NZHistory.net.nz > Gallery > The House >
A comprehensive glossary of current parliamentary terms is available on the Office of the Clerk's website.
Act – a law made by Parliament.
Address-in-Reply – the formal response by the House to the Speech from the Throne, involving the first major debate of the session. Its form is an expression of loyalty to the sovereign but its substance is a wide-ranging debate on government policy that can become a matter of confidence.
Bar (of the House) – a brass rod that can be placed across the entry to the House of Representatives chamber indicating symbolically that members of the public cannot enter the chamber. People may be called to the bar to give an account of themselves to the House.
'Beehive' – the circular 'executive wing' of Parliament Buildings, housing the Prime Minister, cabinet, Bellamy's and reception facilities.
Bellamy's – the name given to the parliamentary restaurant and bar, deriving from John Bellamy, who began to provide such a service in the British House of Commons in 1773.
Bill – proposed legislation presented to the House in draft form, proceeding through its first, second and third readings and consideration by select committee. Substantial amendment may occur before it is passed into law or it may be defeated or withdrawn.
Black Rod, (Gentleman) Usher of – a position of authority originally associated with the Legislative Council and similar to the Serjeant-at-Arms. Black Rod carries such an ornamental rod as a symbol of office. Since the abolition of the Council in 1951 Black Rod has acted solely as a messenger for the Governor-General in communicating with the House of Representatives. This concerns the ceremony of opening Parliament.
Bowen House – the high-rise tower at the bottom of Bowen Street across from the parliamentary precincts that was used to house Parliament while its refurbishment and strengthening took place in the early 1990s. Since then it has continued to provide a substantial proportion of MPs and parliamentary staff with their offices.
Chairman of Committees – a person elected by MPs at the beginning of the parliamentary term as the presiding officer when the House is in Committee of the Whole House. This position has not existed since 1996.
Chamber – the large space in which meetings or sittings of the House of Representatives and Legislative Council (until 1951) take place.
Clerk of the House of Representatives – the principal permanent officer of the House and the head of the Office of the Clerk (previously the Legislative Department). The Clerk provides constitutional support for Parliament, advises on parliamentary law and procedure, assists the Speaker and MPs, and keeps the records of Parliament.
Closure – a procedural device to hasten business by bringing debate without fixed time in the House to an end.
Committee (of the Whole House) – describes when the House goes 'into committee', originally to consider matters in private, but most commonly to consider bills clause by clause with debating rules relaxed, and in the past without full Hansard taken. The mace is removed from the Table and placed underneath it.
Confidence, vote of – test of the continued willingness of the House to support the government.
Debate – term for the discussion of bills and motions before the House. Rules governing debate are set down in the standing orders.
Dissolution – bringing a Parliament to an end and precipitating a general election, by proclamation of the Governor-General.
Division – process of voting on a motion before the House. Many motions are decided 'on the voices' when MPs simply say 'Aye' or 'No', but when an MP asks for a formal vote a division takes place. Assembled MPs would go into the Ayes and Noes lobbies to record their votes. Up to 1996 those MPs elsewhere in the precincts were summoned to the chamber by the ringing of the division bells. Since that time, for other than personal or conscience votes, divisions are not taken, personal attendance is not required, and parties simply announce the number of votes in the chamber. This is known as a 'party vote'.
Executive Council – the body tendering formal advice to the Governor-General, presided over by the Governor-General. Has the same membership as cabinet but other ministers without portfolio may also be included.
Factional politics – the way in which politics was organised before political parties had been formed. Groups of supporters or factions would form around leaders who would attempt to create and sustain a government from a majority mustered in the House of Representatives during a session of Parliament. At that time majorities were fragile and governments often fell during the session.
Financial Statement/Budget – the annual presentation by the Minister of Finance of the government's financial policy concerning how the money is to be raised, proposals to spend the money, and how the expenditure puts the government's policies into effect.
General Assembly – the term describing Parliament as a whole, used from 1854 to 1986, when replaced by the more straightforward 'Parliament'. It comprised the Governor/Governor-General, the House of Representatives and (until 1951), the Legislative Council.
Hansard – the written record of what has been said in the House, in the past recorded in shorthand but now digitally recorded. MPs can 'correct their Hansard' before the speeches are printed and bound into volumes under the title New Zealand Parliamentary Debates. Learn more about Hansard on the Commonwealth Hansard Reporters Forum website.
Honorarium – payment to MPs prior to the institution of salaries, in the form of a daily attendance allowance.
House of Representatives – the elected component of Parliament.
Legislative Council – the appointed upper house of Parliament, abolished on 1 January 1951.
Legislative Department – until the mid 1980s the organisation servicing Parliament and headed by the Clerk of the House, replaced by the Office of the Clerk and the Parliamentary Service.
Lobbies – the areas around the chamber, principally the Ayes lobby on the government side to the right of the Speaker and the Noes lobby on the Opposition side to the left. Until 1996, all votes were recorded by formal division in the lobbies.
Local bills – bills dealing with a particular locality and for local purposes. Became important after the abolition of the provinces in 1876 and often sought by local authorities to enable their activities.
Mace – the large gilt staff surmounted by a crown based on the club-like weapons carried by royal Serjeants-at-Arms many centuries ago and symbolic of the Speaker's authority in the House of Representatives. The mace is carried by the Serjeant-at-Arms and placed on the Table when the House is sitting.
MMP – Mixed Member Proportional representation, a form of representation in which some MPs are elected from local constituencies and others are elected from party lists to make up the overall proportion by party in the House that reflects the proportion of the national party votes.
Motion – a formal proposal put forward for a decision by the House, upon which debate takes place.
MP – member of Parliament.
'Naming' – punishment in which the Speaker 'names' MPs and asks the House to pass judgement on their grossly disorderly conduct. The significance of this form of punishment by dishonour derives from the traditional practice of not referring to MPs by name in the chamber. Although the punishment of 'naming' still exists, the old practice of not referring to an MP by her or his name during debates or other matters in the House was abandoned in 1996.
New Zealand Constitution Act – the legal foundation of New Zealand's democracy and parliamentary system. Passed by the British Parliament in 1852 it established a General Assembly (and six Provincial Councils), prescribed how Parliament should function, and provided for the election of members of the House of Representatives.
Opposition – those MPs who do not support or vote for the government. Since the introduction of MMP in 1996 the term has not been as clearly defined in coalition governments.
Order Paper – the list of business for each sitting day of the House.
Pairs – arrangements between the party whips concerning absent MPs so that absences cancel out and the result of a division is not affected. Since 1996 pairing has disappeared with the introduction of proxy voting for absent MPs.
Parliament – the Governor-General (representing the sovereign) and the House of Representatives, together with (until 1951) the Legislative Council, forming the New Zealand legislature. Also is a shorthand reference to a particular 'Parliament' as elected for its term (for example, the 47th Parliament).
Parliament House – the main marble- and granite-clad buildings used since 1918, containing the House of Representatives chamber.
Parliamentary Service – organisation established in 1985 to provide services to MPs and administer Parliament's buildings and grounds.
Petitions – documents addressed to the House and signed by those supporting them asking the House to take action on a grievance or issue. Petitions are referred to select committees which report to the House on them.
Political party – an organisation of people with similar political beliefs and objectives with the aim of getting candidates elected into the House to further their objectives. If a party secures a majority in the House it can form a goverment.
Premier – the earlier term for Prime Minister, used until about 1906.
Press gallery – journalists accredited by the Speaker to attend the House and report the proceedings of Parliament from a reserved gallery above the chamber.
Prime Minister – leader of the government, chairing cabinet and selected by the party as its leader.
Private bills – bills dealing with matters concerning the particular interest or benefit of a person or group rather than affecting the general public.
Private members' bills (or members' bills) – measures put forward outside of the government programme.
Private members – MPs acting as individuals in the House, independently of party and government; the term is not used today.
Privileges – the exercise of powers (such as the power to punish for contempt of Parliament) and claim to immunities (such as freedom of speech in the House and committees) by the House of Representatives, involving a legal status distinct from the population at large. Such powers and immunities are regarded as necessary for the House to function effectively.
Prorogation – bringing a session of Parliament to an end by proclamation of the Governor-General.
Public bills – bills dealing with general public matters.
Quorum – the number of MPs required in the chamber for the House to continue sitting; this is no longer a requirement.
Readings of bills: first, second and third readings – stages of consideration of bills as they pass through the House. The first reading takes place after the bill is introduced into the House and involves the minister responsible briefly explaining its contents. The second reading seeks the House's adoption of the bill in principle, and involves wide debate. This is followed by the bill's detailed examination clause by clause by a Committee of the Whole House ('in Committee'). The third reading, concerning the general principles of the bill in its final form, confirms its final passage through the House.
Responsible government – governments formed with the support of the majority in the House of Representatives. The first two years of Parliament in New Zealand were dominated by this issue as the Governor delayed yielding power to Parliament.
Select committees – small groups of MPs appointed by the House to consider and report on matters referred to them by the House. Select committees are established only for the parliamentary term. Some committees have included:
Serjeant-at-Arms – a position of authority associated with the House of Representatives. The Serjeant-at-Arms carries the mace on ceremonial occasions and on the direction of the Speaker maintains order in the chamber and galleries.
Session – the period during which the House sits from being summoned by the Governor-General until it is prorogued. In times past this was usually a year. More recently it has extended to the full parliamentary term of three years.
Sitting – the period during which the House sits before being adjourned, usually a single day but in times past as a result of stonewalls and when the House is sitting under urgency the period could be substantially longer.
Speaker – the MP elected by his or her colleagues at the beginning of a Parliament to preside over the House and to act as the representative of the House in its relations with the sovereign. The Speaker thus chairs the House during its deliberations, controls its proceedings and decides on points of procedure.
Speech from the Throne – the speech made by the Governor/Governor-General upon the opening of Parliament. This speech lays out the government's legislative programme and signals the direction of policy for the session.
Standing orders – the rules prescribing procedures by which the House is run, including the swearing in of MPs, election of a Speaker, the opening of Parliament, the order of business, rules of debate and the functions of select committees.
State opening of Parliament – the ceremonial occasion on which the Governor/Governor-General delivers the Speech from the Throne, usually the second sitting day of the session, after MPs have been sworn in and a Speaker elected.
Stonewalling – the traditional Opposition practice of using the standing orders and speaking opportunities to delay measures so that sittings might stretch over days.
'Strangers' – the archaic term for members of the public, inherited from the House of Commons. Used with reference to the public gallery, when an order is given to 'clear strangers from the House', and in relation to the bar of the House.
Swearing in – the process on the first day of a new Parliament in which MPs take the oath of allegiance or otherwise commit themselves by affirmation to 'be faithful' and 'bear true allegiance' to the sovereign.
The Table (of the House) – the large table in the chamber, the head at which the Clerk of the House sits, and upon which official papers and documents are placed ('laid on the table'). At the other end the mace is placed when the House is sitting.
Urgency – a procedural device used by governments to accelerate the passage of their business through the House through extended sitting periods.
Westminster system – the form of parliamentary democracy established in Britain and adopted in other countries such as New Zealand. It is a centralised form of legislature characterised by the dominance of cabinet government over Parliament and based on a small number of cohesive political parties (usually two) competing for power and alternating in office. A simple majority in the debating chamber determines who holds power. Since the adoption of MMP New Zealand has to some extent moved away from what had been a strongly developed Westminster system.
Whips – organisers or managers of parties in the House responsible for day-to-day business, party discipline, the attendance of MPs, speaking rights and membership of select committees.