Sorry – submissions are now closed.
You can read the report of the Independent Constitutional Review Panel HERE
If you would like to read the Summary of Issues paper that we prepared to provide some background information, please click HERE.
below is a guide to the issues to assist you in your submission:
Number MPs/seats
Nominally 120 MPs but currently 121 because of the overhang created when a party wins ... more
Length Parliamentary term
Those in power would want longer terms and those out shorter. The question is how long ... more
Election date
Currently, the Prime Minister may set date for the party’s advantage. A fixed date would ... more
Number electorates
Currently there are 63 general electorate seats and 7 Maori seats, with 50 list seats ... more
Calculating electorates
The process for deciding the number and size of electorates is based on the South Island always ... more
Electoral Integrity Laws
Party hopping laws prevent MPs leaving a party and distorting the proportionality of ... more
Maori Electoral Option
The Maori electoral option gives New Zealanders of Maori descent the opportunity to choose ... more
Maori seats
Four Maori seats were established as a temporary measure back in 1867. They should have ... more
Local govt Maori seats
Separate Maori representation was established by legislation in 2001 at Environment Bay of Plenty ... more
Treaty of Waitangi
If Treaty principles were enshrined in a new written constitution, it would be a death blow ... more
Bill of Rights - property
The New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990 is a statute of the Parliament of New Zealand setting out ... more
Bill of Rights Entrenchment
The Electoral Act is the only New Zealand statute containing entrenched provisions ... more
Written constitution
If Treaty principles were enshrined in a new written constitution, it would be a death blow to ... more
Declaration of Equality
The Declaration of Equality states: We New Zealanders of all backgrounds having founded ..more
Change via Referendum
The only legitimate democratic way to enact major constitutional change is through a referendum ... more