The 47th New Zealand Parliament was a term of the
Parliament
In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
of New Zealand. Its composition was determined by the
2002 election, and it sat until 11 August 2005.
The
Labour Party and the
Progressive Party Progressive Party may refer to:
Active parties
* Progressive Party, Brazil
* Progressive Party (Chile)
* Progressive Party of Working People, Cyprus
* Dominica Progressive Party
* Progressive Party (Iceland)
* Progressive Party (Sardinia), Ita ...
, backed by
United Future
United Future New Zealand, usually known as United Future, was a centrist political party in New Zealand. The party was in government between 2005 and 2017, first alongside Labour (2005–2008) and then supporting National (2008–2017).
Uni ...
, commanded a majority throughout the 47th Parliament. The Labour-led administration was in its second term. The
National Party, although dealt a significant blow in the last election, remained the largest opposition party. Other non-government parties were
New Zealand First
New Zealand First ( mi, Aotearoa Tuatahi), commonly abbreviated to NZ First, is a nationalist and populist political party in New Zealand. The party formed in July 1993 following the resignation on 19 March 1993 of its leader and founder, Winst ...
,
ACT, the
Greens, and (from mid-2004) the
Māori Party
Māori or Maori can refer to:
Relating to the Māori people
* Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group
* Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand
* Māori culture
* Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...
.
The 47th Parliament consisted of 120 representatives. Sixty-nine of these were chosen by geographical electorates, including seven
Māori electorates
In New Zealand politics, Māori electorates, colloquially known as the Māori seats, are a special category of electorate that give reserved positions to representatives of Māori in the New Zealand Parliament. Every area in New Zealand is ...
. The remainder were elected by means of
party-list proportional representation
Party-list proportional representation (list-PR) is a subset of proportional representation electoral systems in which multiple candidates are elected (e.g., elections to parliament) through their position on an electoral list. They can also be us ...
under the
MMP electoral system.
Electoral boundaries for the 47th Parliament
Overview of seats
The table below shows the number of MPs in each party following the 2002 election and at dissolution:
Notes
*
United Future
United Future New Zealand, usually known as United Future, was a centrist political party in New Zealand. The party was in government between 2005 and 2017, first alongside Labour (2005–2008) and then supporting National (2008–2017).
Uni ...
supported the Labour-Progressive coalition on a
confidence and supply
In a parliamentary democracy based on the Westminster system, confidence and supply are required for a ruling cabinet to retain power in the lower house.
A confidence-and-supply agreement is one whereby a party or independent members of parl ...
basis.
*
Tariana Turia
Dame Tariana Turia (born 8 April 1944) is a New Zealand politician. She was first elected to Parliament in 1996. Turia gained considerable prominence during the foreshore and seabed controversy in 2004, and eventually broke with the Labour P ...
resigned as MP and from the
Labour Party on 30 April 2004 following the
foreshore and seabed controversy. She won the resulting by-election under the banner of the new
Māori Party
Māori or Maori can refer to:
Relating to the Māori people
* Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group
* Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand
* Māori culture
* Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...
.
* The Working Government majority is calculated as all Government MPs less all other parties.
Initial composition of the 47th Parliament
The initial members of the 47th Parliament were as follows:
By-elections during 47th Parliament
There was one by-election held during the term of the 47th Parliament.
Summary of changes during term
*
Graham Kelly, a Labour list MP, left Parliament on 29 July 2003 to take up a position as
High Commissioner to
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
.
Moana Mackey
Moana Lynore Mackey (born 28 February 1974) is a New Zealand politician and has represented the New Zealand Labour Party in the New Zealand Parliament from 2003 until 2014. She has Māori, Irish, Scottish and Spanish ancestry.
Early life a ...
, the next candidate on Labour's party list, entered Parliament in his place.
*
Donna Awatere Huata
Donna Lynn Awatere Huata (sometimes written Awatere-Huata, previously known as Donna Awatere; born 1949) is a former member of the New Zealand Parliament for the ACT New Zealand Party and activist for Māori causes.
Early life
Donna Awatere wa ...
, an ACT list MP, was officially declared an independent on 11 November 2003. This followed her suspension from the ACT
caucus
A caucus is a meeting of supporters or members of a specific political party or movement. The exact definition varies between different countries and political cultures.
The term originated in the United States, where it can refer to a meeting ...
on 11 February 2003 after allegations of fraud were made against her. After a lengthy legal fight which went all the way to the
Supreme Court
A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
, she was expelled from Parliament on 19 November 2004. She was replaced by
Kenneth Wang
Kenneth Xiaoxuan Wang (; born 1955) is a former Deputy Leader of the ACT New Zealand party. He previously served as a member of Parliament to replace Donna Awatere Huata, who was expelled from Parliament in November 2004.
Biography
Wang was ...
on 30 November.
*
Tariana Turia
Dame Tariana Turia (born 8 April 1944) is a New Zealand politician. She was first elected to Parliament in 1996. Turia gained considerable prominence during the foreshore and seabed controversy in 2004, and eventually broke with the Labour P ...
, the Labour MP for Te Tai Hauauru, resigned from Parliament over the
foreshore and seabed issue on 17 May 2004.
On 10 July, Turia won
the resulting by-election under the banner of the new
Māori Party
Māori or Maori can refer to:
Relating to the Māori people
* Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group
* Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand
* Māori culture
* Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...
, and took her seat again on 27 July.
*
Jonathan Hunt, a Labour list MP, left Parliament on 30 March 2005 to take up a position as
High Commissioner to the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
.
Lesley Soper
Lesley Frances Soper (born 5 November 1954) is a former New Zealand politician of the New Zealand Labour Party, Labour Party.
Political career
She was a Labour Party List MP, list member of Parliament for several months in 2005, replacing ...
, the next candidate on Labour's party list, was sworn in to replace him on 5 April.
Seating plan
As on 10 August 2004
The chamber is in a horseshoe-shape.
References
{{Reflist
New Zealand parliaments