MMP Referendum

Hon Heather Roy, ACT Deputy Leader
Saturday, October 24 2009

Following on from ACT and National's election promises it was announced this week that New Zealanders would have an opportunity at the 2011 Election to decide whether to retain Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) representation or adopt a new electoral system.

New Zealanders were last asked to select the country's electoral system 16 years ago. At the time there was criticism that the existing First Past the Post (FPP) system created Parliaments that were different in composition to those that voters appeared to want.

It was argued that proportional representation would create a Parliament more representative of New Zealand society. This, coupled with widespread disillusionment with both National and Labour, led to a referendum in 1993 - and the subsequent replacement of FPP with MMP.

The first MMP election was held in 1996 and resulted in the formation of a National-NZ First Government. Over time - as FPP critics predicted - Parliament has become much more diverse and representative of modern New Zealand society and it is unlikely that, under MMP, we will ever see another majority government.

Even after five elections, however, the MMP vs FPP debate is still hotly contested. There are many advocates for changing back to FPP and, it would seem, vocal support to retain MMP. Other possible replacements are also often debated. When the topic arises many believe another referendum on MMP was promised, but this is not the case.

To decide the issue once and for all, both ACT and National campaigned in 2008 to have a referendum - which was announced this week on behalf of the Government by Justice Minister Simon Power, and will be held in conjunction with the 2011 General Election.

The referendum will ask voters to answer two questions: whether they wish to retain MMP, and which of a list of alternative options they prefer. If most vote to retain MMP, no further referendum is required but if the majority vote for change, a second referendum will be held during the 2014 election.

The second referendum will ask voters to choose between MMP and the most preferred alternative system. Any new system selected by the majority will be in place in time for the 2017 general election. If it is decided in 2011 that another system should be put in place there are a number of options.

The Supplementary System (SM) used in Japan, for instance, is a parallel voting system that combines plurality voting with proportional representation. Under SM, a proportion of Parliament's seats would be filled by Members who have won electorate seats, with the remainder filled from Party lists. Unlike MMP, proportionality is limited only to list seats - a Party with five percent of the Party vote only receives five percent of the list seats, rather than five percent of the total number of seats in Parliament.

Another option could be the Single Transferable Vote (STV) system already used in some areas for local government elections. STV is a type of preferential voting designed to minimise 'wasted' votes and provide proportional representation, while ensuring that votes are explicitly expressed for individual candidates rather than for Party lists.

Under STV voters rank the list of candidates in order of preference, with the vote initially allocated to the voter's most preferred candidate. Once candidates have been either elected or eliminated, surplus or unused votes are transferred according to voters' preferences.

A return to the First Past the Post system will be popular with some. As its name implies, the winner is simply the Party that has the most votes and could possibly see a return to the majority governments we saw prior to 1996. There are some, however, who believe that a return to FPP is unlikely. For example, former ACT Leader Richard Prebble doubts the public will want a return to FPP and believes most New Zealanders will vote to retain MMP.

ACT New Zealand first entered Parliament in 1996 at the first MMP election. It is unlikely that we would have been elected under FPP and would probably not have had such a significant role in Parliament since then. The same could be said of the Green Party.

ACT is in favour of the coming referendum - even if it could one day spell trouble for the Party's future. Democracy means that a government is chosen by the people, and ACT believes that the people should have their say on how their representatives are elected.

Lest We Forget - The Malayan Emergency

This Labour weekend I am representing the New Zealand Government at the 21st reunion of the Malayan Veterans' Association, an organisation with members who served in armed forces in Malaya/Malaysia, Singapore or Borneo.

The Malayan 'Emergency' was a guerrilla war fought between Britain and its allies against a communist insurrection from 1948-60. New Zealand contributed airforce units from the beginning of the conflict, and infantry from 1955. Around 38,000 New Zealanders were involved in the 'Emergency' and the subsequent 'Confrontation' with Indonesia over Borneo.

New Zealand provided troops to serve as part of a combined Commonwealth force in Malaya, with approximately 1,300 New Zealand soldiers stationed there at any one time. Most were volunteers.

The 'Emergency' provided a valuable opportunity for the New Zealand Army in jungle warfare - experience of which had previously been very limited - and was one of the few examples of a successful war against a guerrilla army. The development of professional skills by the Army in the Malaya operations laid the groundwork for effective service and a valued contribution during the Borneo Confrontation and the Vietnam War in the 1960s.

In total 15 New Zealand servicemen lost their lives in the Malayan Emergency, although only three were as a result of enemy action - one poor soldier was mauled by a tiger. Our veterans have every reason to be proud of their contribution. My speech at the reunion powhiri is available at: www.roy.org.nz/speeches.

ENDS

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