About our Parliament

How Parliament works

Find out about our system of government, what Parliament does, how we choose our members of Parliament, and how laws are made. Discover the important jobs people do in Parliament and what special rules, privileges, and powers apply.

Our system of government Governor-General reads the speech from the throne at the State Opening of Parliament. Photo: Office of the Clerk. Our Government is formed from a democratically elected House of Representatives. The Government advises our head of State who is the Queen. By convention, the Queen, the source of all executive legal authority in New Zealand, acts on the advice of the Government in all but the most exceptional circumstances. This system is known as a constitutional monarchy. Our system of government	Office of the Speaker The Speaker preceded by the Serjeant-at-Arms in procession to the debating chamber. Photo: Parliamentary Service Collection. The Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives is the highest officer elected by the House. The position is third most important in New Zealand, after the Governor-General and the Prime Minister. The Office of the Speaker supports the Speaker in this role. Office of the Speaker
Role of Parliament Members of Parliament in the debating chamber. Parliament makes laws and holds the Government to account over its policies, actions, and spending. Parliament consists of the Sovereign (represented in New Zealand by the Governor–General) and the House of Representatives. Both have important work to do. Role of Parliament	How laws are made Bound volumes of bills. New laws begin as documents called bills. Bills are drafts of proposed new laws. Parliament considers several different types of bill in formal stages. If they pass through all those stages they become new laws, called Acts of Parliament. How laws are made
People in Parliament The Speaker, Clerk, Deputy Clerk and Sergeant-at-Arms in procession to deliver an Address from the House to the Governor General. Photo: Photography by Woolf. Some people have specific duties in Parliament — the Governor-General, the Speaker, the Prime Minister, ministers and other members with special roles, the Clerk of the House, the Serjeant-at-Arms, and the historical office of Usher of the Black Rod. Their titles and functions are set out here. People in Parliament	Parliamentary rules Standing orders and Speakers' rulings. Photo: Parliamentary Service Collection. Certain rules apply to the House and its committees. These are called Standing Orders and Speakers’ Rulings. The rules ensure that our parliamentary processes allow for fair and reasonable consideration before final decisions are made. Parliamentary rules
Parliamentary privilege Parliamentary privilege ensures that the House of Representatives, as the people's elected House, can go about its business effectively and without outside interference. Parliamentary privilege	Relationships with other parliaments The New Zealand Parliament supports and promotes the development of parliamentary democracy overseas, particularly in the Pacific region. It does this though a programme of inward and outward inter-parliamentary visits, membership of international inter-parliamentary organisations, the establishment of Parliamentary Friendship Groups, and hosting and contributing to parliamentary conferences, workshops and study programmes. Relationships with other parliaments
Parliamentary Practice in New Zealand McGee, David, Parliamentary Practice in New Zealand, 3rd ed., Dunmore Publishing Limited, Wellington, 2005. Read more about this publication. Parliamentary Practice in New Zealand	Fact sheets Fact sheets cover a variety of subjects about our Parliament. Fact sheets
Procedural guides This page provides pdf versions of each of the parliamentary procedural guides listed. Hard copies of those prepared for the general public and public servants are available free of charge from the Office of the Clerk. Procedural guides