page_title: New Zealand Parliament
section_title: Monarch
hierarchical_section_title: New Zealand Parliament / Monarch
caption_attribution_description: English: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip at the opening of the New Zealand Parliament in 1963.
context_page_description: The New Zealand Parliament is the legislature of New Zealand, consisting of the Queen of New Zealand and the New Zealand House of Representatives. The Queen is usually represented by her governor-general. Before 1951, there was an upper chamber, the New Zealand Legislative Council. The New Zealand Parliament was established in 1854 and is one of the oldest continuously functioning legislatures in the world. It has met in Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, since 1865.
  The House of Representatives normally consists of 120 members of Parliament, though sometimes more due to overhang seats. There are 71 MPs elected directly in electorate seats and the remainder are filled by list MPs based on each party's share of the total party vote. Māori were represented in Parliament from 1867, and in 1893 women gained the vote. Although elections can be called early, each three years Parliament is dissolved and goes up for reelection.
  Parliament is closely linked to the executive. The New Zealand Government comprises a prime minister and other ministers.
context_section_description: The monarch of New Zealand – currently Queen Elizabeth II, represented in New Zealand by the Governor-General, Dame Patsy Reddy – is one of the components of Parliament. This results from the role of the monarch to sign into law (give Royal Assent to) the bills that have been passed by the House of Representatives. MPs must express their loyalty to the Queen and defer to her authority, as the Oath of Allegiance must be recited by all new parliamentarians before they may take their seat, and the official opposition is traditionally dubbed Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition.
caption: Queen Elizabeth II at the Opening of Parliament in 1963
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