Queen is represented by the Governor-General of New Zealand when not present in the country herself. Members of Parliament are elected to the House of Representatives usually every three years. The country has a multi-party system, though the dominant political parties in New Zealand have historically been the Labour Party and the National Party. Minority governments are common and typically dependent on confidence-and-supply agreements with other parties.
  Executive power in New Zealand is based on the principle that "The Queen reigns, but the government rules".
context_section_description: Queen Elizabeth II is New Zealand's sovereign and head of state. The New Zealand monarchy has been distinct from the British monarchy since the Statute of Westminster Adoption Act 1947, and all Elizabeth II's official business in New Zealand is conducted in the name of the "Queen of New Zealand". The Queen's role is largely ceremonial, and her residual powers—called the "royal prerogative"—are mostly exercised through the government of the day. These include the power to enact legislation, to sign treaties and to declare war.
  Since the Queen is not usually resident in New Zealand, the functions of the monarchy are conducted by her representative, the governor-general. As of 2017, the Governor-General is Dame Patsy Reddy. A governor-general formally has the power to appoint and dismiss ministers and to dissolve Parliament; and the power to reject or sign bills into law by Royal Assent after passage by the House of Representatives. He or she chairs the Executive Council, which is a formal committee consisting of all ministers, who advise the governor-general on the exercising of the prerogative powers. Members of the Executive Council are required to be members of Parliament (MPs), and most are also in the Cabinet.
  Cabinet is the most senior policy-making body and is led by the prime minister, who is also, by convention, the parliamentary leader of the largest governing party. The prime minister, being the de facto leader of New Zealand, exercises executive functions that are formally vested in the monarch (by way of the prerogative powers). Ministers within Cabinet make major decisions collectively, and are therefore collectively responsible  for the consequences of these decisions.
  Following a general election, a government is formed by the party or coalition that can command the confidence (support) of a majority of MPs in the House of Representatives. The most recent general election, held in September 2017, saw Labour finish in second place but able to govern through a coalition with New Zealand First, and a confidence-and-supply agreement with the Green Party. The Sixth Labour Government, led by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, was sworn in by the Governor-General on 26 October 2017.
  Since 2017, the National Party has formed the Official Opposition to the Labour-led government. The leader of the Opposition heads a Shadow Cabinet, which scrutinises the actions of the Cabinet led by the prime minister. The Opposition within Parliament helps to hold the Government to account.
caption: Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern with Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy, May 2018
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