Aotearoa heads to the polls. Referendums also being held on legalising cannabis and euthanasia. Follow results live:
- New Zealand’s MMP electoral system: what is it and how does it work
- Voters head to the polls as Ardern, Collins call halt to campaign
More on how Aotearoa New Zealand’s MMP system works:
Any party that polls over 5% of the party vote, or wins at least one electorate, is entitled to its share of the remaining 48 list MPs. Parties that don’t reach this threshold do not win any seats.
The list is designed to compensate for the lack of proportionality in the local electorates, so this will usually mean that parties which don’t win electorates will win a larger share of the list MPs.
The electorates are divided into 65 general electorates and 7 Maori electorates. Maori voters get a choice every five years as to whether they are enrolled on the general roll or the Maori roll, and the number of Maori seats is determined based on how many voters enrol on this special roll. The 7 Maori electorates cover the whole country, so each part of the country is part of two electorates.
A redistribution since the 2017 election added a new North Island seat. The North Island is covered by 49 general electorates, while the South Island is covered by sixteen.
New Zealand elects its parliament using the Mixed Member Proportional system, which involves electing local MPs to represent an electorate, and then electing top-up MPs who represent the whole country to ensure the parliament overall is proportional.
A party or coalition needs 61 of Parliament’s 120 seats – usually about 48% of the vote – to form a government.
Continue reading…
