Referendums in New Zealand
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Referendums (or referenda) are held only occasionally by the government of New Zealand. Eleven referendums have been held so far (excluding referendums on alcohol licensing, which were held triennially between 1894 and 1989).
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[edit] Government referendums
The government of New Zealand may, at any time, call for a referendum on any issue. There is no constraint on whether an issue is to be decided by the New Zealand Parliament or by the public. The only exceptions to this are the term of Parliament and several other aspects of the electoral process,[1] which can be changed only through a referendum or by at least 75% of MPs voting for the change.
![A pro-MMP poster [1]](../../../upload/thumb/a/aa/Mmp-poster.jpg/250px-Mmp-poster.jpg)
[edit] Constitutional referendums
There is no requirement for a referendum to enact constitutional change in New Zealand. The most recent such referendum was to decide the nature of electoral reform in New Zealand. Many groups advocate constitutional reform by referenda; for example, the Republican Movement supports a referendum on whether New Zealand should become a republic. Recently the government replaced the Privy Council as New Zealand's highest court of appeal with the new Supreme Court of New Zealand despite calls from New Zealand First, National and ACT for a referendum to be called on the issue.
However, there are frequent calls for the use of referenda to decide constitutional matters. The term of Parliament may be changed only either through a referendum or by a 75% majority of MPs.[2] Both the establishment of the Supreme Court of New Zealand (2003) and the abolition of the New Zealand Legislative Council (1950) were done though regular Acts of Parliament and were not subjected to referendums.
- See also: New Zealand constitution
| Date | % Voters | Issue | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1967-09-23 | 69.7 | Term of Parliament | 68.1 % in favour of staying at three year maximum |
| 1990-10-27 | 85.2 | Term of Parliament | 69.3 % in favour of staying at three year maximum |
| 1992-09-19 | 55.2 | Change to voting system | 84.7% for change, 70.5% to MMP |
| 1993-11-06 | 85.2 | Change to voting system | 53.9% for MMP |
[edit] Liquor licensing referendums
In New Zealand, alcohol licensing has historically been decided by referendum. A referendum was held alongside each main parliamentary election (except 1931 and 1951), following the passage of the Alcoholic Liquors Sale Control Act 1893. This slowly ended after the introduction of the Sale of Liquor Act 1989 which had no provisions for referenda. Local restoration polls were still held in areas that were still 'dry', but the last three, Mount Eden, Mount Roskill and Tawa, all became 'wet' in 1999. There have been two other referendums on pub closing times.
| Date | % Voters | Issue | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1949 | Six o'clock closing | Three-to-one majority to retain | |
| 1967 | Six o'clock closing | Three-to-one majority for later opening |
[edit] Other referendums
The government may call referendums on any issues on which it wishes. These will usually be on issues on which the government is split. For the 1997 referendum on retirement savings, the decision to hold it was part of the coalition agreement between National and New Zealand First.
| Date | % Voters | Issue | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1949-03-09 | 54.3 | Allow off-course betting | 68.0 % in favour |
| 1949-08-03 | 63.5 | Compulsory military training | 77.9 % in favour |
| 1997-09-05 | 80.3 | Compulsory Retirement Savings Scheme | 91.8% against |
[edit] Citizens' Initiated Referenda
The Citizens' Initiated Referenda Act 1993 allows for citizens to propose a referendum. These are non-binding referenda on any issue in which proponents have submitted a petition to Parliament signed by 10% of all registered electors within 12 months. It costs NZ$500 to file a petition asking for a referendum with the Clerk of the House of Representatives. The Clerk formally determines the wording of the question. The poll must be held within 12 months unless 75% of MPs vote to delay the poll for one year. There is also a $50,000 spending limit on promoting the petition.
The implementation of CIR went against the advice of the Royal Commission on the Electoral System 1986. The RCES stated "In general, initiatives and referenda are blunt and crude devices.... [that] would blur the lines of accountability and responsibility of Governments".
[edit] Firefighters
The first referendum was held in 1995. The question "Should the number of professional fire-fighters employed full-time in the New Zealand Fire Service be reduced below the number employed in 1 January 1995?" is unique in that it aimed to elicit a "no" response. Turnout was low and the measure passed easily.
[edit] 1999 election
At the 1999 election two referenda were put before voters. One was on whether the number of Members of Parliament should be reduced from 120 to 99. Electors overwhelmingly voted in favour of the proposal, with 81.47% voting for this proposal. However, there were no moves to amend the Electoral Act 1993 in line with this result until 2006 when a bill was introduced by New Zealand First MP Barbara Stewart to reduce the size of Parliament to 100. The bill passed its first reading by 61 votes to 60. It seems unlikely to pass into law as many parties stated they were supporting it only to Select Committee stage.
The other referendum held in 1999 asked "Should there be a reform of our Justice system placing greater emphasis on the needs of victims, providing restitution and compensation for them and imposing minimum sentences and hard labour for all serious violent offences?". This measure passed by 91.78%.
[edit] Citizens' Initiated Referenda results
| Date | % Voters | Issue | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995-12-02 | 27.0 | Allow reduction in number of firefighters | 87.8% No |
| 1999-11-27 | 84.8 | Reduce number of MPs to 99 | 81.5% Yes |
| 1999-11-27 | 84.8 | Reform justice system | 91.7% Yes |
The 1999 referendums were held in conjunction with the 1999 general election, which is likely to have played a role in the high proportion of voters.
[edit] Should referenda be binding?
The perceived lack of implementation of successful referenda has led to calls for such referenda to be made binding on the government of the day, similar to the direct democracy seen in Switzerland. Both the New Zealand First Party and the small Direct Democracy Party advocate for binding referenda, along with the Better Democracy group. [2]
[edit] Local Government
Local government (Regional councils, territorial councils and District Health Boards) may hold referendum on issues which they feel their citizens need to be consulted upon.
Referendums have been held on Water fluoridation, changing the electoral system to Single Transferable Vote and merging authorities together.
[edit] See also
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| 1853 | 1855 | 1860 | 1866 | 1871 | 1875 | 1879 | 1881 | 1884 | 1887 | 1890 | 1893 | 1896 | 1899 | 1902 | 1905 | 1908 | 1911 | 1914 | 1919 | 1922 | 1925 | 1928 | 1931 | 1935 | 1938 | 1943 | 1946 | 1949 | 1951 | 1954 | 1957 | 1960 | 1963 | 1966 | 1969 | 1972 | 1975 | 1978 | 1981 | 1984 | 1987 | 1990 | 1993 | electoral reform | 1996 | 1999 | 2002 | 2005 | 2008 | |
[edit] References
- Elections NZ
- Better Democracy
- Ministry of Justice
- Citizens Initiated Referenda Act 1993
- Referenda (Postal Voting) Act 2000
- Atkinson, Neill. Adventures in Democracy: A History of the Vote in New Zealand. Dunedin: Otago University Press, 2003.
- Catt, Helena. "The Other Democratic Experiment: New Zealand’s Experience with Citizens’ Initiated Referendum." Political Science 48, no. 1 (1996): 29-47.
- Church, Stephen. "Crime and Punishment: The Referenda to Reform the Criminal Justice System and Reduce the Size of Parliament." In Left Turn: The New Zealand General Election of 1999, edited by Jonathan Boston, Stephen Church, Stephen Levine, Elizabeth McLeay and Nigel S. Roberts. Wellington: Victoria University Press, 2000.
- James, Colin. "Riding into Battle over Socially and Morally Divisive Bills." New Zealand Herald, July 29 2003.
- New Zealand Press Association. "Referendum Call on Māori Seats " The Dominion, 5 MAY 1999, 2.
- Palmer, Geoffrey, and Matthew Palmer. Bridled Power: New Zealand's Constitution and Government. fourth ed. Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 2004.
- Parkinson, John. "Who Knows Best? The Creation of the Citizen-Initiated Referendum in New Zealand." Government and Opposition 36, no. 3 ( 2001): 403 - 21.
- Prince, John D. "Look Back in Amber: The General Licensing Poll in New Zealand, 1919-87." Political Science 48, no. 1 (1996): 48-72.
- Simpson, Alan (editor), Referendums: Constitutional and Political Perspectives, Wellington: Occasional Publication No.5, Department of Politics, Victoria University of Wellington, 1992.
- The Political Economy of Six O’Clock Closing (in New Zealand) Tim Mulcare. (Rich Text Format)
[edit] Notes
- ^ These exceptions include who can vote, how they vote (via secret ballot), how the country should be divided into electorates, and the make up of the Representation Commission which decides on these electorates. See section 268 of the Electoral Act 1993 for details.
- ^ The section of the Electoral Act 1993 which establishes this restriction is not itself subject to it, so this requirement could, in theory, be circumvented by Parliament first repealing or amending the appropriate sections of the Electoral Act, and then modifying the term of Parliament directly. However this section has become seen as a constitutional convention, and so this would not be viewed as a legitimate tactic.
