List of New Zealand governments: Difference between revisions

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{{Use New Zealand English|date=February 2023}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2023}}

[[File:Coat of arms of New Zealand (watermark).svg|thumb|upright=0.9|[[Coat of arms of New Zealand|Coat of arms]] watermark used by the [[New Zealand Government]]]]

The [[New Zealand Government]] exercises executive power in New Zealand. This article lists spans of government under a party or coalition, as well as [[Ministry (collective executive)|ministries]] under a prime minister. There have been three distinctly different periods of government in New Zealand—firstly, the period before [[responsible government]]; second, from 1856 to 1890, the period of responsible government; and the third period started with the formation of [[List of political parties in New Zealand|political parties]] in 1891.

{{See also|New Zealand Government#Terminology}}

This article lists the successive governments of New Zealand since 1856. The first government which formed along political lines did not appear until 1891, when [[John Ballance]] formed the [[New Zealand Liberal Party|Liberal Party]] and the [[Liberal Government of New Zealand|Liberal Government]].<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|last1= McLintock|first1= Alexander Hare|title= Liberal Party|url= https://teara.govt.nz/en/1966/political-parties/page-9|encyclopedia= [[An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand]]|publisher=Ministry for Culture and Heritage|access-date= 3 November 2017|language= en|date= 22 April 2009|orig-year= Originally published in 1966}}</ref> A government is named (by political commentators, as well as self-referentially) for the largest party that leads it<ref>{{cite book|last1= Boston|first1= Jonathan|last2= Holland|first2= Martin|title= The Fourth Labour Government: Politics and Policy in New Zealand|date= 1990|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn= 9780195582130|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=6irVAAAAMAAJ}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1= Garfield|first1= Norton Fausto|title= Fifth National Government of New Zealand|date= 2012|publisher=Anim Publishing|isbn= 9786138498315|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=6SWCtgAACAAJ|language= en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Hickey |first1=Bernard |title=It's the Sixth Labour Government |url=https://www.newsroom.co.nz/2017/10/19/54406/its-the-sixth-labour-government |work=[[Newsroom (website)|Newsroom]] |access-date=9 November 2018 |date=20 October 2017}}</ref> – though compare the [[United–Reform coalition Government of New Zealand|United–Reform coalition Government]] of 1931–1935.

The term '[[Ministry (collective executive)|ministry]]', as used in this article, refers collectively to all the [[Ministers of the New Zealand Government|ministers]] who direct the government.<ref>{{cite web|last1= Fraser|first1= Malcolm|title= The New Zealand Parliamentary Record: Being a Record of the Constitution, Successive Governors, Parliaments, and Ministries, Etc., and Containing an Alphabetical Roll of Members of Both Houses of Parliament Until September 1913, and of Members of Provincial Councils|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=Mr3GPQAACAAJ|publisher=Government Printer|access-date= 6 February 2017|date= 1 January 1913}}</ref> It is described by [[Oxford English Dictionary|Oxford Dictionaries]] as "a period of government under one prime minister".<ref>{{cite web|url= http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/ministry?region=us&q=Ministry |title= Definition for ministry – Oxford Dictionaries Online (US English) |publisher=Oxforddictionaries.com |access-date= 6 February 2017}}{{dead link|date=September 2022|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> At the same time, a period of government under a particular party might be led by a succession of prime ministers and comprise multiple ministries. The ministry includes ''all'' government ministers, inside and outside of [[Cabinet of New Zealand|cabinet]] alike (up to the introduction of [[Mixed-member proportional representation|MMP]] in [[1996 New Zealand general election|1996]], most ministers were in the cabinet). [[Elections in New Zealand|Elections]] do not cause dissolution of the ministry unless they result in the government's defeat.

Since the introduction of MMP in 1996, most New Zealand governments have comprised coalitions of two or more political parties, whether coalescing before and/or after general elections; thus referring to such governments as "''n''th National Government" or as "''n''th Labour Government" simplifies somewhat. An exception to this occurred in 2020, when the incumbent Labour Government, led by Prime Minister [[Jacinda Ardern]], received a 'clear majority' (over 50%).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://elections.nz/media-and-news/2020/2020-general-election-official-results/|title=2020 General Election official results|website=Elections|accessdate=3 February 2023}}</ref> In 2023, the National Party won the most seats and formed a coalition government with two smaller parties—the government is referred to by the media (and prospectively by the National Party itself<ref>{{cite speech |last1=Luxon |first1=Christopher |title=Speech: Campaign Launch |url=https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA2309/S00014/speech-campaign-launch.htm |publisher=New Zealand National Party |via=[[Scoop (website)|Scoop]] |language=en-NZ |date=3 September 2023 |location=Wellington}}</ref>) as the "sixth National Government".<ref>{{cite news |last1=Cooke |first1=Henry |title=How much of Labour’s legacy will survive? A comprehensive analysis |url=https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/18-10-2023/how-much-of-labours-legacy-will-survive-a-comprehensive-analysis |access-date=12 December 2023 |work=[[The Spinoff]] |date=18 October 2023 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=New Zealand: Deputy PM’s comments a threat to press freedom |url=https://www.ifj.org/actions/working-groups/surveillance?tx_news_pi1%5Baction%5D=detail&tx_news_pi1%5Bcontroller%5D=News&tx_news_pi1%5Bnews%5D=21852&tx_news_pi1%5BoverwriteDemand%5D%5Bcategories%5D=47&cHash=3019b7402e23353754c5ac758a40669c |website=www.ifj.org |publisher=[[International Federation of Journalists]] |access-date=12 December 2023 |language=en |date=30 November 2023}}</ref>

In the first session of the [[1st New Zealand Parliament]], three elected members took office under the leadership of [[James FitzGerald (New Zealand politician)|James FitzGerald]], to be later joined by two members of the [[New Zealand Legislative Council|Legislative Council]]. Whilst they were the first official Executive Government under the Constitution, the practical administration remained with the Government officials. The second Ministry led by [[Thomas Forsaith]], which briefly formed during the second session of the 1st Parliament, also had no real power.{{sfn|Scholefield|1950|p=27}}

*[[1856 Sewell Ministry|Sewell Ministry, 1856]]: 18 April 1856 to 20 May 1856

*[[1869–1872 Fox Ministry|Fox Ministry, 1869–72]]: 28 June 1869 to 10 September 1872

=== Reform Government of New Zealand (1912–1928) ===

=== United Government of New Zealand (1928–1931) ===

=== United–Reform coalition Government of New Zealand (1931–1935) ===

=== First Labour Government of New Zealand (1935–1949) ===

=== First National Government of New Zealand (1949–1957) ===

=== Second Labour Government of New Zealand (1957–1960) ===

=== Second National Government of New Zealand (1960–1972) ===

=== Third Labour Government of New Zealand (1972–1975) ===

=== Third National Government of New Zealand (1975–1984) ===

=== Fourth Labour Government of New Zealand (1984–1990) ===

=== Fourth National Government of New Zealand (1990–1999) ===

=== Sixth Labour Government of New Zealand (2017–2023) ===

{{Further|Sixth Labour Government of New Zealand|First term of the Sixth Labour Government of New Zealand|Second term of the Sixth Labour Government of New Zealand}}

*Ardern Ministry, 2017–2023: 26 October 2017 to 25 January 2023

*Hipkins Ministry, 2023: 25 January 2023 to 27 November 2023

=== Sixth National Government of New Zealand (2023–present) ===

{{Further|Sixth National Government of New Zealand}}

*Luxon Ministry, 2023–present: 27 November 2023 to present

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Define $now = {{CURRENTDAY2}}/{{CURRENTMONTH2}}/{{CURRENTYEAR}}

Period = from:01/01/1855 till:$now

from: 26/10/2017 till: 27/11/2023 color:Lab text:"[[Sixth Labour Government of New Zealand|Sixth Labour]]" fontsize:10

from: 27/11/2023 till: $now color:Nat text:"[[Sixth National Government of New Zealand|Sixth National]]" fontsize:10

''Note:'' Colours signify the largest party within each government, i.e. the senior partner in a coalition government (with the exception of the [[United–Reform coalition]]).

* [[List of prime ministers of New Zealand]]

* [[List of parliaments of New Zealand]]

== References ==

=== Citations ===

{{Reflist}}

=== Sources ===

{{refbegin}}

* {{cite book |author-link = Guy Scholefield |last = Scholefield |first= Guy |title = New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1949 |edition = 3rd |orig-year = 1913 |year = 1950 |publisher = Govt. Printer |location = Wellington }}

* {{cite book |last= Wilson |first= James Oakley |title = New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 |edition= 4th |orig-year = 1913 |year= 1985 |publisher = V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer |location= Wellington |oclc=154283103 |pages=59–98 }}

* {{cite book |last= Wood |first= G. A. |title = Ministers and Members in the New Zealand Parliament |edition = 2nd |orig-year = 1987 |year= 1996 |publisher=University of Otago Press |location= Dunedin |isbn= 1-877133-00-0 |pages=1–84 }}

{{refend}}