MPs

Parliament's people

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  \Today there are 120 MPs in New Zealand's Parliament, which is a far cry from the 37 who met for the first time in Auckland in 1854.

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• Page 2 – Women MPs

  For much of its first century, Parliament was a bastion of male culture. Nowadays women make up 30% of MPs.

• Page 3 – Māori MPs

  Leaders of Māori society have represented their people in the House, including Maui Pomare, James Carroll, Matiu Rata and, most famously, Apirana Ngata.

• Page 4 – Pay and travel

  One of the early issues parliamentarians discussed was pay for MPs, and one of the biggest difficulties MPs faced in the early years was travelling to Parliament.

• Page 5 – Social life

  In the early years, Parliament was a little like a superior gentlemen's club.

• Page 9 – Biographies

  Some of the key figures in New Zealand parliamentary history

• Page 10 – Further information

  This web feature was written by John E. Martin and produced by the NZHistory.net.nz team.LinksParliament (Te Ara)BooksMartin, John E.

The House of Representatives

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  New Zealand's Parliament dates back to 1854, just 14 years after the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi and the beginning of the European settlement of the country. For most of its history as a nation state, New Zealand has had some form of elected government.

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• Page 2 – Quick history

  New Zealand's Parliament has been making laws, scrutinising the government and representing New Zealanders for over 150 years.

• Page 4 – Doing business

  The operation of Parliament has changed over time as its workload has grown and new systems such as MMP have been implemented.

• Page 5 – First sitting, 1854

  It started with a bang – 21 in fact, fired from the guns at Auckland's Fort Britomart. As soon as the smoke had cleared, New Zealand's first Parliament was under way.

• Page 6 – The Opposition

  The Opposition uses a variety of tactics to hold the government to account.

• Page 7 – The Speaker

  The Speaker, who is elected by MPs, has a key role in representing the House to the Crown and in presiding over the House.

Lyttelton-Wellington ferries

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  For more than 80 years the overnight Lyttelton ferry was a vital link in the country's transport network.

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• Page 4 - Politicians and ferriesPoliticians used the ferries to travel between their electorates and Wellington, so they scrutinised the Union Steam Ship Company's management of the

Parliament's culture and traditions

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  Explore Parliament's rich history and its colourful culture and traditions.

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• Page 5 - Bad languageIn the cut and thrust of Parliament's Debating Chamber, there are rules about what can and cannot be said.

Parliament Buildings

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  Parliament buildings have been modified, destroyed by fire, half-built and restored; the parliamentary places and spaces have formed an important part of New Zealand's history.

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• Page 6 - A workplaceMany people call Parliament their workplace, but for MPs and others, the parliamentary complex has not always been the ideal place to spend long

The road to MMP

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  In 1993 New Zealanders voted to replace their traditional first past the post (FPP) voting system with mixed member proportional representation (MMP). Eighteen years on, as Kiwis voted in a new electoral referendum, we explore how and why that dramatic reform came about.

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• Page 5 - 1996 and beyond - the road to MMPThe three years following the 1993 referendum, before the first MMP election in 1996, were ones of transition and uncertainty.