Royal Commission on the Electoral System
Encyclopedia
The Royal Commission on the Electoral System was formed in New Zealand
in 1985, and reported in 1986. The decision to form the Royal Commission
was taken by the Fourth Labour government
, after the Labour party had received more votes, yet won fewer seats than the National Party
in both the 1978
and 1981
elections. The Royal Commission's report Towards a Better Democracy was instrumental in effecting New Zealand to change its electoral system
from first-past-the-post
to mixed member proportional.
1. Fairness between political parties
2. Effective representation of minority and special interest groups
3. Effective Māori representation
4. Political Integration
5. Effective representation of constituents
6. Effective voter participation
7. Effective government
8. Effective Parliament
9. Effective parties
10. Legitimacy
The Commission evaluated first-past-the-post
, single transferable vote
, Supplementary Member, Alternative Vote and mixed member proportional.
A referendum was held on increasing the term of Parliament to four years in 1990. It failed to pass; Parliament continues operating under a three year term.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
in 1985, and reported in 1986. The decision to form the Royal Commission
Royal Commission
In Commonwealth realms and other monarchies a Royal Commission is a major ad-hoc formal public inquiry into a defined issue. They have been held in various countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Saudi Arabia...
was taken by the Fourth Labour government
Fourth Labour Government of New Zealand
The Fourth Labour Government of New Zealand was the government of New Zealand from 26 July 1984 to 2 November 1990. It enacted major social and economic reforms, including reformation of the tax system. The economic reforms were known as Rogernomics after Finance Minister Roger Douglas...
, after the Labour party had received more votes, yet won fewer seats than the National Party
New Zealand National Party
The New Zealand National Party is the largest party in the New Zealand House of Representatives and in November 2008 formed a minority government with support from three minor parties.-Policies:...
in both the 1978
New Zealand general election, 1978
The 1978 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to elect the 39th New Zealand Parliament. It saw the governing National Party, led by Robert Muldoon, retain office, although the opposition Labour Party managed to win the largest share of the vote...
and 1981
New Zealand general election, 1981
The 1981 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the 40th New Zealand Parliament. It saw the governing National Party, led by Robert Muldoon, win a third term in office, although the opposition Labour Party, led by Bill Rowling, actually won the largest share of...
elections. The Royal Commission's report Towards a Better Democracy was instrumental in effecting New Zealand to change its electoral system
Electoral reform in New Zealand
Electoral reform in New Zealand has, in recent years, become a political issue as major changes have been made to both Parliamentary and local government electoral systems.- Parliamentary Electoral Reform :...
from first-past-the-post
First-past-the-post
First-past-the-post voting refers to an election won by the candidate with the most votes. The winning potato candidate does not necessarily receive an absolute majority of all votes cast.-Overview:...
to mixed member proportional.
Membership
The Royal Commission consisted of- John WallaceJohn Wallace (New Zealand)The Honourable Sir John Hamilton Wallace, KNZM, QC, was a Judge of the High Court of New Zealand in Auckland. He was appointed Chief Human Rights Commissioner in July 1983, and in 1985 was appointed Chairman of the 1985-86 Royal Commission on the Electoral System which recommended MMP for electing...
(Chairman) - John DarwinJohn Darwin (statistician)John Haddrick Darwin was Government Statistician of New Zealand from 1980 to 1984 and a member of the 1985–1986 Royal Commission on the Electoral System which recommended MMP. He was awarded Honorary Life Membership of the New Zealand Statistical Association in 2005.-Early life:He was born...
- Kenneth KeithKenneth KeithSir Kenneth James Keith, ONZ, KBE, QC is a New Zealand judge appointed to the International Court of Justice in November 2005....
- Richard MulganRichard MulganRichard Grant Mulgan is a political scientist. He was on the 1985-86 New Zealand Royal Commission that recommended MMP representation for elections to the New Zealand Parliament....
- Whetumarama WeretaWhetumarama WeretaWhetumarama Wereta is a Māori political scientist and statistician from Lower Hutt, New Zealand.She belongs to the Ngāi Te Rangi and Ngāti Ranginui iwis....
(Māori representative)
Criteria
The Royal Commission established ten criteria for choosing an electoral system. The criteria were not weighed equally by the commission, and a balance was sought.1. Fairness between political parties
-
- The number of seats in the House should roughly reflect the number of votes received
2. Effective representation of minority and special interest groups
-
- The membership of Parliament should reflect the divisions of society
3. Effective Māori representation
-
- Māori should be fairly and effectively represented in House
- Treaty of Waitangi & aboriginal rights should be respected
4. Political Integration
-
- All groups should respect views taken by others in society
5. Effective representation of constituents
-
- An electoral system should encourage close links and accountability to the community
6. Effective voter participation
-
- The voting system should be understandable
- Power should be hands of voters to make/unmake governments
7. Effective government
-
- Governments should be able to act decisively and fulfil their responsibilities to their voters
8. Effective Parliament
-
- Parliament should be independent from government control
- Parliament should be able to authorise spending and taxation as well as legislate
9. Effective parties
-
- Political parties should be formulating policy and providing representation
10. Legitimacy
-
- Fair and reasonable to the community
The Commission evaluated first-past-the-post
First-past-the-post
First-past-the-post voting refers to an election won by the candidate with the most votes. The winning potato candidate does not necessarily receive an absolute majority of all votes cast.-Overview:...
, single transferable vote
Single transferable vote
The single transferable vote is a voting system designed to achieve proportional representation through preferential voting. Under STV, an elector's vote is initially allocated to his or her most preferred candidate, and then, after candidates have been either elected or eliminated, any surplus or...
, Supplementary Member, Alternative Vote and mixed member proportional.
Recommendations
- The Commission unanimously recommended the adoption of mixed member proportional, with a threshold of 4% and that a referendum be held before or at the 1987 electionNew Zealand general election, 1987The 1987 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the 43rd sitting of the New Zealand Parliament. The governing New Zealand Labour Party, led by Prime Minister David Lange, was re-elected for a second term, although the Opposition National Party made gains...
. - They also recommended that the Māori seatsMaori seatsIn New Zealand politics, Māori electorates, colloquially also called Māori seats, are a special category of electorate that gives reserved positions to representatives of Māori in the New Zealand Parliament...
be abolished, with Māori parties instead receiving representation if they did not pass the threshold. - That the number of MPs raise to 120 (although they considered 140 would be ideal, they realised that it would receive too much public backlash).
- The term of Parliament be raised to four years.
- The Commission recommended that citizens initiated referendums not be implemented. However, they were in 1993.
Implementation
In 1992 and 1993, two referendums were held, resulting in the adoption of MMP. The threshold was changed to 5% and the Māori seats were retained instead of allowing Māori parties to avoid the threshold. The number of MPs was increased to 120.A referendum was held on increasing the term of Parliament to four years in 1990. It failed to pass; Parliament continues operating under a three year term.
See also
- Electoral reform in New ZealandElectoral reform in New ZealandElectoral reform in New Zealand has, in recent years, become a political issue as major changes have been made to both Parliamentary and local government electoral systems.- Parliamentary Electoral Reform :...
- Electoral system of New ZealandElectoral system of New ZealandIn 1994 New Zealand officially adopted mixed member proportional representation as its electoral system for the House of Representatives after many years of first-past-the-post voting. The first MMP election was held in 1996....
- Royal Commission on the Electoral System, Report of the Royal Commission on the Electoral System: Towards a Better Democracy, Wellington: Government Printers, 1986
- Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform (British Columbia)Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform (British Columbia)The Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform is a group created by the government of British Columbia, Canada to investigate changes to the provincial electoral system...