If you want to have a say in relation to Parliament, or a parliamentary committee has asked for your views, there are formal ways to do this. The ways in which you can contribute to parliamentary work are set out here.
Under MMP you have two votes: one for a party, one for a local MP. Parties generally win seats in Parliament in proportion to their share of the Party Vote. Photo: Electoral Commission. Any New Zealand citizen and permanent resident who is 18 or over and whose name is on either the Māori or general electoral roll before election day can vote in a general election. Each voter has two votes to cast — a party vote and an electorate vote. This is how New Zealand citizens choose who represents them in Parliament. This electoral system is called mixed-member proportional representation or MMP. Te pōti i ngā pōtitanga
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Members of Parliament in the debating chamber. Photo: Photography by Woolf. Members of Parliament are your representatives in Parliament. You can contact them at their offices in the parliamentary complex or at their out-of-Parliament or electorate offices. This page tells you how to find contact details for members and Ministers, and how to address people in Parliament when you correspond with them. Te whakapā ki tētahi Mema Pāremata
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Files of submissions made to a select committee. If you have something to say about a bill or other item before a select committee, you may be able to make a submission about it. Select committees ask for your opinion by ‘calling for submissions’. Me pēhea te whakatakoto tāpaetanga
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Report to the House of Representatives on a petition presented to a select committee. Anyone may petition the House of Representatives to ask it to act on a matter of public policy or law, or to set right a local or private issue. There are rules about what comprises an acceptable petition. Te takatū petihana
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Ka āhei he tāngata, he rōpū whakahaere rānei ki te whakatakoto amuamu ki te Komiti Arotake Waeture ki te whakaaro rātou nā te whakahaerenga o tētahi waeture rātou i whakahēngia. Ki te hiahia koe ki te whakatakoto amuamu mō tētahi waeture, he whakatakotoranga aro whānui mō tēnei kei roto i te aratohu huarahi, arā, Te Whakatakoto Amuamu ki te Komiti Arotake Waeture. Te arotake waeture
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Anyone can start a petition to ask for a nationwide referendum, known as a ‘citizens initiated referendum’. For a referendum to be held, you must get signatures in support of holding a referendum on your question from over 10% of eligible voters nationwide. There are several processes to be followed before you can begin collecting signatures. These are set out in the Citizens Initiated Referenda Act 1993. Te rapu whakatau ā-motu
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The Elections New Zealand website is the best source of information for anyone preparing to stand for Parliament. This is where you can find out about the different types of candidate, who can be a candidate, where a candidate may stand, and candidate nomination procedure. Te tū hei mema pāremata
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