List of political parties in New Zealand

New Zealand national politics have featured a pervasive party system since the early 20th century. Usually, all members of Parliament's unicameral House of Representatives belong to a political party. Independent MPs do not occur often.

While two major parties have dominated the New Zealand national political landscape for decades, the introduction of proportional representation in 1996 led to a more multi-party state, as smaller parties can now reasonably expect to gain seats in government. Currently (as of November 2020), five parties have representatives in Parliament.

History

Political parties in New Zealand evolved towards the end of the nineteenth century out of interest groups and personal cliques. Most historians regard the Liberal Party, which began its rule in 1891, as the first real party in New Zealand politics. During the long period of Liberal Party control the party's more conservative opponents founded the Reform Party, forming the original duopoly in the New Zealand parliament.

Gradually, Liberal and Reform found themselves working together more often, mostly in opposition to the growing Labour Party. After Labour eventually won office in 1935, the Liberals and Reform came together in 1936 to form the National Party. Labour and National currently exist as the two main parties of New Zealand politics.

Over the years, a number of "third parties" or so-called "minor parties" developed, notably the Social Credit Party, the New Zealand Party, the Values Party, and the Alliance. However, the "first past the post" electoral system meant that regardless of how many votes a party gained nationwide, it could not win a seat without a plurality in a particular electorate (voting district). Under such conditions, these parties mostly performed poorly in terms of making an impact in Parliament.

With the introduction of the Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) electoral system for the 1996 elections, however, it became much easier for smaller parties to enter parliament; but more difficult to gain election as a non-party independent. Since the change to MMP, about one third of the seats in Parliament have been held by MPs representing parties other than Labour and National. In the years before MMP, by contrast, there were sometimes no such MPs at all.

Registration of parties

Political parties in New Zealand can be either registered or unregistered. Registered parties must have five-hundred paying members, each eligible to vote in general elections.

If a party registers, it may submit a party list, enabling it to receive party votes in New Zealand's MMP electoral system. Unregistered parties can only nominate candidates for individual electorates.

Registered political parties are also able to spend up to $1 million during the campaign for the party vote. All political parties are able to spend $20,000 per electorate seat.

Parties elected to the House of Representatives of New Zealand (Parliament) in 2020

The order in which political parties appear in this list corresponds to the number of MPs they currently have. Note that political parties must be registered under the Electoral Act 1993, but the Speaker, may recognise that party for parliamentary purposes on a temporary basis, for a "reasonable period".

Party		Leader(s)	Description	Seats
	Labour Party	Jacinda Ardern	A centre-left, socially progressive party. Founded in 1916, it is the oldest existent party in New Zealand and has been traditionally National's main opponent. It is currently the largest party in Parliament. It supports a mixed economy market, with taxation levied to fund particularly its social programmes.	65
	National Party	Judith Collins	A centre-right, conservative and classical liberal party. Founded 1936 following the merging of the United and Reform parties. Currently the second largest party in Parliament, it has traditionally been Labour's main opponent. It supports a mixed economy market, and lower taxation particularly as a stimulus for private enterprise.	33
	Green Party	Marama Davidson and James Shaw	As a Green party it supports social justice, grass roots democracy, non-violence, and environmentalism. GPANZ has a left-wing environmentalist manifesto, and also promotes highly progressive social policies.	10
	ACT	David Seymour	A classically liberal party that promotes free market economics, low taxation, reduced government expenditure, and increased punishments for crime. It sees itself as promoting "accountability and transparency in government". The party has a confidence and supply arrangement with the National-led government.	10
	Māori Party	Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer	A party that addresses the concerns of New Zealand's indigenous Māori minority. It crystallised in 2004 around Tariana Turia, a former minister of the Labour Party. It promotes what it sees as "the rights and interests of Māori". The party has a confidence and supply arrangement with the National-led government.	2

Registered parties outside of Parliament

Parties listed in alphabetical order:

Party		Leader	Description
	New Zealand First	Winston Peters	A centrist, populist, and nationalist party. Its primary goals are reducing immigration, reducing Treaty of Waitangi payments, increasing sentences for crime, and buying back former State owned enterprises.
	Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party	Julian Crawford	A party which (as its name suggests) supports the legalisation of cannabis. This remains the core of its platform, although it also comments on other issues that it considers related.
	Ban 1080 Party	Bill Wallace and Mike Downard	A party which opposes the use of 1080 poison.
	New Conservative Party (New Zealand)	Elliot Ikilei	A socially conservative party advocating stricter law and order policies, repealing of the ETS and binding referenda.
	Focus NZ	Joe Carr and Ken Rintoul	A party aimed at representing rural New Zealand.
	Mana Party	Hone Harawira	A party addressing the concerns of New Zealand's indigenous Māori minority. Its manifesto indicates a wish to bring "courage and honesty to political endeavour" and to "guarantee a measure of people power and accountability from its MPs". The Mana Party supports left-wing social policies.
	New Zealand Democratic Party for Social Credit	Stephnie de Ruyter	A party that advocates Social Credit. The party formerly formed part of the Alliance (see above); previously, as the Social Credit Party, was one of the older surviving parties in New Zealand.
	Internet Party	Vacant	A party advocating for less surveillance, copyright reform and cheap internet
	NZ Independent Coalition	Brendan Horan	A party emphasising local electorate representation

Unregistered parties

Parties listed in alphabetical order:

Party	Leader	Description
1Law4All Party		A party aimed at overturning the Treaty of Waitangi
Alliance	Victor Billot and Kay Murray	A left-wing party supporting the welfare state, free education, environmental protection, and Māori interests. The Progressive Party formed as a splinter group from the Alliance when Jim Anderton, former Alliance leader, left.
Civilian Party	Ben Uffindell	A joke party which arose from a popular New Zealand satirical website.
NZ Climate Party	Peter Whitmore	A party advocating greater action on climate change
Communist League	Unknown	A communist party aligned with the Pathfinder tendency. The party was originally called the Socialist Action League, but changed its name when it rejected Trotskyism and adopted a pro-Cuba stance. The party stands a small number of candidates in general elections.
Human Rights Party	Unknown, founded by Anthony Ravlich.	A small party focused on human rights and social justice.
Money Free Party	Richard Osmaston	A party advocating the elimination of money and a shift to a resource-based, post-scarcity economy.
New Zealand Outdoors Party	Alan Simmons	A party advocating protection of NZ's outdoor heritage
Pirate Party of New Zealand	Kirk Twist	An copyright reform party based on the Swedish Pirate Party, with a focus on other technologcial issues, like net neutrality

Historical parties

Parties which held seats

Party	Existed	In Parliament	Description
Christian Democrats	1995–1998	1995–1996	A Christian party established by sitting National MP Graeme Lee. After briefly establishing the Christian Coalition (see above) with the Christian Heritage Party, the Christian Democrats secularised themselves, adopting the name "Future New Zealand". Future New Zealand merged with United (see below) to form United Future New Zealand.
Christian Heritage NZ	1990–2006	1999	A party that advocates Christian conservative values. It supported policies to strengthen marriage and opposed abortion and same-sex unions.
Country Party	? – ?	1928–1938	A party established by members of the Farmers' Union to promote the interests of the rural sector. It reflected to an extent social credit monetary theory, and believed that farmers were not treated fairly by banks and the corporate world.
Democratic Labour Party	1940–1949	1940–1943	A splinter from the Labour Party led by dissident MP John A. Lee. Lee, a socialist and social creditist, believed that the Labour Party had moved too far from its left-wing roots. The Labour Party hierarchy had expelled him after he repeatedly criticised its leadership.
Future New Zealand	1994–1995	1994–1995	A short-lived party established by Peter Dunne after he left the Labour Party. It integrated into the United New Zealand party. Not to be confused with a later party of the same name.
Independent Political Labour League	1905–1910	1908–1910	A small and short-lived left-wing party. It was the second organised party to win a seat in Parliament, with David McLaren winning the seat of Wellington East. In Parliament, the IPLL co-operated with the governing Liberal Party.
Labour Party (original)	1910–1912	1910–1912	A short-lived successor to the Independent Political Labour League. It functioned as one of the more moderate workers' parties, opposing more radical groups like the Socialist Party. It should not be confused with the modern Labour Party, although a certain degree of continuity links the two.
Liberal Party	1891–1927	1891–1927	New Zealand's first real political party. It provided the country with a number of prominent Prime Ministers, including John Ballance and Richard Seddon. With much of its traditional support undercut by the growing Labour Party, the remnants of the Liberals (known as the United Party) eventually merged with the Reform Party to form the modern National Party.
Liberal Party	1992 – 1996?	1992	A short-lived splinter from the National Party, formed by Hamish McIntyre and Gilbert Myles, two dissident National MPs who disagreed with the economic policies of Ruth Richardson. The Liberal Party quickly joined the Alliance, which the two saw as the principal opponent of Richardson and her ideological allies.
Mana Wahine Te Ira Tangata	1998–2001	1998–1999	A short-lived Māori feminist party established by Alliance (Mana Motuhake) defector Alamein Kopu. The party contested only one general election before vanishing.
Mauri Pacific	1999–2001	1999	A party established by several New Zealand First MPs shortly after a coalition between New Zealand First and the National Party broke down. Mauri Pacific remained allied to the National government, giving it crucial support, but none of the party's MPs gained re-election in the 1999 elections.
NewLabour Party	1989–1991	1989–1991	A left-wing party established by former Labour MP Jim Anderton. It contested one election before joining with several other parties to establish the Alliance.
Pacific Party	2008–2010	2008–2008	A small party established by Taito Phillip Field aimed at advancing Pacific Peoples, as well as Christian and family values and social justice.
Progressive Party	2002-2012	2002-2011	A left-wing party with a focus on job creation and regional development, formed by Jim Anderton after his split from the Alliance.
Reform Party	1909–1936	1909–1936	New Zealand's second major political party, established as a more conservative opponent to the Liberal Party. Its founder, William Massey, became its most prominent leader. It eventually merged with its former rivals, the Liberals, to form the modern National Party.
Social Credit Party	1953–1986	1966 – 1969 1978 – 1987	New Zealand's "third party" between the 1960s and the 1980s. The Social Credit Party espoused the theory of social credit, a type of monetary reform, although much of its support represented protest votes rather than support of its policies. It has since renamed itself, becoming the Democratic Party.
Social Democratic Party	1913–1916	1913–1916	An early left-wing party established at a "Unity Congress" in July 1913 as an attempt to bring together the various labour groups of the time. The party eventually amalgamated with the modern Labour Party.
Socialist Party (i)	1901–1913	? – 1913	One of the more prominent Marxist parties in early New Zealand, strongly associated with the Federation of Labour (the "Red Fed"). It eventually merged with the more moderate United Labour Party to form the Social Democratic Party.
United New Zealand	1995–2000	1995–2000	A centrist party established by moderate MPs from both National and Labour. The party did not achieve electoral success, with only one of the seven founding MPs managing to remain in parliament. United later merged with the Future New Zealand party to form the modern United Future New Zealand.
United Labour Party	1912–1913	1912–1913	A reformed continuation of the original Labour Party. The party existed only a short time before merging with the Socialist Party to form the Social Democratic Party, although a faction rejected the new SDP as too extreme and attempted to continue on under the United Labour Party banner.
United Party	1927–1936	1927–1936	A party formed from the remnants of the Liberal Party. United governed between 1928 and 1935, initially with Labour support and later in coalition with the Reform Party. It eventually merged with Reform to establish the modern National Party.

Parties which never held seats

Party	Existed	Description
99 MP Party	2005–2006	A party primarily focused on reducing the total number of MPs from 120 to 99. It also believed that all constitutional changes should be put to a referendum.
Aotearoa NZ Youth Party	1998–2011
Asia Pacific United Party	? – ?	A party which attempted to gain support from Asian and Pacific Islander immigrants. It contested the 1996 and 1999 elections, but has since dissolved.
Bill and Ben Party	2008–2010	A joke party run by Bill and Ben, hosts of the TV show Pulp Sport.
Christian Coalition	1996–1997	A brief alliance of the Christian Democrats and the Christian Heritage Party. It narrowly missed entering parliament in the 1996 election, and disbanded shortly afterwards.
Communist Party	1929–1994	Probably New Zealand's most prominent and long-lived communist organisation. The party generally pursued hard-line doctrines, successively following Stalin's Soviet Union, Mao Zedong's China, and Enver Hoxha's Albania. In 1993, the party moderated its stance, adopting Trotskyism. It later merged with another party to form the group now known as Socialist Worker.
Co-operative Party	1942– ?	A short-lived party established by Albert Davy, a prominent anti-socialist political organiser. It was primarily a breakaway from the larger People's Movement, and Davy rejoined the Movement the year after the Co-operative Party was established.
Democrat Party	1934– ?	A party established to promote the interests of the commercial sector and to oppose "socialist" legislation. The party contested the 1935 elections, but failed to win any seats. Ironically, the votes which the Democrats took from the governing coalition may have assisted the victory of the left-wing Labour Party that year. The Democrat Party should not be confused with the modern Democratic Party.
Destiny New Zealand	2003–2007	A party based in the Destiny Church, a Christian religious organisation. The party mostly campaigned on a family values platform, and strongly opposed legislative changes such as the creation of same-sex civil unions and the legalisation of prostitution.
Direct Democracy Party	2005–2009	A party which seeks to increase the participation of ordinary citizens in the political process. It advocates a system of referendums similar to that used by Switzerland.
Equal Values Party	2005– ?	A left-wing party active during the 2005 election. It supported free education and healthcare, an increase to social welfare benefits, and the establishment of compulsory superannuation schemes.
Ethnic Minority Party	1996–1997	A party that addresses the concerns of New Zealand's immigrant community, particularly Chinese and Indians. The popularity of New Zealand First, a party which opposed immigration, was a significant factor in its creation. It merged into United New Zealand, but little trace of it remains today.
Family Party	2007–2010	A small Christian party established by the former Destiny New Zealand.
Family Rights Protection Party	2005–2007	A party established by a group of Pacific Islanders who claim that larger parties are taking the support of Pacific Islanders for granted, and do not do enough to help them.
Freedom Party	2005– ?	A party established by two former members of ACT New Zealand. Its policies were intended to be similar to those of ACT, but the party's founders said that the Freedom Party will be more democratic and accountable to its members.
Future New Zealand	1998–2002	A reconfiguration of the former Christian Democrat Party. Future New Zealand retained the same family values principles as the Christian Democrats, but abandoned the explicit religious basis. Future New Zealand merged with United New Zealand to form the modern United Future New Zealand.
Green Society	? – ?	A small environmentalist party. The Green Society believed that a true green party needed to be focused solely on the environment, and believed that the Green Party (then part of the Alliance) and the Progressive Green Party were both mistaken to take sides in economic and social debates.
Hapu Party	2008	A Māori-based party established to challenge the Māori Party.
Imperial British Conservative Party	1974– ?	A joke party founded by Ian Brackenbury Channell, better known as "The Wizard of New Zealand". True to its name, it claimed to support imperialism, British people, and conservatism.
Join Australia Movement Party	2011	A party advocating union with Australia.
Kiwi Party	2007–2012	A revival of the Christian Democrats / Future New Zealand brand. The party advocates more representative direct democracy through referenda and a return to the "Judeo-Christian ethic in democracy".
Liberal Party	1963– ?	A party which campaigned in the 1963 elections on a platform of reducing the size of the government, introducing a written constitution, and restoring the upper house of Parliament.
Libertarianz	1995–2014	A libertarian party dedicated to laissez-faire capitalism and keeping government as small as possible.
Mana Māori Movement	1993–2005?	A party that addresses the concerns of New Zealand's indigenous Māori inhabitants, founded by Eva Rickard, a prominent Māori activist and a former Mana Motuhake candidate.
Mana Motuhake	1979?–2005?	The most prominent Māori-based party until the creation of the modern Māori Party. Mana Motuhake held a number of seats as part of the Alliance (see above), but most of its support has now been incorporated into the Māori Party.
McGillicuddy Serious Party	1983–1999	A joke party intended to satirise politics in general. Among other deliberately absurd policies it advocated the "Great Leap Backwards", a project to reverse the industrial revolution and to re-establish a medieval way of life.
National Front	1968?–present	A far right party which wished to stop non-white immigration, reintroduce capital punishment and conscription, withdraw from international organisations such as the United Nations, and nullify the Treaty of Waitangi. It is sometimes accused of being a neo-Nazi group, the party denies this.
National Socialist Party	1969– ?	A party founded by prominent far-right activist Colin King-Ansell. It is sometimes considered the first noteworthy far-right party in New Zealand.
Natural Law Party	1995–2001?	A party which based its principles on the concept of natural law as promoted by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in his theory of Transcendental Meditation. It drew most of its support from the New Age movement.
New Citizen Party	2010–2012	A short-lived party formed to represent Chinese New Zealanders. It came third in the 2011 Botany by-election, but dissolved before contesting a general election.
New Democratic Party	1972– ?	A short-lived splinter group of the Social Credit Party, founded by ousted Social Credit leader John O'Brien. It placed fifth in the 1972 elections, but failed to win any seats.
New Economics Party	2011	A party advocating reform of the banking and currency system.
New World Order Party	2008–2011	A party promoting global peace through a unified World Government
New Zealand Liberals	2008– ?	A small party modelled on the old New Zealand Liberal Party and the UK Liberal Democrats. It advocates constitutional reform, republicanism, and civil rights.
New Zealand Party	1983–1986	A party established by property tycoon Bob Jones to promote free market economic policies and liberal social policies. It gained twelve percent of the vote in its first election, but then vanished almost completely. Some regard the modern ACT party as the New Zealand Party's ideological successor, but not everyone accepts this view.
Nga Iwi Morehu Movement	1996–2011	A small Maori-based party which has been active in a number of elections
No Commercial Airport at Whenuapai Airbase Party	2008	A local party which grew out of the movement opposing a commercial airport at Auckland's Whenuapai airbase.
One New Zealand Party	1999–2006	A small party modelled on Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party in Australia. It opposes all special policies towards Māori.
OurNZ Party	2011	A party advocating a new currency, binding referenda, and a written constitution.
Outdoor Recreation NZ	2001–2007	A party dedicated to promoting the interests of the hunting, fishing, and shooting communities. Outdoor Recreation New Zealand contested the 2005 election under the banner of the United Future party, although the parties did not actually merge. This working arrangement met with disappointing results.
Pakeha Party	2013	A party opposing Māori separatism.
Patriot Party	? –2005	A small Auckland-based party established by Sid Wilson, a senior member of the National Front. The party later merged back into the Front, with Wilson becoming the Front's new leader.
People's Choice Party	1999– ?	A small party which was registered for the 1999 elections, but which is currently unregistered. It campaigned against MMP and in favour of reducing the size of Parliament.
People's Movement	1940s	A right-wing organisation which supported reductions in the size of government and a reform of the party system. It was a strong supporter of individualism, saying that the government of the time was advocating the subordination of the individual to the state.
Phoenix Party	1960s – 1970s	A small Dunedin-based grouping, founded by Gerald Williams, who saw the then Labour Party as moribund and in need of a phoenix-like resurrection. Williams became an effective propagandist, penning campaign literature disguised as parodies of well-known songs. He later transferred his efforts to the Values Party.
Progressive Green Party	1995– ?	An environmentalist party established in opposition to the generally left-wing policies of the larger Green Party. It contested only one election before vanishing, although many of its members became active in the National Party.
Reform New Zealand	2011	A right-wing party advocating free market economics, low taxation, and reduced government.
Representative Party	2008	A self-proclaimed centrist party aiming at contesting the electorate vote.
Republican Party (i)	1967–1974	A party established to promote the creation of a New Zealand Republic. It was founded by left-wing activist Bruce Jesson, and was the product of the Republican Association, an anti-royal protest group founded by Jesson in 1966.
Republican Party (ii)	1995–2002	A party established to promote the creation of a New Zealand Republic. The party contested the 1999 elections, but only won 250 votes. Should not be confused with The Republic of New Zealand Party or the Republican Movement of Aotearoa New Zealand.
Residents Action Movement	2003–2010	A left-wing party aiming to bring together social liberals, community activists, social democrats and left-wing radicals.
Socialist Party	1930– ?	A party established by former members of the New Zealand Marxian Association, a Marxist group. Its founders created it as an alternative to the mainstream labour movement, claiming that the Labour Party had moved too far from its left-wing roots. The Socialist Party eventually became the modern World Socialist Party.
Socialist Unity Party	1966– ?	A splinter group of the Communist Party (see above). It was formed by Communist Party members who rejected their party's decision to take China's side in the Sino-Soviet split. The Socialist Unity Party became one of the more prominent communist parties in New Zealand.
South Island Party	? –2002	A regionalist party which called for more autonomy for the South Island, the less populous of New Zealand's two main islands. It drew support predominantly from Otago and Southland.
Sovereignty Party	2011	A nationalist party which contest the 2011 election
Te Tawharau	1999–2007	A Māori party which split off from the Mana Māori Movement. It lapsed with the formation of the Māori Party.
The Republic of New Zealand Party	2005–2009	A party focused on establishing a Republic in New Zealand. It also supports the adoption of a written constitution, the holding of referendums on major issues, and the abolition of race-specific government institutions.
Thrive New Zealand	2012–2013	Party logo registered in August 2013. Advocated Direct Democracy via an online tool called RealVoice
Values Party	1972–1990	Sometimes called the world's first national-level green party. Elements of the Values Party eventually contributed to the formation of the modern Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand.
WIN Party	2004–2006	A single-issue party devoted to overturning the recently introduced smoking ban in bars and restaurants.
Workers Party	2002-?	Formerly known as the Anti-Capitalist Alliance. A coalition of socialists and anti-globalisation activists.

See also

• NZ Political Parties
• Politics of New Zealand
• List of political parties by country
• Socialism in New Zealand
• Liberalism in New Zealand

External links

• Elections New Zealand (more information on the election systems)